Bid United Miles for a Trip to London and a Spider-Man Appearance
While I tend to save up my miles for business and first-class award flights, many road warriors travel so frequently for work that the last thing they want to do is step foot on another plane. Instead, they'll redeem miles for gift cards, or experiences through programs like United's MileagePlus Exclusives.
Some of those redemptions would appeal to those who love to travel, too, such as a recent weekend with United's retired 747s and this latest auction, which includes a trip to London and the chance to appear as extras in the upcoming film, Spider-Man: Homecoming 2.
For the next 12 days, MileagePlus members can enter their bid to win this latest experiential package, which comes along with the following:
- Round-trip economy airfare for two to London (Economy Plus and business upgrades aren't possible)
- Two nights at the Sheraton Grand London Park Lane
- Two nights at the Radisson Blu London Stansted Airport
- $200 Uber credit
- Opportunity to be join as an extra during the filming of Spider-Man: Homecoming 2 (appearance in the final film is not guaranteed)
The winners will fly to London on Saturday, June 30 and will return on Thursday, July 5. Bidding ends at 1pm ET on June 25, and the current high bid is 181,000 miles, though I expect the final amount to be quite a bit higher.
Economy award travel from the US to London runs 60,000 miles round-trip at the saver level, plus about $190, including the UK's awful Air Passenger Duty (APD). Considering our 1.4-cent valuation of United miles, plus the $380 in taxes, the flights alone are worth $2,060.
A two-night stay in a base room at the Sheraton Grand London Park Lane on the same dates, July 1-3, runs $910, including tax, while the Stansted Airport stay costs $325, bringing the total lodging value to $1,235. Add in the $200 Uber credit and we're at $1,435 for the ground portion of this giveaway.
Finally, while extras are typically paid to appear in a film, they're also usually working professionals. While I imagine some Spider-Man fans would pay a considerable amount for this opportunity, I'm going to leave it out of the calculations here.
So, in total, we're at a total package value of $3,495, if booking everything separately. Converted back to United miles, you're looking at 250,000 miles, again based on our 1.4-cent valuation. If you're willing to bid more than that, you better be a pretty big Spider-Man fan!
TPG featured card
at Bilt's secure site
Terms & restrictions apply. See rates & fees.
| 1X | Choose to earn up to 1X points on rent and mortgage payments with no transaction fee |
| 2X | Earn 2X points + the option to earn 4% back in Bilt Cash on everyday purchases |
Pros
- Choice to earn up to 1 Bilt Point per dollar spent on rent and mortgage payments
- Elevated everyday earnings with both Bilt Points and the option to earn Bilt Cash
- $400 Bilt Travel Portal hotel credit per year (up to $200 biannually)
- $200 Bilt Cash annually
- Priority Pass membership
- No foreign transaction fees
Cons
- Moderate annual fee
- Designed primarily for members seeking a premium, all-in-one card
- Earn points on housing with no transaction fee
- Choose to earn 4% back in Bilt Cash on everyday spend. Use Bilt Cash to unlock point earnings on rent and mortgage payments with no transaction fee, up to 1X.
- 2X points on everyday spend
- $400 Bilt Travel Hotel credit. Applied twice a year, as $200 statement credits, for qualifying Bilt Travel Portal hotel bookings.
- $200 Bilt Cash (awarded annually). At the end of each calendar year, any Bilt Cash balance over $100 will expire.
- Welcome bonus (subject to approval): 50,000 Bilt Points + Gold Status after spending $4,000 on everyday purchases in the first 90 days + $300 of Bilt Cash.
- Priority Pass ($469/year value). See Guide to Benefits.
- Bilt Point redemptions include airlines, hotels, future rent and mortgage payments, Lyft rides, statement credits, student loan balances, a down payment on a home, and more.