How to Earn United Miles on Everyday Purchases

Earning United Miles from shopping isn’t complicated and can offer bonus rewards for purchases you already make.

Edited by Michael Kurko

Updated Oct. 31, 2024

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United Airlines is one of the largest and most well-known airlines worldwide, offering flights to more than 300 destinations and employing a workforce of about 70,000 employees. United MileagePlus, United’s loyalty program, provides its more than 100 million members opportunities to earn United miles by booking United flights, using certain credit cards, and taking advantage of partner offers.

Savvy members can also earn miles through everyday shopping trips and can redeem award miles toward flights, hotel stays, and more. Here’s how the United Airlines MileagePlus program works and how you can reduce your travel expenses with everyday purchases.

In this article

What is United MileagePlus?
How does United MileagePlus work?
How to earn United miles by shopping
Credit cards we recommend to earn more MileagePlus miles
FAQs about United MileagePlus
How to sign up for the MileagePlus Shopping program
Bottom line

What is United MileagePlus?

United MileagePlus is the loyalty program, sometimes called a frequent flyer program, for United Airlines. It’s free to join and offers opportunities for members to both earn and redeem United MileagePlus miles. This can be beneficial to frequent United travelers who can earn and redeem more rewards the more they fly with United and its partner airlines.

But because it doesn’t cost anything to join the United MileagePlus program and only takes a few minutes or less to sign up, you might as well join. Even if you don’t travel frequently, there are ways to boost your earnings that aren’t flying-related. This could include using certain credit cards, dining, staying at hotels, and making everyday shopping trips.

United MileagePlus has over 100 million global members and is considered one of the most valuable loyalty programs in the world. You can access your MileagePlus account through a web browser or the United Airlines mobile app, which is available on both the App Store and Google Play.

How does United MileagePlus work?

To earn and use miles with the MileagePlus program, you need to create a free MileagePlus account. Then decide which of the following strategies you want to use to earn United miles.

Fly with United or United Express
Fly with Star Alliance and other airline partners
Stay with hotel and vacation rental partners (including Marriott and IHG)
Earn miles with other travel-related activities (renting cars with Avis and Budget, booking a cruise through United Cruises, or booking Vrbo rentals)
Use certain credit cards
Shop through the MileagePlus Shopping program
Dine at participating restaurants using the MileagePlus Dining program
Buy eGift cards
Buy vacation packages
Earn miles through partnerships (including with Rocket Mortgage and LifeLock)

United miles never expire, so you don’t have to worry about qualifying activities every year or 18 months. If you want to use your miles, here are some of your redemption options:

Award airfare
Fare class upgrades
Hotel stays
Car rental bookings
Cruises
Merchandise
eGift cards
Experiences
TSA PreCheck membership
United Club membership
United Wi-Fi subscription
Charitable donations
Airport dining experiences
Magazine and newspaper subscriptions

Although you might find a combination of different earning strategies works for you, the most valuable redemption options for United miles are typically for award flights.

How to earn United miles by shopping

You have a few options for earning United miles by shopping, including using the MileagePlus Shopping program, the MileagePlus X app, and credit cards. You aren’t limited to using only one or two of these options, and in some cases, you might consider using all three strategies to maximize your earning potential.

MileagePlus Shopping

The MileagePlus Shopping portal is similar to other popular shopping portals, including Rakuten and TopCashBack. This means you have to visit the shopping portal first and then click on a link to the online store where you want to shop and complete your purchase there.

The shopping portal should track your purchases and reward you accordingly. In some instances, you might be able to earn up to 3X miles or more on a purchase you were already planning on making.

Tip: Install the MileagePlus Shopping button on your Chrome browser to start earning with MileagePlus from more than 850 online stores.

MileagePlus X

MileagePlus X is a mobile app that offers users United miles for purchasing digital gift cards. For example, you might be able to buy an Apple gift card to use toward a new iPhone.

You can also use the MileagePlus X app to access the MileagePlus Shopping and MileagePlus Dining programs. You can make virtual shopping trips within the app and view nearby stores with deals for earning United miles.

Tip: Buy an eGift card from the MileagePlus X app for an online store where you’re about to make a purchase. Then use the MileagePlus Shopping portal or Chrome extension to activate earning miles at the online store’s site. This could let you earn more United miles by offering rewards for purchasing a gift card through MileagePlus X and for making a purchase.

Credit cards

If you compare credit cards, it’s often easy to see how everyday spending with rewards cards can help you earn points, miles, or cash back. You simply use the right credit card for purchases you were already planning on making and earn rewards.

In order to earn United miles, you typically need to use one of the United credit cards or a credit card that earns rewards that can be transferred to your MileagePlus account. To help increase your earning potential, combine using credit cards with both the MileagePlus Shopping program and the MileagePlus X app.

Tip: For even more earning, follow the tip in the MileagePlus X section above, but use a rewards credit card to make your gift card purchase. This could net you combined rewards for making a purchase with a credit card, buying a gift card through MileagePlus X, and using the MileagePlus Shopping portal.

Credit cards we recommend to earn more MileagePlus miles

Credit cards are often one of the simplest ways to earn points or miles with your preferred loyalty program. You typically use a specific card for purchases you already make — such as gas, groceries, or travel — and reap the rewards. If you want to earn airline miles, it makes sense to choose the best airline credit cards.

If you want to earn even more MileagePlus miles, consider combining United Airlines credit cards with general travel cards. This could allow you to earn multiple rewards you can use for travel redemptions.

Here are some cards that will earn United miles:

Card name	Sign-up bonus	Rewards rate	Travel benefits	Annual fee
Chase Sapphire Preferred^® Card	Earn 60,000 bonus points after $4,000 in purchases in your first 3 months from account opening (that's worth $750 when redeemed through Chase Travel). Plus, get up to $300 in statement credits on Chase Travel purchases within your first year	5X points on travel purchased through Chase Travel℠; 3X points on dining, select streaming services, and online groceries; 2X points on all other travel purchases, and 1X points on all other purchases	$50 annual hotel credit Points are worth 25% more when redeemed for travel through the Chase Travel℠ portal Transfer points to travel partners	$95
Chase Sapphire Reserve^®	Earn 60,000 bonus points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening	5X points on flights and 10X points on hotels and car rentals when you purchase travel through Chase Travel℠ immediately after the first $300 is spent on travel purchases annually; 3X points on other travel and dining & 1X points per dollar on all other purchases	$300 annual travel credit Points are worth 50% more when redeemed for travel through Chase Travel℠ Airport lounge access with Priority Pass membership Transfer points to travel partners	$550
United℠ Explorer Card	Earn 50,000 bonus miles after you spend $3,000 on purchases in the first 3 months your account is open	2 miles per dollar spent on dining, hotel stays, and United purchases and 1 mile per dollar on all other purchases	Free first checked bag Two annual United Club passes Priority boarding and upgrades	$95 (waived first year)
United Club℠ Infinite Card	Earn 80,000 bonus miles after you spend $5,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening	4 miles per dollar on United purchases; 2 miles per dollar on all other travel and dining; plus 1 mile per dollar on all other purchases	Two free checked bags United Club membership IHG One Rewards Platinum Elite status Premier Access benefits	$525
United℠ Business Card	Earn 75,000 bonus miles after you spend $5,000 on purchases in the first 3 months your account is open	2 miles per dollar spent on United purchases, dining, at gas stations, office supply stores, and on local transit and commuting; plus 1 mile per dollar spent on all other purchases	Free first checked bag Two annual United Club passes Priority boarding and upgrades	$99 (waived first year)

All the listed United cards offer ways to earn miles through everyday spending, whether it’s on dining, gas, or other purchases. You can put miles into your MileagePlus account and earn rewards directly.

However, using the Chase Sapphire cards for certain purchases could net you bonus points, such as on streaming services or eating out. In these situations, it might make sense to use different cards where you can maximize their earning potential. If you use a Chase Sapphire card, you can transfer your Ultimate Rewards points to your MileagePlus account because Chase is a United travel partner.

FAQs about United MileagePlus

How do I use United miles for merchandise?

Visit the MileagePlusAwards site and log into your MileagePlus account. Here, you can search for different products and filter by the number of United miles you want to use. Available merchandise includes travel products, electronics, and even wine. When you’re ready to make a purchase, simply select the item(s) you want and go through the checkout process. You’ll need the required number of miles in your account to finish the transaction.

What can you buy with United Airlines miles?

The United MileagePlus awards portal offers opportunities to use your United miles on many types of merchandise. These include travel products, electronics, wine, jewelry, sports equipment, and more. However, using United miles for merchandise doesn’t typically offer as good a value as travel redemptions.

For example, an Amazon tablet that retails for $150 might cost 55,000 miles. That nets you about 27 cents per mile, which is much less than the accepted United miles valuation of about 1.1 cents per mile.

Can I redeem United miles for cash?

United doesn’t offer a cashback option for your miles, but you can redeem miles for flights, hotel stays, merchandise, gift cards, experiences, and more. You typically get the most value for your miles when you use them for award tickets, but redeeming them for gift cards is the closest option to a cash redemption.

Signing up for the MileagePlus Shopping program is free, and it’s easy to get started. Any United MileagePlus member can participate and there’s no cost for creating a MileagePlus account.

1. Navigate to United.com or the United MileagePlus Shopping website and select “Sign In.”

2. Click on the “Join now” option to create a MileagePlus account.

3. Fill in the required information, including your full name and date of birth.

4. Once you’ve created your account and logged in, use the MileagePlus Shopping portal to browse stores and deals. Select “Shop now” on a store to navigate to a store’s website and complete your online shopping trip like normal.

If you want to earn miles for in-store shopping trips, follow these steps after you’ve created a MileagePlus account:

1. Navigate to the in-store MileagePlus Shopping site to add offers to your account.

2. You must add an eligible Visa, Mastercard, or American Express card to your account to be able to add in-store shopping offers. You can add credit cards by selecting “Manage your in-store credit cards” in your account settings.

3. Once you’ve linked a credit card, you can link in-store offers to that card and then use your linked card to make eligible in-store purchases to earn miles.

Bottom line

If you’re able to take advantage of the different ways you can earn United miles with the MileagePlus program, you could be well on your way to padding your United account balance. Using the MileagePlus Shopping program to earn miles isn’t likely to change your shopping routine, and taking another step or two could pay off in extra miles.

One of the best ways to earn travel rewards is to use credit cards designed for travelers. These typically offer perks and rewards that could reduce your travel expenses and enhance your travel experience.

For more details, check out our list of the best travel credit cards.

Benefits

Card Details

$0 annual fee
Simple, flat-rate rewards
Flexible redemption options
Up to 75% preferred Rewards bonus potential
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Earn unlimited 1.5 points per $1 spent on all purchases, with no annual fee and no foreign transaction fees and your points don't expire as long as your account remains open.
25,000 online bonus points after you make at least $1,000 in purchases in the first 90 days of account opening - that can be a $250 statement credit toward travel purchases.
Use your card to book your trip how and where you want - you're not limited to specific websites with blackout dates or restrictions.
Redeem points for a statement credit to pay for travel or dining purchases, such as flights, hotel stays, car and vacation rentals, baggage fees, and also at restaurants including takeout.
0% Intro APR for 15 billing cycles for purchases, and for any balance transfers made in the first 60 days. After the Intro APR offer ends, a Variable APR that’s currently 18.74% - 28.74% will apply. A 3% Intro balance transfer fee will apply for the first 60 days your account is open. After the Intro balance transfer fee offer ends, the fee for future balance transfers is 4%.
If you're a Bank of America Preferred Rewards® member, you can earn 25%-75% more points on every purchase. That means instead of earning an unlimited 1.5 points for every $1, you could earn 1.87-2.62 points for every $1 you spend on purchases.
Contactless Cards - The security of a chip card, with the convenience of a tap.
This online only offer may not be available if you leave this page or if you visit a Bank of America financial center. You can take advantage of this offer when you apply now.

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Intro Offer

Earn 25,000 online bonus points after you make at least $1,000 in purchases in the first 90 days of account opening - that can be a $250 statement credit toward travel purchases

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