United Airlines MileagePlus, loyalty program of United Airlines, is a program that allows you to book United Airlines flights, Star Alliance flights and codeshare agreement (MileagePlus miles used to fly on an Aer Lingus flight) partner flights.

The number of redemptions with United Airlines is voluminous so here are 6 to consider for your next trip.  One, North America to Central America. Two, North America to Australia & New Zealand.  Three, Central & Southern Africa Domestic.  Four, North America to Europe.  Five, North America to Northern South America.  Six, the Excursionist Perk.

If you have an upcoming trip in mind and would like to use United miles, here’s what I’d consider as you evaluate your award booking:

• Fuel surcharges are not added on United and partner flights
• United and Star Alliance flights can be booked one-way
• The Excursionist Perk provides a free flight and stopovers with a multi-city award booking
• Use United, ANA, or Air Canada to search for Star Alliance availability
• United partners with two transferable point programs, Chase and SPG – only Chase transfers 1:1
• An interactive award chart is used for United and Star Alliance pricing

Now that we have a basic overview of the United MileagePlus program, below are redemptions to consider.

You can book United and Star Alliance flights by transferring your Chase Ultimate Rewards directly to your United account.  Simply login to your Ultimate Rewards account, select “Use Points,” select “Transfer to Travel Partners,” select “Transfer Points” to the right of United, and transfer the points necessary for your redemption.

Best Ways Book United Airlines Flights

With United being part of the Star Alliance and having flights to many regions from the U.S., here are a few of the best ways to use your United miles.

1. North America to Central America

The program prices round-trip United and Star Alliance economy flights to Central America at 35,000 miles.

United lists the Mainland US, Alaska and Canada in one of their North American regions.  United lists Belize, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, and Panama in their Central American region.

Star Alliance members Avianca and Copa Airlines provide non-stop flights from their hubs in El Salvador and Panama respectively.

Here are examples of United, Avianca and Copa Airlines non-stop flights that require 35,000 MileagePlus miles + variable taxes and fees.

Chicago (ORD) <> Panamá City (PTY)
Houston (IAH) <> San Salvador (SAL)
Newark (EWR) <> Costa Rica (SJO)

2. North America to Australia & New Zealand

United prices round-trip United and Star Alliance economy flights to Australia & New Zealand at 80,000 miles.

United has non-stop flights from Houston (IAH), Los Angeles (LAX), and San Francisco (SFO) to Sydney (SYD)., and also has a non-stop flight from Los Angeles to Melbourne (MEL).

Star Alliance partner Air New Zealand has non-stops flights from Honolulu (HNL), Houston, Los Angeles, and San Francisco to Melbourne.  Air New New Zealand also has non-stop flights from Honolulu, Houston, Los Angeles, and San Francisco to Auckland (AKL).

Here are examples of United and Air New Zealand non-stop flights that require 80,000 MileagePlus miles + variable taxes and fees.

Houston (IAH) <> Sydney (SYD) – United Airlines
Los Angeles (LAX) <> Melbourne (MEL) – Air New Zealand
San Francisco (SFO) <> Auckland (AKL) – Air New Zealand

3. Central & Southern Africa Domestic

United prices round-trip Star Alliance economy flights within Central & Southern Africa at 16,000 miles for flights less than 800 miles and 35,000 miles for flights greater than 800 miles.

United lists Angola, Benin, Botswana, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cameroon, Cape Verde, Central African Republic, Chad, Comoros, Congo, Cote D’ivoire, Democratic Republic of Congo, Djibouti, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Gabon, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Kenya, Lesotho, Liberia, Madagascar, Malawi, Mali, Mauritania, Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia, Niger, Nigeria, Reunion Island, Rwanda, South Africa, Sao Tome and Principe, Senegal, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan, Swaziland, Tanzania, Togo, Uganda, Zambia, Zimbabwe in its Central and Southern African region.

Ethiopian Airlines and South African Airways are the Star Alliance partners with non-stop flights within Central Africa.

Here are examples of non-stop flights that require 35,000 United miles to fly Star Alliance partners + variable taxes and fees.

Ethiopia (ADD) <> Seychelles (SZE)
South Africa (JNB) <> Mauritius (MRU)

4. North America to Europe

United prices United and Star Alliance round-trip economy flights to Europe at 60,000 miles.

The program lists Albania, Armenia, Austria, Belgium, Belarus, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Georgia, Germany, Greece, Greenland, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Macedonia, Malta, Moldova, Montenegro, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Russia, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, Ukraine, and the United Kingdom in their Europe Region.

United flies non-stop between Chicago (ORD), Houston (IAH), Los Angeles (LAX), Newark (EWR), San Francisco (SFO), and Washington (IAD) to multiple European cities.

Star Alliance partners with non-stop flights to Europe include Air Canada, Austrian Airlines, Brussels Airlines, LOT Polish Airlines, Lufthansa, Scandinavian Airlines, Swiss Air Lines, TAP Portugal, and Turkish Airlines.

Here are examples of United and Star Alliance non-stop flights that require 60,000 MileagePlus miles + variable taxes and fees.

Chicago (ORD) <> Frankfurt (FRA) – Lufthansa
Washington (IAD) – Istanbul (IST) – Turkish Airlines
Newark (EWR) <> Zurich (ZRH) – Swiss Air Lines
Houston (IAH) <> Amsterdam (AMS) – United

5. North America to Northern South America

United prices United and Star Alliance round-trip economy flights to Northern South America at 40,000 miles.

The program includes Colombia, Ecuador, French Guiana, Guyana, Peru, Suriname and Venezuela in their Northern South American region.

United flies non-stop from Newark (EWR) to Bogotá (BOG) and Lima (LIM).  United also flies from Houston (IAH) to Bogotá, Lima, Quito (UIO).

Avianca is the only Star Alliance partner with non-stop flights to Northern South America from Boston (BOS), Fort Lauderdale (FLL), Los Angeles (LAX), Miami (MIA), New York (JFK), Orlando (MCO), Washington (IAD) to Bogotá. Avianca also flies non-stop from Miami to Lima.

Here are examples of United and Star Alliance non-stop flights that require 40,000 MileagePlus miles + variable taxes and fees.

Washington (IAD) <> Bogotá (BOG) – Avianca
Newark (EWR) <> Lima (LIM ) – Avianca
Houston (IAH) <> Quito (UIO) – United Airlines

6. Excursionist Perk

United allows customizable multi-city award routings as part of the MileagePlus program.  One part of the multi-city award routing is called the Excursionist Perk.

The Excursionist Perk is a free one-way award, not in your departing region, when you are booking a multi-city itinerary (3 or more flights).

In order to receive this free one-way flight, you will need to meet the following criteria:

• The free one-way flight can’t be in the same region where your travel originates (ie. First flight from Chicago to San Francisco.  Second flight from San Francisco to Los Angeles.  Third flight from San Francisco to Frankfurt.  The second flight will not be free.)
• Travel must end in the same region where your trip began (ie. First flight is from Washington.  Third flight arrives into Houston.)
• The free one-way flight must be within the same region (ie. First flight is from Newark to Frankfurt.  Second flight is from Frankfurt to Zurich.  Third flight is from Brussels to Chicago.  The second flight is free.)
• The cabin of the free one-way flight must be the same or lower than the cabin of the flight it succeeds (ie. First flight is from North America to Europe in economy.  The second flight intra Europe is in economy.)
• Only the first one-way award qualifies (ie. First flight is from Chicago to Munich.  Second flight is from Munich to Istanbul.  Third flight is from Istanbul to Copenhagen.  Fourth flight is from Copenhagen to Newark.  The third flight is not free.)

Below is an example itinerary that qualifies for the Excursionist Perk.  As you will see, the first flight from Chicago to Frankfurt(North America to Europe) is 30,000 miles.  The second flight from Istanbul to Munich (Europe to Europe) is the free one-way award (Excursionist Perk).  The third flight from Zurich to Newark (Europe to North America) is 30,000 miles.

Credits Cards to Book United Airlines Flights

Using credit cards that maximize your spend can make your award flights even sweeter. Before you book United Airlines flights, it’s good to know what credit cards will help you earn the most points and protect you if something goes wrong during your travels.

The Chase Sapphire Reserve is the credit card I look to first. It earns 3x Chase points on travel purchases and comes with outstanding travel coverage. Also consider using the American Express Platinum (Learn More Here). It earns 5x Amex points when booking flights with the airline and has airport lounge access.

The Chase Ink Business Preferred is great for business owners. It earns 3x on travel purchases. Another card to consider is the Amex Business Platinum (Learn More Here). It comes with airport lounge access and earns 5x Amex points when booking flights directly with the airline.

When the time comes to book your flight, consider using credit cards that earn transferable points. Amex, Capital One, Chase, Citi, and Marriott are the 5 transferable point programs. All in all, you can’t go wrong with most of the credit cards offered in these programs.

Conclusion

The United program provides you with flexibility to book United and Star Alliance flights across multiple continents and fare classes similar to Singapore Airlines and Korean Air.  The Excursionist Perk is a redemption I highly recommend as United is giving you a free one-way flight on your multi-city itinerary.

Have you redeemed Ultimate Rewards points to book United Airlines flights on any of these or other redemptions?  Please let me know in the comments or by sending me an email on my contact page.

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