One Day Only: Get Up to a 100% Bonus on Purchased United Miles
Update: Some offers mentioned below are no longer available. View the current offers here.
For one day only, United is offering up to a 100% bonus when you purchase MileagePlus miles. As part of its extended Cyber Monday sale, you can earn up to 100% bonus miles on your purchased miles on Tuesday.
Here's how the bonus earning breaks down based on how many you purchase:
- Buy 5,000-9,000 miles — get 40% bonus miles
- Buy 10,000-19,000 miles — get 60% bonus miles
- Buy 20,000-75,000 miles — get 100% bonus miles
If you were to maximize this promotion and purchase 75,000 miles, you'd pay about $2,822, including taxes and fees for a total of 150,000 miles. That comes out to paying about 1.88 cents apiece. Based on TPG's most recent valuations, United miles are worth 1.5 cents apiece. So, while this isn't the best promotion out there, it's not necessarily a bad one either.
Keep in mind that before you purchase any miles, you're going to want to have a specific use for the miles in mind. Buying miles speculatively isn't recommended, as miles are a bad long-term investment.
If you're planning to utilize this promotion, here's how to do so:
- Visit United's Buy Miles page.
- Click on the Cyber Monday bonus deal.
- Enter your United MileagePlus account number and last name.
- Select the number of miles you want to buy and fill in the required information to finalize your purchase.
Keep in mind that there are some restrictions. You must purchase miles by November 28, 2017, at 11:59pm CT in order to get the bonus. You must purchase miles in increments of 1,000 with a maximum of 75,000 miles. The bonus miles will count toward the 150,000 mile annual limit per MileagePlus account, and purchased miles don't count toward Premier status.
Note that the purchase is processed by Points.com, so you won't get any travel category bonuses from this purchase. Make sure to use the best non-bonus category credit card for your situation. Based on TPG's valuations, the Blue Business Plus Credit Card from American Express's 2x Membership Rewards or Chase Freedom Unlimited's 1.5x Ultimate Rewards points would be the most rewarding choice.
TPG featured card
at Capital One's secure site
Terms & restrictions apply. See rates & fees.
| 5X miles | Earn 5X miles on hotels, vacation rentals and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel |
| 2X miles | Earn unlimited 2X miles on every purchase, every day |
Pros
- Stellar welcome offer of 75,000 miles after spending $4,000 on purchases in the first three months from account opening. Plus, a $250 Capital One Travel credit to use in your first cardholder year upon account opening.
- You'll earn 2 miles per dollar on every purchase, which means you won't have to worry about memorizing bonus categories
- Rewards are versatile and can be redeemed for a statement credit or transferred to Capital One’s transfer partners
Cons
- Highest bonus-earning categories only on travel booked via Capital One Travel
- LIMITED-TIME OFFER: Enjoy $250 to use on Capital One Travel in your first cardholder year, plus earn 75,000 bonus miles once you spend $4,000 on purchases within the first 3 months from account opening - that’s equal to $1,000 in travel
- Earn unlimited 2X miles on every purchase, every day
- Earn 5X miles on hotels, vacation rentals and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel
- Miles won't expire for the life of the account and there's no limit to how many you can earn
- Receive up to a $120 credit for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck®
- Use your miles to get reimbursed for any travel purchase—or redeem by booking a trip through Capital One Travel
- Enjoy a $50 experience credit and other premium benefits with every hotel and vacation rental booked from the Lifestyle Collection
- Transfer your miles to your choice of 15+ travel loyalty programs
- Top rated mobile app