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Editor’s note: This is a recurring post, regularly updated with new information. TPG founder Brian Kelly is a Bilt adviser and investor.
Despite recent devaluations, United Airlines’ MileagePlus program is still a useful one for points and miles enthusiasts. One attractive feature is its wide network of partner airlines, hotel groups and rental car companies, which opens up more destinations and new ways to earn and redeem airline miles. But United’s partners aren’t limited to travel; you can also earn valuable MileagePlus miles through shopping, dining and other everyday activities.
In fact, one of the airline’s cobranded credit cards is currently offering its highest-ever welcome bonus.
This article will give you an overview of the many partners you should know about if you’re a United loyalist, to help you avoid leaving rewards on the table.
Related: How to pool United MileagePlus miles with family and friends
United’s Star Alliance airline partners
United is a founding member of Star Alliance, the largest airline alliance in the world. United frequent flyers can earn and redeem miles with all the member airlines, opening up a huge route network that spans all inhabited continents and nearly all major cities worldwide.
In addition to United, the Star Alliance member airlines are:
- Aegean Airlines
- Air Canada
- Air China
- Air India
- Air New Zealand
- All Nippon Airways
- Asiana Airlines
- Austrian Airlines
- Avianca
- Brussels Airlines
- Copa Airlines
- Croatia Airlines
- Egyptair
- Ethiopian Airlines
- EVA Airways
- LOT Polish Airlines
- Lufthansa
- Shenzhen Airlines
- Singapore Airlines
- South African Airways
- Swiss
- TAP Air Portugal
- Thai Airways
- Turkish Airlines
Related: What are airline alliances, and who’s in them?
United’s nonalliance airline partners
United also maintains a handful of airline partnerships outside of Star Alliance, giving United customers access to even more destinations around the world. You can earn and redeem miles with these partners in most cases, though some may have restrictions.
For example, MileagePlus members can earn miles on interisland Hawaiian Airlines flights but not flights from the mainland U.S., and flyers cannot book Hawaiian Airlines flights with United miles.
Here’s a rundown of United’s nonalliance airline partners:
- Aer Lingus
- Air Dolomiti
- Airlink
- Azul Brazilian Airlines
- Cape Air
- Discover Airlines
- Edelweiss Air
- Emirates
- Eurowings
- Flydubai
- Hawaiian Airlines
- JSX
- Lufthansa City Airlines
- Olympic Air
- Virgin Australia
Note that United has also announced a new partnership with JetBlue Airways, though the timeline for implementation of the “Blue Sky” agreement isn’t yet clear.
Read more: Why I’m excited about United and JetBlue’s new partnership, and where there’s room to grow
Earning United miles with partners
From airlines to car rental companies, United has many ways to earn miles through partners. Here’s a quick overview.
United airline partners
You can earn United miles when you add your MileagePlus number to flights operated by any of United’s partners.
If United issues your ticket (i.e., your ticket number starts with “016”), you’ll earn 5 base miles per dollar spent. If you have Premier status with United, you’ll earn additional bonus miles per dollar spent on the flight.
| MileagePlus status | Base miles earned | Premier bonus miles earned | Total miles earned |
| General member | 5 miles | No additional miles | 5 miles per dollar |
| Premier Silver | 5 miles | 2 bonus miles | 7 miles per dollar |
| Premier Gold | 5 miles | 3 bonus miles | 8 miles per dollar |
| Premier Platinum | 5 miles | 4 bonus miles | 9 miles per dollar |
| Premier 1K | 5 miles | 6 bonus miles | 11 miles per dollar |
If a partner tickets your flight, you’ll earn United miles based on the distance flown and the fare class.
For example, a Lufthansa flight from Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) to Frankfurt Airport (FRA) booked as an M fare (economy) would earn 5,806 miles. This is because the flight from LAX to FRA is 5,806 miles, and the Lufthansa chart shows that M fares earn 100% of the mileage flown.
You can also earn Premier qualifying points and Premier qualifying flights on partner flights. Flights on United’s “preferred” partner airlines earn 1 PQP for every 5 miles flown; flights on other partners earn 1 PQP for every 6 miles flown. However, note that United has limits on how many PQPs and PQFs you can earn, depending on the partner airline and the fare class.
You can view the PQP guidelines, as well as miles earning rates for each partner airline, on United’s website. Review these pages closely — sometimes, airlines restrict mileage earning to specific routes and fare classes.
Related: How to get maximum value from the United MileagePlus program
Hotel partners
United has partnerships with most major hotel chains and some hotel booking platforms to allow members to earn United miles on lodging. Some earn a set number of miles per stay, while others earn miles based on how much you spend at a given hotel. Many hotel loyalty programs also let you transfer your hotel points to United, though that usually isn’t the best use of your points.
Here’s a look at all of United’s hotel partnerships:
| Partner | Mileage earning |
| Accor | Transfer Accor Live Limitless points to United MileagePlus at a 2:1 ratio. |
| Best Western | Earn 250 United miles per eligible stay at any participating hotel. |
| Choice | Transfer Choice Privileges points to United MileagePlus at a 5:1 ratio.
Earn 250 United miles per eligible stay at a participating hotel. |
| Hilton | Transfer Hilton Honors points to United MileagePlus at a 10:1 ratio. |
| Hyatt | Transfer World of Hyatt points to United MileagePlus at a 2.5:1 ratio. Plus, you’ll get a 5,000-mile bonus when you convert 50,000 points to 20,000 miles.
Earn 500 United miles per eligible stay at certain World of Hyatt brands. |
| IHG | Transfer IHG One Rewards points to United MileagePlus at a 5:1 ratio.
Earn 2 United miles per dollar spent on qualifying room rates at certain IHG brands. Candlewood Suites and Staybridge Suites earn 1 mile per dollar spent. |
| Marriott | Transfer Marriott Bonvoy points to United MileagePlus at a 3:1 ratio, plus get a 10,000-mile bonus for every 60,000 Marriott points you transfer. Conversely, Premier members can convert MileagePlus miles to Marriott Bonvoy points at a 1:1 ratio.
Depending on the brand, you can earn 1 or 2 miles per dollar spent on all qualifying charges at select Marriott hotels. |
| Rocketmiles | Book hotels through Rocketmiles and earn up to 10,000 miles per night. |
| Shangri-La | Transfer Circle points to United MileagePlus at a 1:1 ratio (must convert a minimum of 2,500 Shangri-La Circle points).
Earn 500 United miles per eligible stay at select brands. |
| United Hotels | Earn 2 United miles per dollar spent. |
| Vrbo | Earn 3 United miles per dollar spent on Vrbo vacation rentals. |
| Wyndham | Transfer Wyndham Rewards points to United MileagePlus at a 5:1 ratio.
Wyndham Gold and Blue members earn 1 United mile per dollar spent at participating hotels; Wyndham Platinum and Diamond members earn 2 miles per dollar spent. |
Related: Should you transfer hotel points to airline partners?
Rental car partners
Rental cars are an important part of many trips, especially if you plan to travel outside big cities.
When you rent with Avis and Budget, you can earn United miles by simply providing your MileagePlus membership number when you book. However, you may need to pay a frequent traveler program surcharge if you opt to earn miles on your rental.
| MileagePlus membership tier | Miles earned |
| Basic member | 500 miles per rental |
| MileagePlus Chase credit card holder | 750 miles per rental |
| Premier Silver and Premier Gold | 1,000 miles per rental |
| Premier Platinum and Premier 1K | 1,250 miles per rental |
United flyers can also take advantage of discounts of up to 35% with Avis and Budget using their respective discount numbers.
Or, you can rent through car-sharing service Turo to boost your MileagePlus balance. You’ll earn 5 miles per dollar spent on your first Turo rental and 1 mile per dollar thereafter.
Related: How you can redeem points and miles for car rentals
United credit cards
United Airlines has an exclusive partnership with Chase to issue credit cards in the U.S. Each card offers extra miles on United purchases, and some offer additional perks like free checked bags and United Club access.
Here’s an overview of the currently available United personal cards and their welcome bonuses:
- [applyLink pid=”7557″ overridetext=”United Gateway℠ Card”]: Earn 30,000 bonus miles after spending $1,000 on purchases in the first three months from account opening (see [termsConditions pid=”7557″ overridetext=”rates and fees”]).
- [applyLink pid=”22035884″ overridetext=”United℠ Explorer Card”]: Earn 60,000 bonus miles after spending $3,000 on purchases in the first three months from account opening (see [termsConditions pid=”22035884″ overridetext=”rates and fees”]).
- [applyLink pid=”7752″ overridetext=”United Quest℠ Card”]: Earn 100,000 bonus miles and 3,000 Premier qualifying points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first three months your account is open (see [termsConditions pid=”7752″ overridetext=”rates and fees”]).
- [applyLink pid=”6976″ overridetext=”United Club℠ Card”]: Earn 90,000 miles after spending $5,000 on purchases in the first three months from account opening (see [termsConditions pid=”6976″ overridetext=”rates and fees”]).
United also has two business credit cards:
- [applyLink pid=”6874″ overridetext=”United℠ Business Card”]: Earn 75,000 bonus miles and 2,000 PQPs after spending $5,000 on purchases in the first three months from account opening (see [termsConditions pid=”6874″ overridetext=”rates and fees”]).
- United Club℠ Business Card: Earn 80,000 bonus miles and 2,000 PQPs after spending $5,000 on purchases in the first three months from account opening.
The information for the United Club Business Card 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: Best United Airlines credit cards
Transferring credit card rewards
There are two credit card reward currencies that you can transfer to United MileagePlus: Chase Ultimate Rewards points and Bilt Rewards Points. Both transfer at a 1:1 ratio, so you can turn 10,000 Ultimate Rewards or Bilt points into 10,000 United miles — and transfers are almost instant.
Here are some of our favorite cards that earn these valuable points:
- [applyLink pid=”22125056″ overridetext=”Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card”] (see [termsConditions pid=”22125056″ overridetext=”rates and fees”])
- [applyLink pid=”221211836″ overridetext=”Chase Sapphire Reserve®”] (see [termsConditions pid=”221211836″ overridetext=”rates and fees”])
- [applyLink pid=”10965″ overridetext=”Chase Sapphire Reserve for Business℠”] (see [termsConditions pid=”10965″ overridetext=”rates and fees”])
- [applyLink pid=”221211974″ overridetext=”Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card”] (see [termsConditions pid=”221211974″ overridetext=”rates and fees”])
- [applyLink pid=”10615″ overridetext=”Bilt Mastercard®”] (see [termsConditions pid=”10615″ overridetext=”rates and fees”])
In many cases, you can earn United miles faster with one of these cards than with the United cards we mentioned earlier. While you don’t get airline-specific benefits like free checked bags, you can earn more points on everyday purchases. Not to mention, you can transfer your points to other airlines and hotels if you find a better redemption.
Shopping and everyday partners
United has a suite of other partners that you can use to earn United miles on your daily purchases.
| Partner | Mileage earning |
| Audience Rewards | Earn at least 100 miles per Broadway ticket, with bonus offers of up to 2,000 miles. |
| Emergency Assistance Plus | Earn 1,500 miles when you sign up for Emergency Assistance Plus and for each year you renew. |
| FTD | Earn 15 miles for every dollar you spend on FTD flowers and gifts. |
| Gopuff | Earn 2 miles per dollar spent in the Gopuff app when you link your MileagePlus account. Plus, new Gopuff users can get 500 bonus miles on their first order. |
| Home Chef | Earn up to 5,000 miles on your first five boxes from Home Chef (1,000 miles each). |
| ID Resolve | Earn 800 miles for ID Resolve and 1,400 miles for ID Resolve 360 when you sign up and each year when you renew. |
| MileagePlus Dining | Earn 500 bonus miles when you join, spend $25 and write a review. You’ll also earn up to 5 miles per dollar spent at participating restaurants. |
| MileagePlus Shopping | Earn up to 1,000 bonus miles when you join, plus earn miles when shopping at qualifying merchants like Apple, Macy’s and Levi’s. |
| MileagePlus X | Earn United miles on every dollar you spend on gift cards, restaurant purchases, items from online retailers and last-minute hotel deals through the MileagePlus X app. |
| MyPoints | Earn up to 1,500 miles when you join MyPoints and make your first purchase within 30 days. |
| National Foundation for Cancer Research | Earn 10 miles per dollar spent on tax-deductible contributions of $25 or more. |
| Norton 360 with LifeLock | Save up to 45% and earn up to 10,000 miles on your first year of Norton 360 with LifeLock. |
| NRG and Reliant Energy | Earn 10,000 bonus miles for enrolling in an NRG electricity account and 2,500 bonus miles for enrolling in a natural gas account after two months of service. Get 2 miles for every dollar spent on the supply portion of your monthly electric and natural gas bills. (Available in select utility service areas.)
Texas residents can earn 15,000 bonus miles when signing up and 500 bonus miles each month for 24 months when they switch to the Reliant Secure 24 plan. |
| Opinion Miles Club | You can earn up to 600 United miles for joining and completing your first survey, plus additional miles for each survey after that. |
| Rocket Mortgage | Earn 25,000 miles for closing or refinancing a home loan through Rocket Mortgage. |
| Thanks Again | Earn 100 bonus miles when you enroll and 1 mile per dollar spent when you park, shop or dine at more than 100 airports throughout North America. You can also earn by shopping at thousands of local businesses nationwide. |
| Therabody | Earn up to 6 miles per dollar spent on Therabody products. |
| Timeshifter | Earn 500 miles when you purchase an annual Timeshifter jet lag app subscription or 200 miles when purchasing a round-trip plan. |
| United Cruises | Earn up to 4 miles per dollar spent on cruises booked through United Cruises (a maximum of 25,000 miles per cruise applies). |
| Vivid Seats | Earn 2 miles per dollar spent on Vivid Seats tickets. |
Related: Earn bonus points or miles on events, attractions and more with Undercover Tourist
Reciprocal elite status benefits
United Premier elite members get reciprocal benefits on all Star Alliance carriers. United Premier Silver members are eligible for Star Alliance Silver status, while United Premier Gold and above members are eligible for the more lucrative Star Alliance Gold status. To take advantage of your Star Alliance benefits when flying partner airlines, add your United MileagePlus number to your booking.
Check out our Star Alliance benefits guide to see the perks of both Star Alliance status tiers.
Related: How to get airline elite status
Bottom line
United is one of the biggest airlines on the planet, and its MileagePlus loyalty program can deliver a lot of value to both frequent and occasional United travelers. Although the carrier is known to price award space on partner-operated flights slightly higher than on its own planes, you can leverage United’s partner network to fly to destinations not served by United for only a few thousand extra miles — meaning United miles can take you just about anywhere in the world.
To earn more United miles, you might consider opening one of United’s credit cards. However, if you’re just beginning your mileage journey, we highly recommend starting with a card that earns Chase Ultimate Rewards points or Bilt points. After all, you can transfer these points to United (and many other programs).
For rates and fees of the Bilt Mastercard, click [termsConditions pid=”10615″ overridetext=”here”].
For rewards and benefits of the Bilt Mastercard, click here.
