Get Up to a 75% Bonus When Buying United Miles
Update: Some offers mentioned below are no longer available. View the current offers here.
Earning airline miles using the traditional method (actually flying) is just one option for growing your account balance. While it's increasingly harder to earn miles from flying, airlines make it relatively easy to accrue miles without flying — whether through top credit card offers or by utilizing shopping portals and dining rewards programs. If these methods leave you short of your travel goals, you can also purchase miles directly from an airline.
If you're finding yourself a little short of a redemption, you might be interested in United's new buy miles bonus. Now through July 3, you can purchase United MileagePlus miles with up to a 75% bonus. The regular price for buying United miles is 3.76 cents per mile ($35 per 1,000 miles plus a 7.5% Federal Excise Tax). But, with the 75% bonus, this promotion will drop the price down to 2.15 cents per mile.
United is known for sometimes doing targeted promotions, so we checked around the office to see what offers everyone got. We found that there are two versions of this offer. The only difference is found when buying 24,000 miles or less:
- Buy 5,000-10,000 miles (25% bonus) at 3.01 cents per mile
- Buy 11,000-24,000 miles (50% bonus) at 2.51 cents per mile
- Buy 25,000-85,000 miles (75% bonus) at 2.15 cents per mile
Or:
- Buy 5,000-24,000 miles (35% bonus) at 2.79 cents per mile
- Buy 25,000-85,000 miles (75% bonus) at 2.15 cents per mile
One nice thing about both of these offers: The 75% bonus kicks in at just 25,000 miles. This makes it great for making smaller mileage purchases. Usually, you have to buy a much larger package of miles to maximize these buy-miles promotions.
Is It Worth It?
In his latest valuations, TPG pegs United miles at 1.5 cents each. This promotion drops the price per mile down to 2.15 cents each. So, it wouldn't seem to make much sense at first. However, there are certainly cases where it'd make sense.
Take Thai Airlines' spectacular first-class product. On a recent trip, TPG Editor-in-Chief Zach Honig scored a nine-hour ride in this cabin for just 40,000 United miles. You can purchase 43,750 miles through this promotion for $941. In comparison, the cost to actually buying this flight: $2,715.
Domestically, TPG testing shows you can get upwards of 3.25 cents per mile on business-class award flights between NYC-LAX or 2.53 cents per mile on short-haul flights.
Either way, one thing is for sure: You're going to want to have a specific use for the miles in mind before purchasing miles. Speculatively buying miles 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 Buy Personal Miles.
- 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 the usual restrictions for purchasing United miles apply to this promotion, including the following:
- You must purchase at least 2,000 miles. Miles may be purchased in increments of 1,000 miles.
- Members can only purchase 150,000 miles per account per calendar year, and bonus miles count towards the 150,000 mile annual limit.
- Miles may take up to 48 hours to post to your account.
- Purchased or gifted miles do not count toward MileagePlus 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 on the first $50,000 per year; then 1x thereafter or Chase Freedom Unlimited's 1.5x Ultimate Rewards points would be the most rewarding choice.
Are you going to buy miles during this promotion?
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| 4X | 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. |
| 4X | 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. |
| 5X | Earn 5X Membership Rewards® points on prepaid hotel stays booked through AmexTravel.com or the Amex Travel App™. |
| 3X | Earn 3X Membership Rewards® points on flights booked through AmexTravel.com, the Amex Travel App™, or purchased directly from airlines. |
| 2X | Earn 2X Membership Rewards® points on prepaid car rentals booked through AmexTravel.com or the Amex Travel App™ and cruises booked and paid through AmexTravel.com. |
| 1X | Earn 1X Membership Rewards® point per dollar spent on all other eligible purchases. |
Pros
- Valuable dining and food-related credits
- Flexible rewards with airline and hotel transfer partners
- Multiple travel and purchase protections
- No foreign transaction fees
- Access to Amex Offers for additional savings (enrollment required)
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 $8,000 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 5X Membership Rewards® points on prepaid hotel stays booked through AmexTravel.com or the Amex Travel App™.
- Earn 3X Membership Rewards® points on flights booked through AmexTravel.com, the Amex Travel App™, or purchased directly from airlines.
- Earn 2X Membership Rewards® points on prepaid car rentals booked through AmexTravel.com or the Amex Travel App™ and cruises booked and paid through AmexTravel.com.
- Earn 1X Membership Rewards® point per dollar spent on all other eligible purchases.
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- $120 Dining Credit: Earn up to a total of $10 in statement credits monthly when you pay with the Gold Card at Grubhub (including Seamless), Buffalo Wild Wings, Five Guys, The Cheesecake Factory, and Wonder. This can be an annual savings of up to $120. Enrollment required.
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- $84 Dunkin' Credit: Earn up to $7 in monthly statement credits after you pay with the American Express® Gold Card at U.S. Dunkin’ locations. Enrollment required.
- $120 Uber Cash on Gold: Enjoy up to $120 in Uber Cash annually with your Gold Card. Just add your Card to your Uber account and you'll get $10 in Uber Cash each month to use on orders and rides in the U.S. when you select an Amex Card for your transaction.
- Enjoy complimentary Hertz Five Star® Status benefits like skipping the counter at select locations, adding an additional driver at no additional cost*, and vehicle upgrades**. Benefit enrollment and Hertz Gold+ registration are required. *Additional drivers must meet standard rental qualifications and must be a spouse or domestic partner to qualify as complimentary. Other additional drivers subject to fees. **Benefits are subject to availability and vary by location. Additional Hertz program Terms and Conditions including age restrictions apply.
- Book two nights or more with The Hotel Collection through AmexTravel.com and receive a $100* credit towards eligible charges at over 1,300 upscale hotels worldwide.§ *Eligible charges vary by property.
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- Whenever you need us, we're here. Our Member Services team will ensure you are taken care of. From lost Card replacement to statement questions, we are available to help 24/7.
- No Foreign Transaction Fees.
- Annual Fee is $325.
- Terms Apply.