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6 Great Ways to Redeem United Airlines Miles for International Award Travel

united airlines miles

After all the hard work you’ve invested in earning miles with the United MileagePlus program, you’ll want to know that you can redeem them for a truly valuable trip. The most common award redemption is a domestic flight for 25,000 miles round trip in economy class. Of course, many people could pay for that out of pocket.

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Elite Status: United Airlines Premier Elite

United Airlines Elite Status: How to Reach it and What’s in it for You

Soon after Delta announced the revenue component to its frequent flyer program, so did United. The new United Mileage Plus program requires you not only fly certain amount of miles, but also spend a predetermined amount of money to reach elite status.

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How Many Miles Will You Earn on Your Next United Flight?

Frequent flyer programs used to award miles to members based on the distance they’ve flown, but most programs have now moved to a revenue-based model. That means the number of miles you’ll earn on a flight is determined by the cost of the ticket, but elite status can multiply that. The details of how that works depends on the airline. Let’s take a look at United’s policy.


With a few exceptions which we’ll deal with later, United flights booked through the airline’s website will earn award miles based on the price of the ticket and your elite status.  If you’re not sure where to go, read our article on how to find the best places to use the MileagePlus miles you have or plan to earn.

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How to Avoid Baggage Fees on United Airlines

MileagePlus elite members score free baggage allowance on United Airlines flights, but that’s not the only way to avoid these onerous checked bag fees. Let’s take a look at the ways you can save money by getting your bag checked for free on your next United flight.

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United Gives Its First Class Seats a Makeover

United Airlines has unveiled new first class seats for its narrow-body airplanes. The airline has already upgraded some of its Airbus A319s, with plans to retrofit all of its A319s and A320s and some of its 737s and 757s throughout 2016.

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Using Stopovers on United to See More: Hawaii and Beyond

United’s frequent flyer program, MileagePlus, allows you to use one stopover and two open jaws for free on a round-trip award ticket. By taking advantage of this generous booking policy, you can see more places without paying more miles. For example, you could spend a few days in Hawaii on your way to Japan for the same cost as flying directly to Tokyo.

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Using Open Jaws on United to See More

We’re continuing our series on how to get the most out of United award tickets by looking at the airline’s free open jaw. With an open jaw, you can fly to one destination and return from another, or you can depart from one city and return to a different one. Either way, you can visit more places for the same price as a round-trip award ticket.

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United Airlines App Revamped to Make Airport Living Easier

Have you ever wished you had a map of the airport when you were on a layover, in the midst of a delay or, worse yet, dealing with a flight cancellation? Or maybe you just wanted to know which restaurant had the best food, or where to find the nearest ATM? With the new features integrated into the United Airlines app, you can have all that, plus self-booking options, in the palm of your hand.

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ScoreBig Partners With Airlines to Offer Bonus Miles for Ticket Purchases

Discount ticketing website ScoreBig.com has teamed up with United, Southwest, Virgin America and Alaska Airlines to offer frequent flyer miles to people who buy event tickets through its service. ScoreBig’s deals with the airlines are similar, giving ticket-buyers a bonus with their first purchase and miles or points for future ticket sales as well.

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United Puts Down Roots in Newark

“Change is the law of life. And those who look only to the past or present are certain to miss the future.” Those words from the venerable John F. Kennedy, 35th president of the United States, must have recently resonated with United Airlines.

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Earn Miles While Helping Others

Thanks to partnerships between airlines and charities, you have the opportunity to reap reward miles for your generosity. Call it aviation altruism, if you will.

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Serene and Mysterious Mount Koya, Japan

Serene and Mysterious Mount Koya, Japan

Nestled between eight mountain peaks in Japan, Mount Koya was once home to just one Buddhist monastery. The area, known locally as Koyasan, has since grown into a small, tranquil town with about 120 temples.

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Bonus Miles From South of the Border to South America

Spring break has come and gone, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t opportunities to be rewarded for travel to sunny southern destinations. If you’re ready for a relaxing beach vacation, or looking for an excuse to explore the cities of South America, you can earn major bonus miles.

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Medellin’s Magnificent Mountain Setting

Medellin's Magnificent Mountain Setting

Nestled among seven hills, it almost feels like Medellin, the second largest city in Colombia, was built especially for tourists. That wasn’t always the case. In the 1980s and 1990s, it was home to drug cartels and intense violence. But city planners have transformed the area into an international tourist destination.

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Make Reliant Your Energy Supplier and Get 27,000 Bonus Miles

Make Reliant Your Energy Supplier and Get 27,000 Bonus Miles

United and American Airlines have partnered with Reliant Energy to offer up to 27,000 bonus miles. You’ll get 15,000 miles for making Reliant your energy provider, then 500 miles each month over the next 2 years.

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Explore the Extremes of Bolivia

Explore the Extremes of Bolivia

Bolivia was once largely cut off to travelers due to endless transportation strikes and general dysfunction. But that’s changed, and thanks in part to recent investments in tourist-friendly infrastructure it’s number eight on the New York Times’ 52 Places to Go in 2015.

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