United credit card holders: Earn bonus miles with the Mile Badge Game promotion
Update: Some offers mentioned below are no longer available.
If you have a United Airlines credit card, there's a new promotion where you might be able to earn thousands of bonus miles.
This is a targeted promotion, and the number of miles you can earn — as well as how you earn them — will vary depending on which credit card you have. Let's take a look at the United Mile Badge Game to understand how you can earn these bonus miles.
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United Mile Badge Game promotion
This promotion requires that cardholders complete selected activities to earn virtual badges for bonus miles. Registration is required, but not all cardholders will be able to enroll since this promotion is targeted. At this point, we have seen offers for the following United cobranded credit cards:
- United Club Infinite Card.
- United Gateway Card.
- United Explorer Card.
- United Quest Card.
- United Business Card.
- United℠ Presidential Plus Card.
If you did not receive an email about the promotion, you can check your eligibility by trying to enroll here, using the last four digits of your credit card number and your United MileagePlus account number. Among TPG staff members, we have seen offers to earn up to 9,250 bonus miles. We also received an email from a reader saying he could enroll his United Presidential Plus Card to earn up to 26,500 bonus miles.
The information for the Presidential Plus card has been collected independently by The Points Guy. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuers.
Qualifying activities
Your bonus miles-earning activities will vary depending on which United Airlines cobranded credit card you have. However, you will likely see some of the following:
- Earn bonus miles after making a set number of purchases on your card: 250 bonus miles after using your card 15 times, 500 bonus miles after using your card 30 times, or 750 miles after using your card 45 times.
- Make five purchases with your card in a digital wallet to earn 500 bonus miles.
- Book a flight with Money + Miles to earn 500 bonus miles.
- Add an authorized user to earn 250 bonus miles.
- Use the Chase app to earn 250 bonus miles.
- Use your eligible card for a foreign purchase and earn 250 bonus miles.
- Additional mystery bonuses will be available in November and December.
- Additional bonus miles for completing five, seven and nine different activities.
- Sign up to receive United Airlines offers by email and receive 250 bonus miles.
All activities are restricted to the period of Oct. 1 to Dec. 31. Cardholders will also see bonus miles available for spending thresholds. We have seen the following offers:
- Earn 1,000 bonus miles after spending $600 on your card.
- Earn 4,500 bonus miles after spending $4,500 on your card.
- Earn 4,000 bonus miles after spending $6,500 on your card.
Related: How to get maximum value from the United MileagePlus program
Is it worth it?
Most of these activities should be easy to accomplish for most people. These activities can net bonus miles on top of your everyday earnings. Before making purchases, be sure to compare what you can earn through this promotion to our guide to bonus-earning categories, since other cards in your wallet may provide a better rate of return.
However, the spending thresholds are a different story. TPG values United miles at 1.21 cents each. Depending on your bonus offer from the Mile Badge Game, you may receive as much as a 2% or as little as a 0.7% return on spending. Other cards in your wallet likely earn at better rates than this.
Related: Maximize your airfare: The best credit cards for booking flights
Bottom line
United's Mile Badge Game offers targeted cardmembers the ability to earn bonus miles by completing certain activities and earning badges — including bonuses for earning multiple badges. Many of the activities should be quite simple to complete, assuming you can enroll in the promotion. However, the earning rates for the bonus spending requirements are not that great, so consider whether you could earn more valuable rewards by using a different credit card for your purchases during the promotional period.
Enrollment for the promotion is live now, and qualifying activities take place Oct. 1-Dec. 31.
Top offers from our partners
How we chose these cards
TPG featured card
Rewards
| 3X | Earn 3X Miles on Delta purchases and purchases made directly with hotels. |
| 2X | Earn 2X Miles at restaurants worldwide, including takeout and delivery in the U.S. and at U.S. supermarkets. |
| 1X | Earn 1X Miles on all other eligible purchases. |
Intro offer
Annual Fee
Recommended Credit
Why We Chose It
Build your loyalty to Delta by applying for the carrier's mid-tier card option, the Delta SkyMiles Platinum card. The annual fee is quickly recouped by the card's travel perks, such as an application credit to Global Entry or TSA Precheck, annual companion certificate and so much more. Plus you can fast-track to elite status simply through card spend.Pros
- Earn bonus Medallion® Qualification Miles (MQMs) and an Medallion Qualifying Dollar (MQD) waiver when you hit specific spending thresholds with your card within a calendar year
- Receive a Domestic Main Cabin round-trip companion certificate each year
- Statement credit for TSA PreCheck/Global Entry fee (up to $100)
- First checked bag free
Cons
- Doesn't make sense if you don't fly Delta
- SkyMiles aren't the most valuable airline currency
- Earn 90,000 bonus miles after you spend $4,000 in purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months.
- Receive a Domestic Main Cabin round-trip companion certificate each year upon renewal of your Card. Payment of the government imposed taxes and fees of no more than $80 for roundtrip domestic flights (for itineraries with up to four flight segments) is required. Baggage charges and other restrictions apply. See terms and conditions for details.
- Enjoy your first checked bag free on Delta flights. Plus enjoy Main Cabin 1 Priority Boarding and settle into your seat sooner.
- New: Card Members get 15% off when using miles to book Award Travel on Delta flights through delta.com and the Fly Delta app. Discount not applicable to partner-operated flights or to taxes and fees.
- Earn 3X Miles on Delta purchases and purchases made directly with hotels.
- Earn 2X Miles at restaurants worldwide including takeout and delivery in the U.S., and at U.S. supermarkets.
- Earn 1X Mile on all other eligible purchases.
- Enjoy a per-visit rate of $50 per person for Card Members and up to two guests to enter the Delta Sky Club when traveling on a Delta flight.
- Fee Credit for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck® after you apply through any Authorized Enrollment Provider. If approved for Global Entry, at no additional charge, you will receive access to TSA PreCheck.
- Earn up to 20,000 Medallion® Qualification Miles (MQMs) with Status Boost® per year. After you spend $25,000 in purchases on your Card in a calendar year, you can earn 10,000 MQMs up to two times per year, getting you closer to Medallion® Status. MQMs are used to determine Medallion® Status and are different than miles you earn toward flights.
- No Foreign Transaction Fees.
- $250 Annual Fee.
- Terms Apply.
- See Rates & Fees
Rewards Rate
| 3X | Earn 3X Miles on Delta purchases and purchases made directly with hotels. |
| 2X | Earn 2X Miles at restaurants worldwide, including takeout and delivery in the U.S. and at U.S. supermarkets. |
| 1X | Earn 1X Miles on all other eligible purchases. |
Intro Offer
Earn 90,000 bonus miles after you spend $4,000 in purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months.Earn 90,000 Bonus Miles50,000 Bonus MilesAnnual Fee
$250Recommended Credit
Credit ranges are a variation of FICO© Score 8, one of many types of credit scores lenders may use when considering your credit card application.670-850Excellent/Good
Why We Chose It
Build your loyalty to Delta by applying for the carrier's mid-tier card option, the Delta SkyMiles Platinum card. The annual fee is quickly recouped by the card's travel perks, such as an application credit to Global Entry or TSA Precheck, annual companion certificate and so much more. Plus you can fast-track to elite status simply through card spend.Pros
- Earn bonus Medallion® Qualification Miles (MQMs) and an Medallion Qualifying Dollar (MQD) waiver when you hit specific spending thresholds with your card within a calendar year
- Receive a Domestic Main Cabin round-trip companion certificate each year
- Statement credit for TSA PreCheck/Global Entry fee (up to $100)
- First checked bag free
Cons
- Doesn't make sense if you don't fly Delta
- SkyMiles aren't the most valuable airline currency
- Earn 90,000 bonus miles after you spend $4,000 in purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months.
- Receive a Domestic Main Cabin round-trip companion certificate each year upon renewal of your Card. Payment of the government imposed taxes and fees of no more than $80 for roundtrip domestic flights (for itineraries with up to four flight segments) is required. Baggage charges and other restrictions apply. See terms and conditions for details.
- Enjoy your first checked bag free on Delta flights. Plus enjoy Main Cabin 1 Priority Boarding and settle into your seat sooner.
- New: Card Members get 15% off when using miles to book Award Travel on Delta flights through delta.com and the Fly Delta app. Discount not applicable to partner-operated flights or to taxes and fees.
- Earn 3X Miles on Delta purchases and purchases made directly with hotels.
- Earn 2X Miles at restaurants worldwide including takeout and delivery in the U.S., and at U.S. supermarkets.
- Earn 1X Mile on all other eligible purchases.
- Enjoy a per-visit rate of $50 per person for Card Members and up to two guests to enter the Delta Sky Club when traveling on a Delta flight.
- Fee Credit for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck® after you apply through any Authorized Enrollment Provider. If approved for Global Entry, at no additional charge, you will receive access to TSA PreCheck.
- Earn up to 20,000 Medallion® Qualification Miles (MQMs) with Status Boost® per year. After you spend $25,000 in purchases on your Card in a calendar year, you can earn 10,000 MQMs up to two times per year, getting you closer to Medallion® Status. MQMs are used to determine Medallion® Status and are different than miles you earn toward flights.
- No Foreign Transaction Fees.
- $250 Annual Fee.
- Terms Apply.
- See Rates & Fees