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40% Bonus On Gift Card United Miles Exchange

Oct. 03, 2012
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3 min read
40% Bonus On Gift Card United Miles Exchange
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One little known feature of certain mileage programs is the ability to exchange unused gift cards for frequent flyer miles. United's MileagePlus is one such program, and right now the program is running a 40% bonus on the miles you receive for these exchanges.

Your gift card must have at least $25 of value on it, and must come from an approved retailer. You can find the entire gift card retailer list on the promo page, but it includes merchants like Adidas, Barnes & Noble, Best Buy, Brooks Brothers, Chico's, Disney, Dell, Gap, Home Depot, Kohl's, Kroger, Lowe's, Lord & Taylor, Office Max, Office Depot, Rite Aid, Saks Fifth Avenue, Sams Club, Staples, Starbucks and even Tiffany & Co.

According to the terms and conditions, you must transfer the whole value of the balance on the gift card over to United if you agree, the minimum is $25 and the airline might impose a maximum depending on the card. The gift card must also not be a paper certificate and cannot have an expiration date. The miles you receive are simply award miles, not elite-qualifying miles, which should appear in your account within 5 business days. There is no listed end date for the 40% bonus promotion.

The normal exchange rates are the following and include a 7.5% excise tax:

So basically with this 40% promotion you're paying between 2.65-2.7 cents per mile. Ordinarily, United miles cost 3.7625 cents each – 3.5 cents plus a 7.5% excise tax and they frequently run promotions, like their current 40% discount which brings the price to less than 2.3 cents a mile. Check out this post for my detailed analysis of buying United miles at a 40% discount from September.

I generally value United miles at about 2 cents each, so in my opinion you are still paying a premium with this promo, but if you have gift cards to merchants you know you're not going to use (or regift!), it might make sense to turn some of them over.

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To make an exchange, from the promo page, click the Get Started button and then log in to your United Mileage Plus account where you will be taken to a page to choose the merchant, enter the gift card number and then enter the card's PIN. I don't have a gift card to exchange at the moment, but I believe the next page verifies the card number and the balance and displays the miles you will get in exchange.

Personally, I'm going to avoid this promotion because I'd rather buy Star Alliance miles via US Airways for a shockingly low price of only 1.1 cents a mile through the current Share Miles Promotion. While US Airways miles are less flexible than United miles in a number of ways (poor website for booking partner awards and no one-way awards), US is better in some ways, like more lax routing rules and lower redemptions on certain routes like Australia and North Asia in business class and off-peak awards.

Hat tip: TPG reader Pavel.
[card card-name='Ink Plus® Business Credit Card' card-id='22129636' type='javascript' bullet-id='1']

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  • Intro Offer

    As High As 100,000 points. Find Out Your Offer.

  • Annual Fee

    $325

  • Recommended Credit

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Why We Chose It

There’s a lot to love about the Amex Gold. It’s a fan favorite thanks to its fantastic bonus-earning rates at restaurants worldwide and at U.S. supermarkets. If you’re hitting the skies soon, you’ll also earn bonus Membership Rewards points on travel. Paired with up to $120 in Uber Cash annually (for U.S. Uber rides or Uber Eats orders, card must be added to Uber app and you can redeem with any Amex card), up to $120 in annual dining statement credits to be used with eligible partners, an up to $84 Dunkin’ credit each year at U.S. Dunkin Donuts and an up to $100 Resy credit annually, there’s no reason that foodies shouldn’t add the Amex Gold to their wallet. These benefits alone are worth more than $400, which offsets the $325 annual fee on the Amex Gold card. Enrollment is required for select benefits. (Partner offer)

Pros

  • 4 points per dollar spent on dining at restaurants worldwide and U.S. supermarkets (on the first $50,000 in purchases per calendar year; then 1 point per dollar spent thereafter and $25,000 in purchases per calendar year; then 1 point per dollar spent thereafter, respectively)
  • 3 points per dollar spent on flights booked directly with the airline or with amextravel.com
  • Packed with credits foodies will enjoy
  • Solid welcome bonus

Cons

  • Not as useful for those living outside the U.S.
  • Some may have trouble using Uber and other dining credits
  • You may be eligible for as high as 100,000 Membership Rewards® Points after you spend $6,000 in eligible purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months of Card Membership. Welcome offers vary and you may not be eligible for an offer. Apply to know if you’re approved and find out your exact welcome offer amount – all with no credit score impact. If you’re approved and choose to accept the Card, your score may be impacted.
  • Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on purchases at restaurants worldwide, on up to $50,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year.
  • Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent at US supermarkets, on up to $25,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year.
  • Earn 3X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on flights booked directly with airlines or on AmexTravel.com.
  • Earn 2X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on prepaid hotels and other eligible purchases booked on AmexTravel.com.
  • Earn 1X Membership Rewards® point per dollar spent on all other eligible purchases.
  • $120 Uber Cash on Gold: Add your Gold Card to your Uber account and get $10 in Uber Cash each month to use on orders and rides in the U.S. when you select an American Express Card for your transaction. That’s up to $120 Uber Cash annually. Plus, after using your Uber Cash, use your Card to earn 4X Membership Rewards® points for Uber Eats purchases made with restaurants or U.S. supermarkets. Point caps and terms apply.
  • $84 Dunkin' Credit: With the $84 Dunkin' Credit, you can earn up to $7 in monthly statement credits after you enroll and pay with the American Express® Gold Card at U.S. Dunkin' locations. Enrollment is required to receive this benefit.
  • $100 Resy Credit: Get up to $100 in statement credits each calendar year after you pay with the American Express® Gold Card to dine at U.S. Resy restaurants or make other eligible Resy purchases. That's up to $50 in statement credits semi-annually. Enrollment required.
  • $120 Dining Credit: Satisfy your cravings, sweet or savory, with the $120 Dining Credit. Earn up to $10 in statement credits monthly when you pay with the American Express® Gold Card at Grubhub, The Cheesecake Factory, Goldbelly, Wine.com, and Five Guys. Enrollment required.
  • Explore over 1,000 upscale hotels worldwide with The Hotel Collection and receive a $100 credit towards eligible charges* with every booking of two nights or more through AmexTravel.com. *Eligible charges vary by property.
  • No Foreign Transaction Fees.
  • Annual Fee is $325.
  • Terms Apply.