Deal alert: Booking these epic cruises could get you 245,000 bonus United miles

Booking an epic cruise to Antarctica or the Arctic this month could get you an epic number of United MileagePlus miles.

United Cruises has launched a limited-time offer that will bring 200,000 bonus United miles when you book a sailing on Ponant's Le Commandant Charcot — a groundbreaking new vessel specifically built for polar cruising.

That's a truly stunning number of United MileagePlus miles. TPG currently values United MileagePlus miles at 1.3 cents each, meaning that 200,000 miles would be worth $2,600 at our valuation.

The bonus miles, moreover, are in addition to the standard amount of United miles you'll earn when booking through United Cruises. United MileagePlus members earn up to 4 miles for every dollar spent on cruise fares, up to 25,000 miles per booking.

Plus, if you book with a United MileagePlus credit card, you can earn even more miles. United MileagePlus members who book with a United MileagePlus credit card earn up to 7 miles for every dollar spent on cruise fares, up to 45,000 miles per booking.

In other words, for some cruise bookings under this new offer, you could earn up to 245,000 United miles in all.

Just be warned: You'll have to act fast to get the bonus miles. The bonus mileage offer is only available through Nov. 30.

In addition, be prepared to pay up to sail on Le Commandant Charcot. Many of the ship's Antarctica and Arctic sailings start at more than $20,000 per person.

Details of the bonus mile offer

Among caveats to the offer: Miles are earned per cabin and are awarded to only one passenger per cruise booking. In addition, to qualify, customers must book through the United Cruises program.

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Related: How to book a sailing through United Cruises

Other fine print:

• You must provide a United MileagePlus number to United Cruises prior to embarkation.
• Miles will post to the member's accounts six to eight weeks after the cruise has been completed.
• The offer is only good for new bookings.
• Cruises must be paid for in U.S. currency.
• The offer is for double occupancy bookings only.
• The offer is for select sailings on Le Commandant Charcot.

In addition, the number of base miles you will get when booking, separate from the 200,000 bonus mile offer, is based on:

• 2 miles per dollar spent on an interior or ocean-view cabin when not using a United MileagePlus credit card
• 4 miles per dollar spent on a balcony cabin or suite when not using a United MileagePlus credit card
• 4 miles per dollar spent on an interior or ocean-view cabin when using a United MileagePlus credit card
• 7 miles per dollar spent on a balcony cabin or suite when using a United MileagePlus credit card

For these base miles, only dollars spent on cruise fares — not taxes, fees and port charges — will earn miles.

The itineraries available as part of the promotion are some of the most ambitious ever designed by a cruise company. They include voyages that take passengers all the way to the North Pole.

As TPG has written before, Le Commandant Charcot is an unusual expedition vessel capable of doing things that no other expedition ship currently afloat can do.

Related: The most epic cruise ever? What it's like traveling to the North Pole on a luxury icebreaker

The 245-passenger vessel is a true icebreaker of the sort that only governments have operated until now — a vessel capable of cutting through the thick multiyear ice that is found across parts of the polar ice cap.

Which credit card should I use to book?

As previously mentioned, you can maximize your purchase by using a United MileagePlus credit card, such as the United Club℠ Card, (see rates and fees) which earns 2 miles per dollar spent on cruises. This card currently offers new cardmembers to earn 90,000 United MileagePlus bonus miles after spending $5,000 on qualifying purchases in the first three months of opening an account.

If you don't have a United card, it's best to use a card that earns bonus points on cruises. A good option is the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card, (see rates and fees) which earns 2 points per dollar spent on travel, including cruises. You can also earn 75,000 Ultimate Rewards points as a sign-up bonus after you spend $5,000 on purchases in the first three months of account opening.

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