United Airlines MileagePlus program just launched a new promotion on purchased miles. But currently, different MileagePlus members are targeted with different bonuses or discount offers.
Two Different Targeted MileagePlus Offers
I have noticed that there are two different targeted offers with this promotion. The first is the bonus and the other is discounts when purchasing miles. So it is best to take a look at your account on which offer you have received.
Ironically, both promotion has the same total price when purchasing the maximum amount of miles. With the bonus miles offer, members are able to purchase only 175,000 miles after bonuses while members who got the discount offer can purchase 175,000 miles, both at the same price.
Purchase MileagePlus Miles With Up To 95% Bonus
Through October 26, 2022, United MileagePlus members who purchase miles will receive up to 95% bonus points. Keep in mind that the bonus offer varies for different members so it is best to check your account before purchasing.
Based on the 95% bonus offer, the bonus is as follows:
- Purchases between 5,000-14,000 miles will get a 45% bonus
- Purchases between 15,000-39,000 miles will get a 70% bonus
- Purchases between 40,000-87,500 miles will get a 95% bonus
How Much Does The Miles Cost With Bonus
United Airlines’ MileagePlus caps the maximum number of miles purchased to 175,000. But this factors all the bonus included. Meaning, based on the 95% bonus promotion, the maximum amount of miles that can be bought is 89,500.
Purchase MileagePlus Miles With Up To 45% Discounts
At the same time from the bonus miles on purchases, different MileagePlus members received a totally different offer. There is another targeted offer where members receive 45% discounts on purchased miles.
Similar to the bonus miles dates, through October 26, 2022, targeted members purchasing MileagePlus miles will receive up to a 45% discount.
While other members received a bonus offer, I received a discount offer of 45%. Here is the discount as follows:
- Purchases between 5,000-59,000 miles will get a 20% discount
- Purchases between 60,000-175,000 miles will get a 45% discount
Members are allowed to purchase a maximum of 175,000 miles per calendar year.
How Much Does The Miles Cost After Discount
Generally, MileagePlus miles cost US$35 per 1,000 miles and can be purchased in increments of 1,000. With the 45% discount, you are able to purchase up to 175,000 miles at nearly half the regular price.
This is a great offer to purchase 175,000 miles for just US$3,621 instead of US$6,125. It is quite a saving to purchasing these amounts of miles to redeem a round trip long-haul business class.
Miles purchased will be credited within 72 hours of purchase confirmation.
Redeeming United MileagePlus Miles
United MileagePlus program is one of the most used programs to earn and redeem flights. However, there is no published award chart so members have to access the website to check individually.
From time to time, MileagePlus has increased redemption rates but on the other hand, there are times when there are good deals, especially on one-way awards. For example:
- A one-way from New York to London cost as low as 60,000 miles on United Airlines.
- One-way from the US to Japan cost as low as 70,000 miles on United Airlines.
You can also book a one-way US to Europe sector on Swiss business class for 77,000 miles.
Summary
United MileagePlus is offering two different promotions on purchased miles to targeted members. Some members received a bonus of up to 95% while others received a discount of up to 45%.
But with all the calculations, the total price of the maximum miles is equal. The MileagePlus program is good to redeem on United or Star Alliance partners but compared to Avianca or Air Canada’s frequent flyer program, it generally charges more on fees. So this offers is probably best for those who are United loyalists as they can purchase miles at half the regular price.
