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Revenue-based on own flights, distance on partners

How to earn United MileagePlus miles

For tickets bought from 2 April 2026, United says a general member without a United card earns 3 miles per US dollar on United flights. Cardholders earn more in total: 9 miles per dollar for a general member with the Explorer card, 11 with the Club card, 13 for a Premier Gold with the Quest card and 17 for a Premier 1K with the Club card. General members need a United card to earn miles on Basic Economy. The Premier rates without a card are not on a United page we could read.

Flights ticketed by partner airlines earn from each partner's chart on United's airline partners page, which loads only with JavaScript, so the rates could not be read for this guide.

Official earning page: MileagePlus: earning on flights (page loads only with JavaScript).

Written and reviewed by the Points Plug team. Last reviewed .

How to join United MileagePlus

Enrol at united.com. What the program requires and offers:

  • Free to join at united.com or in the app. United's pages load only with JavaScript, so the enrolment terms could not be read for this guide.
  • No welcome bonus for joining; the bonuses sit on the Chase co-brand cards.
  • Miles do not expire: United announced in August 2019 that MileagePlus miles never expire.

Airlines whose flights earn miles here

Flights on these carriers can be credited to United MileagePlus by adding your number to the booking.

  • Aegean
  • Air Canada
  • Air China
  • Air India
  • Air New Zealand
  • ANA
  • Asiana
  • Austrian
  • Avianca
  • Brussels Airlines
  • Copa
  • Croatia Airlines
  • EgyptAir
  • Ethiopian
  • EVA Air
  • ITA Airways
  • LOT
  • Lufthansa
  • Shenzhen Airlines
  • Singapore Airlines
  • South African Airways
  • SWISS
  • TAP
  • Thai Airways
  • Turkish Airlines
  • Aer Lingus
  • Air Dolomiti
  • Airlink
  • Azul
  • Cape Air
  • Edelweiss
  • Emirates
  • Eurowings
  • flydubai
  • Hawaiian Airlines
  • JetBlue
  • JSX
  • Lufthansa City Airlines
  • Olympic Air
  • Virgin Australia

The Star Alliance members plus the partners that have an "Earn United Miles" page on united.com, reached from United's partner airlines page. Those pages load only with JavaScript, so which flights and fares earn could not be read; check the partner's page before crediting a flight.

Where else United flights can be credited

  • Turkish Airlines Miles&Smiles

    J, C and D business fares earn 150% of distance, most other business and economy fares 100%, Q through L 75%, K, G and N 50%. F, X and I earn nothing. Turkish miles buy cheap Star Alliance business awards.

  • Lufthansa Miles & More

    Ticket price times 4 for base members and times 6 with status, because United sits in Lufthansa's own earning group. Worth it only if you fly the Lufthansa Group enough to want status there.

  • Air Canada Aeroplan

    Points by distance and fare class on a United-issued ticket. The Aeroplan chart page for United returned an error, so confirm the rate; Aeroplan's fixed distance chart makes the points easy to use.

  • Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer

    United is in KrisFlyer's Star Alliance accrual chart by booking class. Pick it only if you redeem Singapore Airlines premium cabins.

Which program should I select for United flights?

On a cheap long flight a distance-based partner wins. At the 3 miles per dollar a general member without a United card earns since April 2026, a US$250 Newark to Los Angeles ticket earns 750 MileagePlus miles but about 2,450 Turkish miles in a 100% fare class.

Credit to MileagePlus when you want United status, since Premier qualification counts only flights credited there, and when the fare is high relative to the distance.

Check the fare class before choosing a partner. United's cheapest codes (K, G, N) earn 50% in Miles&Smiles, F, X and I earn nothing there, and Basic Economy earns nothing in most partner programs.

Claiming miles after the flight

Claim window: Not confirmed.

  • Request missing miles through the mileage credit request on united.com. The form loads only with JavaScript, so its time limit and whether flights before you joined count could not be read for this guide.
  • Partner flights take longer to verify, so wait a week or two after flying before filing.

Source: United: request mileage credit (page loads only with JavaScript). Every program's window is compared on the missing miles page.

Ways to earn miles without flying

Lyft

Link at united.com/lyft to earn 4 miles per US dollar on pre-scheduled airport rides, 3 on Extra Comfort, Black, Black SUV and on-demand airport rides, 2 on Standard, Priority and XL rides on a Lyft Business Profile and 1 on personal ones, plus 1,000 bonus miles for two rides within 30 days of linking. Since April 2026 you can also pay for rides with miles in the Lyft app, from Lyft's United page.

Instacart

5,000 miles for a new Instacart customer after four orders, 5,000 for keeping Instacart+ for 30 days and 500 for linking and placing a US$35 order, plus free delivery around domestic United flights, from the October 2025 announcement.

MileagePlus Dining

MileagePlus Dining pays miles at participating restaurants and bars. United's everyday activities page lists the programs.

MileagePlus Shopping

Online purchases through the MileagePlus Shopping portal earn miles at participating stores.

Hotels and cars

Avis and Budget rentals paid in cash through MileagePlus Travel earn 500 miles per rental, 750 for United cardholders, 1,000 for Premier Silver and Gold and 1,250 for Premier Platinum. Hotel rates are on United's hotel partners page, which loads only with JavaScript.

Chase co-brand cards

The United Explorer, Quest and Club cards earn on spend and hold the largest bonuses, and Chase Ultimate Rewards points transfer in at 1:1.

Buy miles

United sells miles through points.com; the price and yearly cap show after login.

Bank point transfers

Chase (1:1), Bilt (1:1), Marriott (3:1) transfer into United MileagePlus. See the transfer partner matrix and how transfers work.

Booking awards with the miles

Booking window: Not confirmed; united.com could not be read. Change fee: None on flight award tickets. Cancellation: Not confirmed; the redeposit fee page could not be read. The full rules are on the award fees table and the availability guide.

Using the miles you earn

See the United MileagePlus award chart for what the miles buy, what they are worth, and what Points Plug pays for a balance you will not use.

Earning United MileagePlus miles: FAQ

Do United miles expire?
No. United announced in August 2019 that MileagePlus miles never expire, and its November 2025 newsroom release still lists miles that never expire among the program's benefits.
Can I credit a United flight to another Star Alliance program?
Yes, to any of the 25 Star Alliance programs and several other partners. Turkish, Aeroplan, KrisFlyer and Miles & More all accept United flights with their own fare-class charts. A flight earns in one program only.
Why are some United details missing?
United serves its MileagePlus pages only through JavaScript, so our reads on 23 September 2026 returned no text. The figures here come from United's newsroom and investor releases and its MileagePlus Travel site; anything those do not cover is left out rather than taken from blogs, so check united.com for the rest.

Sources

Other Star Alliance programs