Earn 500 Bonus United Miles on Your First MileagePlus X App Purchase
Update: Some offers mentioned below are no longer available. View the current offers here.
United is running a new promotion to drive more travelers to try its MileagePlus X app: 500 bonus United miles on your first purchase through the app. The promotion is limited to the primary cardholders of the United MileagePlus Explorer Card, and your first purchase must be made before July 31, 2016.
If you don't have the MileagePlus Explorer Card already, if you sign up now you can earn 50,000 bonus United miles after spending $3,000 on purchases in the first three months. The card's travel perks are especially nice when flying on United: free checked bags, priority boarding, two free lounge passes per year and expanded United award availability — earning this card a "keep" rating on TPG's credit card inventory.
Unfortunately, the fine print on the bonus says "you must be a new MileagePlus X user," so it seems to only be available for anyone who hasn't used the app before. United links your MileagePlus account with your app. So, uninstalling and reinstalling — or installing the app on another phone — probably won't make you eligible to earn the 500-mile bonus again.
Even if this isn't your first time using it, there's a lot to like about the MileagePlus X app. Purchases through the app will earn between 1 and 5 United miles per dollar spent. A glance at the merchants in my area show most are in the 3x-5x range. With TPG's current valuation of 1.5 cents per United mile, this means you'll be getting up to 7.5 cents of value per dollar spent.
In addition, MileagePlus Explorer Card members get a 25% bonus on any earnings through the app — even if you don't use the Explorer Card to make the purchase — boosting the value you'd get per dollar spent to nearly 9.4 cents.
Remember, if you have a Premier Rewards Gold Card from American Express, you can still get a $100 Amazon gift card reimbursed using your annual airline credit. Since the reimbursement is separate from the app, United should still grant you the 500-mile bonus for your first purchase through the app. That means you can use your Amex PRG airline credit to end up with a $100 Amazon gift card and 700 United miles for free!
Have you used the MileagePlus X app?
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at Capital One's secure site
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| 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