Quick Points: Save thousands of United miles by booking partner flights to Europe
The United MileagePlus program has recently increased the prices of its premium cabin Anytime awards, as first reported by Live and Let's Fly. However, we wouldn't recommend booking United Airlines' Anytime awards. Instead, consider our trick to save hundreds, if not thousands, of miles on your next flight to Europe.
MileagePlus Saver and Anytime awards
United dynamically prices MileagePlus redemptions for flights on its own metal (i.e., flights operated by United). The cheapest Saver rates from the U.S. to Europe in business class start from 80,000 miles per person each way.
If you book during off-peak periods like winter, you can easily find these rates, which are a good price for a solid business-class product. However, these seats are strictly limited and likely unavailable over busy periods like summer.
United also offers Anytime awards, which are more readily available but require a lot more miles. These were previously priced from 155,000 miles one-way to Europe but have now risen to start from 200,000 miles each way.
Anytime redemption rates from the U.S. to South America have also risen from 155,000 to 220,000 miles one-way.
If you cannot find the limited Saver award availability and only Anytime availability is left, a round-trip business-class flight to Europe will require 400,000 miles, worth a whopping $5,400 by TPG's August 2024 valuations.
You're likely able to find a cash ticket with your choice of carriers and schedules for well under that price.
However, there is a way to avoid this latest devaluation. Flights booked with United miles operated by partner airlines are generally offered at set rates, and all award availability is at the Saver level. However, since United doesn't publish partner award charts, these prices are always subject to change without notice — as we saw earlier this year.
United MileagePlus has a long list of partner airlines on which you can redeem miles. These include Star Alliance carriers Lufthansa, Swiss and Air Canada, plus nonalliance airlines Aer Lingus, Emirates and Hawaiian Airlines (interisland flights only).
Related: A review of Emirates business class on the Airbus A380 from New York to Milan
While off-peak dates may show an 80,000-mile award is available for a United-operated flight, on busy dates, always look for flights operated by partner airlines, like the below Aer Lingus itinerary, even if they involve a connection. Doing so may save you more than 100,000 miles.
How to earn United miles
An easy way to boost your MileagePlus balance to get you on your next trip to Europe is to apply for a United cobranded credit card. Here are some of our favorite United credit cards:
- United℠ Explorer Card (see rates and fees): Earn 60,000 bonus miles after spending $3,000 on purchases in the first three months your account is open.
- United Quest℠ Card (see rates and fees): Earn 70,000 bonus miles and 1,000 Premier qualifying points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first three months from account opening.
- United℠ Business Card (see rates and fees): Earn 75,000 bonus miles and 2,000 PQP after spending $5,000 on purchases in the first three months from account opening.
- United Club℠ Card (see rates and fees): Earn 90,000 bonus miles after spending $5,000 on purchases in the first three months from account opening.
You can also transfer Chase Ultimate Rewards points to United MileagePlus at a 1:1 rate. Here are some of the best Chase credit card offers available:
- Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card (see rates and fees): Earn 75,000 bonus points after spending $5,000 on purchases in the first three months from account opening.
- Chase Sapphire Reserve® (see rates and fees): Earn 125,000 bonus points after spending $6,000 on purchases in the first three months from account opening.
- Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card: Earn 90,000 points after spending $8,000 on purchases in the first three months from account opening.
The information for the Ink Business Preferred has been collected independently by The Points Guy. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.
Related: How to get maximum value from the United MileagePlus program