United Elite Maximizer - Worth It?
Like the American Airlines Miles Multiplier option and Delta's Mileage Booster United offers the ability to buy miles as well as elite qualifying miles through their Award Accelerator program. But don't get too excited yet, because the prices can be astronomical.
I have an upcoming award ticket from Europe to the US in business class and it offered me the chance to purchase either an additional 5,002 miles for $116 or 10,004 miles for $231. That includes a 7.5% excise tax. All in all, these extra miles would cost me about 2.3 cents each. Not great, but less than the 3.5 cents plus 7.5% tax they normally cost.
Curious, I followed up and entered my Mileage Plus number just to see what the final tally would be, and the price actually jumped drastically to about twice as much! I'm not sure if this is just a United glitch (wouldn't be the first time that happened), but it was shocking to see the price skyrocket.
In this case, it looked like if I wanted to buy the extra miles, it would cost me $276 for 5,002 miles, and $414 for 10,004 miles. That would break down to either 5.5 cents a mile, or 4.1 cents a mile. In other words, the 25,000 miles it would cost me to redeem for a roundtrip domestic award ticket would be valued at $1,025. Buying Chase Ultimate Rewards Points at 2.5 cents each (5,000 maximum a month) and then transferring them to United, or even directly from United at 3.5 cents a piece would be better deals.
Even worse, look at the little box in the corner. If I wanted to make those miles elite qualifying miles, it would cost an out-of-this-world $1,800 more! That would bring my total cost for 10,004 EQM's to $2,214, or 22 cents each! No thank you, United.
Understandably, elite qualifying miles are more valuable to many who value elite status, but 22 cents each is just lunacy- you might as well just buy business class tickets to Europe and get value out of that cash outlay.
As usual, these options are rarely if ever worth the price airlines demand for them, and the only reason I would ever consider such a purchase would be if I was absolutely desperate for EQM's in an extreme hurry and had absolutely no time to fly or earn them through a promo. Personally, I'd much rather garner miles through a few well-placed credit card applications, like the 50,000 Ultimate Rewards points I could earn and then transfer to United with a Chase Ink Bold or the 40,000 I'd earn with the Sapphire Preferred if I didn't already have the cards, or scoring 4,000 United miles by signing up for a Netflix subscription. The bottom line is, there are much better options out there, so beware the United Elite Maximizer.
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| 3X | Earn 3X Miles on Delta purchases. |
| 1X | Earn 1X Miles on all other eligible purchases. |
Pros
- Delta SkyClub access when flying Delta
- Annual companion ticket for travel on Delta (upon renewal)
- Ability to earn MQDs through spending
- Various statement credits for eligible purchases
Cons
- Steep annual fee of $650
- Other Delta cobranded cards offer superior earning categories
- Earn 100,000 Bonus Miles after you spend $6,000 or more in purchases with your new Card within the first 6 months of Card Membership and an additional 25,000 bonus miles after you make an additional $3,000 in purchases on the Card within your first 6 months, starting from the date that your account is opened. Offer Ends 04/01/2026.
- Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card Members receive 15 Visits per Medallion® Year to the Delta Sky Club® when flying Delta and can unlock an unlimited number of Visits after spending $75,000 in purchases on your Card in a calendar year. Plus, you’ll receive four One-Time Guest Passes each Medallion Year so you can share the experience with family and friends when traveling Delta together.
- Enjoy complimentary access to The Centurion® Lounge in the U.S. and select international locations (as set forth on the Centurion Lounge Website), Sidecar by The Centurion® Lounge in the U.S. (see the Centurion Lounge Website for more information on Sidecar by The Centurion® Lounge availability), and Escape Lounges when flying on a Delta flight booked with the Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card. § To access Sidecar by The Centurion® Lounge, Card Members must arrive within 90 minutes of their departing flight (including layovers). To access The Centurion® Lounge, Card Members must arrive within 3 hours of their departing flight. Effective July 8, 2026, during a layover, Card Members must arrive within 5 hours of the connecting flight.
- Receive $2,500 Medallion® Qualification Dollars with MQD Headstart each Medallion Qualification Year and earn $1 MQD for each $10 in purchases on your Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card with MQD Boost to get closer to Status next Medallion Year.
- Enjoy a Companion Certificate on a Delta First, Delta Comfort, or Delta Main round-trip flight to select destinations each year after renewal of your Card. The Companion Certificate requires payment of government-imposed taxes and fees of between $22 and $250 (for itineraries with up to four flight segments). Baggage charges and other restrictions apply. Delta Basic experiences are not eligible for this benefit.
- $240 Resy Credit: When you use your Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card for eligible purchases with U.S. Resy restaurants, you can earn up to $20 each month in statement credits. Enrollment required.
- $120 Rideshare Credit: Earn up to $10 back in statement credits each month after you use your Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card to pay for U.S. rideshare purchases with select providers. Enrollment required.
- Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card Members get 15% off when using miles to book Award Travel on Delta flights through delta.com and the Fly Delta app. Discount not applicable to partner-operated flights or to taxes and fees.
- With your Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card, receive upgrade priority over others with the same Medallion tier, product and fare experience purchased, and Million Miler milestone when you fly with Delta.
- Earn 3X Miles on Delta purchases and earn 1X Miles on all other eligible purchases.
- No Foreign Transaction Fees. Enjoy international travel without additional fees on purchases made abroad.
- $650 Annual Fee.
- Apply with confidence. Know if you're approved for a Card with no impact to your credit score. If you're approved and you choose to accept this Card, your credit score may be impacted.
- Terms Apply.
- See Rates & Fees