United gives MileagePlus credit card holders more miles and exclusive flight discounts | News
United Airlines is giving travelers three new reasons to own and use a United MileagePlus® credit or debit card: the opportunity to earn up to twice as many miles as non-cardholders, at least 10% off United award tickets and access to a special inventory of the lowest-priced award seats.
Beginning with tickets purchased on or after April 2, primary United MileagePlus cardholders will earn up to twice as many miles per dollar from United on United flights than non-cardholders and earn even more miles when they use their United card to purchase their ticket.* For example, MileagePlus® 1K® members will earn a total of 17 miles per dollar when they purchase eligible United flights with their United Club℠ card – which is one of the most of any travel rewards program for airlines or credit cards. United cardholders also get at least 10% off every United flight award ticket they book, and cardholders who are MileagePlus Premier® members save at least 15%.
United also gives general MileagePlus members who have a United credit or debit card access to Saver Award inventory in United Polaris® Business Class, previously only available to Platinum and 1K members. And in conjunction with the new award discounts for cardholders, United Polaris Saver Award seats will be priced as low as 72,000 miles (10% less) for general card members, or as low as 68,000 miles (15% less) for Premier status cardholders.
“The most rewarding way to fly United is as a MileagePlus member, and the best way to get the most value from the MileagePlus program is to have one of our credit or debit cards. MileagePlus is designed to reward loyalty to United, and our best customers deserve the best benefits in the industry,” said Andrew Nocella, United’s Chief Commercial Officer. “MileagePlus members can now earn more miles faster with a United card – and all those miles will go further with our always-on award ticket discounts and expanded access to Saver Award fares.”
Three new reasons to purchase and use a United MileagePlus debit or credit card
Earn more miles: United is recalibrating the way MileagePlus members earn miles to better reward the airline’s most loyal members. MileagePlus primary cardholders earn more miles on standard United tickets – and get extra miles when they pay for their flight with an eligible United card.
For example, a MileagePlus Gold member who purchases a ticket with their United Quest℠ Card now earns a total of 13 miles per dollar – more than double the miles earned compared to MileagePlus Gold members who do not have a card. General United MileagePlus members who purchase a ticket with a United℠ Explorer Card will earn a total of 9 miles per dollar – three times as many miles compared to general non-cardholders – and if they use a United Club Card, they will earn a total of 11 miles per dollar – nearly four times as many miles as non-cardholders.
MileagePlus members who do not have a United card will earn fewer miles on United flights than members who do, and general members must now have a United card to earn miles when traveling on a Basic Economy ticket.
Customers can visit united.com/mpnews for details on the new mileage accrual rates and use the United Miles calculator to see how many miles they can earn on their future flights based on their status – and how many more miles they can earn if they are a United cardholder.
Discounts on every award flight: United cardholders now save at least 10% on every United award flight they book – and Premier® members with a United card save at least 15%. Primary cardholders can see their savings on United’s app and website, and soon United will show the discounted prices to everyone so customers can see exactly how much having a United card can save them on their travels.
For example, a United Economy® award priced at 15,000 miles now costs 13,500 miles – 10% less – for primary cardholders without Premier status. A United Polaris business class seat priced at 200,000 miles now costs 170,000 miles – 15% less – for primary cardholders with Premier status.
Expanded Saver Awards: United is offering additional inventory of Saver Award seats in United Polaris business class as a special way to recognize cardholders.
Saver Awards are United’s lowest-priced award tickets, and currently approximately one-third of flights for which Saver Award fares are available have an exclusive inventory specifically for cardholders and Premier members. This includes flights to places like London, Hawaii, Florida, Cancun and Tokyo. United Polaris business class Saver Award seats available to cardholders and Premier members currently cost just 80,000 miles. With new award discounts for cardholders, these seats will now cost just 72,000 miles (10% less) for General status cardholders, or just 68,000 miles (15% less) for Premier status cardholders.
On average, cardholders save approximately 30% when booking Saver Award flights under the “Cardmembers Save” banner on united.com and the United app, compared to standard award prices. With the expanded Saver Award access and the new award discount, cardholders will have the opportunity to combine these savings and will consistently need fewer miles to book the same trips, while also having access to more Saver Award fares.
United’s card portfolio
Cardholders can take advantage of earning even more miles and the new discounts with eligible cards, including the United Explorer Card, the United Quest Card, the United Club Card, the United℠ Business Card, the United Club Business Card, the United Gateway℠ Card and the MileagePlus® Debit Rewards Card. United also offers eligible cards in U.S. territories and international locations including Costa Rica, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guam, Guatemala, Honduras, Hong Kong, Israel, Japan, Mexico, Panama and Saipan. This spring, the airline plans to introduce new cards in Brazil, Canada and Great Britain. Cardholders can use these cards to track their rewards and earnings year-round in United’s Member Benefits Center. More details can be found here.
Benefits of United MileagePlus
MileagePlus is free to join and was recently rated one of the best air travel rewards programs.** It offers benefits for program members including miles that never expire, no blackout dates, purchasing tickets with miles or a combination of miles and cash, no change fees on flight award tickets, mileage pooling that allows travelers to combine their miles into a joint account, the ability to use miles through the Blue Sky loyalty partnership and more. While United flies to more than 380 destinations around the world, MileagePlus helps make it easier for travelers to reach their dream destinations and allows cardholders to enjoy the most value when flying with United.
For more information, visit united.com/mpnews.
