United upped its game with the launch of the United Polaris business class. While United business class isn’t on the same level as the Middle Eastern and Asian airlines, it’s still an excellent option. United Polaris is the United Airlines business class you want to book for a few reasons, one being these United business class seats will treat you right.

Before getting too excited about flying this product, note that recent award program changes devalued United’s loyalty program in a big way. Said another way, United now charges an arm and a leg to fly international business class than compared to a few months ago. It’s comical to see United’s award prices now on par with what Delta Air Lines charges. Think, hundreds of thousands of miles to fly a one-way international business class flight.

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Credit Cards Points to Earn to Book United

Chase is the card issuer for United credit cards and is one of two brands that partner with United. The other brand is Marriott. Some of my favorite Chase cards include the Chase Sapphire Preferred, Chase Sapphire Reserve, and Chase Ink Business Preferred. The points you earn with these cards can be transferred from Chase directly to United Airlines to book award flights.

If you are booking this United flight with ANA, Turkish, Aeroplan, or Avianca, the credit card options are vast. ANA partners with Amex so Amex cards to check out include the Amex Green Card, Amex Gold Card, and Amex Platinum Card. Turkish partners with Citi so Citi cards to consider applying for include the Citi Premier Card, Citi Custom Cash, and Citi Rewards+ Card. Aeroplan partners with Amex and Capital One so the previously-mentioned Amex cards plus the Capital One Venture Card are ones to look into. Lastly, Avianca partners with Amex, Brex, Citi, and Capital One so any of the previously-mentioned cards work great.

United Business Class Routes

The World’s 10 Best Business Class Seats indicates that United’s new Polaris seat can be found on United 777-300ERs and 787-10s, as well as on select 767-300s, 777-200s, and 787-8s. For this United business class award search, we’ll narrow down our options a bit by focusing on a United business class international flight that flies between major airports in the US and Europe. Before booking any of these flights, check out the flight schedules to see if any of the previously-mentioned planes are flying on your route.

United Business Class Travel Dates

The following dates show availability for at least two travelers:

Chicago–O’Hare (ORD)> Amsterdam (AMS)

• Nov: 4
• Dec: 31

Amsterdam (AMS) > Chicago–O’Hare (ORD)

• Nov: 4, 25
• Dec: 26
• Feb: 15, 22, 23
• Mar: 1

London–Heathrow (LHR) > Chicago–O’Hare (ORD)

• Nov: 4, 26
• Dec: 1, 22

Paris–Charles de Gaulle (CDG) > Chicago–O’Hare (ORD)

• Nov: 4, 5

Newark (EWR) > Amsterdam (AMS)

• Nov: 4-6, 9, 13,
• Dec: 31

Amsterdam (AMS) > Newark (EWR)

• Nov: 4, 7

Newark (EWR) > London–Heathrow (LHR)

• Dec: 29-31

London–Heathrow (LHR) > Newark (EWR)

• Dec: 21

Newark (EWR) > Paris–Charles de Gaulle (CDG)

• Nov: 6

Paris–Charles de Gaulle (CDG) > Newark (EWR)

• Nov: 4

Washington-Dulles (IAD) > Amsterdam (AMS)

• Dec: 31

Amsterdam (AMS) > Washington-Dulles (IAD)

• Feb: 16, 22, 23

Washington-Dulles (IAD) > London–Heathrow (LHR)

• Nov: 4, 5, 6, 8, 16

London–Heathrow (LHR) > Washington-Dulles (IAD)

• Nov: 4-6, 10, 11, 16-18, 21-23, 30
• Dec: 1, 2, 7, 21, 23, 26

Paris–Charles de Gaulle (CDG) > Washington-Dulles (IAD)

• Nov: 4, 5
• Feb: 17, 23

How to Book United with Points

• Air Canada Aeroplan: 60,000-70,000 miles
• ANA Mileage Club: 88,000 miles (round-trip only)
• Asiana Club: 40,000 miles
• Avianca LifeMiles: 63,000 miles
• Singapore KrisFlyer: 72,000 miles
• Turkish Miles&Smiles: 45,000 miles
• United MileagePlus: 60,000-62,800 miles

ANA offers an excellent option at 88,000 miles. However, you must book a round-trip and the transfer time from Amex to ANA can take a few days.

In terms of one-way options, Turkish charges 45,0000 miles followed by Aeroplan and United at 60,000 miles. Turkish is known to have issues with its online booking website. However, Turkish allows you to put an award flight on hold. So, this option becomes more attractive in light of its booking issues.

Aeroplan increases from 60,000 miles to 70,000 miles if you need a connection or are not flying from the east coast (i.e. Chicago). United’s rates are atrocious now so it’s challenging to find any award rates near 60,000 miles as the airline has essentially moved to dynamic pricing (award cost more closely tied to the cash cost).

Lastly, Avianca is a great option but its online booking website may not seem the same award space you find on other sites. In addition, it’s well known that Avianca’s customer service leaves much to be desired.

When you’re ready to book your flight, here are the steps to make it happen:

• Click “Advanced search” on United’s homepage
• Choose “miles” to show the price
• Enter your origin and destination airports
• Select “Flexible dates” and then choose a month
• Uncheck 1 and 2+ for connections
• Select the number of passengers
• Select Business
• Click “Find Flights”
• If booking with another Star Alliance partner like ANA, confirm the award space by searching on the program’s website
• Transfer your points (if necessary)
• Log into your account
• Re-run the award search to confir the award space again
• Complete your reservation

United Transfer Partners

• Air Canada Aeroplan: Amex, Capital One, Marriott
• ANA Mileage Club: Amex, Marriott
• Asiana Club: Marriott
• Avianca LifeMiles: Amex, Brex, Citi, Capital One, Marriott
• Singapore KrisFlyer: Amex, Brex, Chase, Citi, Capital One, Marriott
• Turkish Miles&Smiles: Citi, Marriott
• United MileagePlus: Chase, Marriott

United Business Class FAQs

What is United serving in business class?

This page provides a list of what United serves for each class of service.

Do United business class seats fully recline?

United’s premium transcontinental flights offer lie-flat seats per this page. United’s first-class domestic seats do not fully recline per this page. This is one of the main differences between the united business class vs first class.

What is the best seat in United business class?

The ultimate guide to United Polaris business class covers everything you need to know about the best seats.

Is United first business class?

Essentially, yes. united airlines’ first class, can be found on non-transcontinental domestic flights. These United first-class seats are essentially business class.

Conclusion on United Business Class

United Polaris can be an ideal way to fly international business class. The airline’s updates to this product are great to see and the hope is that more positive updates are coming down the pike. What we do not want to see are more guttings of United’s loyalty program. That doesn’t incentivize customer loyalty nor make United a loyalty program to recommend using.

So, What do you think about United business class? What other business class flights do you like to book? Please let me know in the comments or by sending me an email on my contact page.

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