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Award travel overview
The most treasured reward for your loyalty to the Mileage Plus program is the ability to redeem miles for award travel. There are several types of travel awards to choose from available on United, Star Alliance Airlines or our Partner Airlines, as well as Upgrade Awards.

United Saver/Star Alliance awards
Saver awards let you enjoy free travel sooner on United or Star Alliance Carriers, because you use fewer miles than you do with Standard awards. Capacity-control restrictions apply. Blackout dates do not apply on United itineraries.

United Standard awards
Standard awards give you the flexibility to fly at any time seats are available on United Airlines for the flight and cabin of service you request. Blackout dates and capacity-control restrictions do not apply.

United Upgrade award
Upgrade Awards allow you to upgrade on United to the next cabin of service with your paid ticket on select fares.

Airline Partner awards
Partner Airline awards offer you additional redemption opportunities to more than 800 business and leisure destinations on 6 continents.

United award fees
Processing fees are charged for tickets booked and ticketed less than 21 days prior to departure.


More Important facts about awards

  • Award travel must be on a United or partner flight routing exclusively between valid cities or continents described in the United and partner awards charts, with no connections or stopovers on additional continents (or cities, where appropriate).
  • Travel on code share flights operated by other airlines is excluded.
  • All flight awards are valid for roundtrip travel. If you choose to use an award for one-way travel, no residual credit will be issued for unused segments.
  • One stopover en route to your final destination or one open jaw is permitted for a flight award on United between the continental U.S. and Hawaii or between the U.S. and the Caribbean, Asia, Australia, New Zealand, Central and South America or Europe.
  • When traveling on an upgrade award, a maximum of one stopover en route to your destination is permitted.

Share Mileage Plus awards with friends or family
You may give a Mileage Plus award to a friend or relative. To designate an award to another person, you have 2 options:

  1. For Travel on United, Ted or United Express, you may secure tickets on united.com for friends and family members with or without your surname. If you are not traveling with the party on award tickets, you may be required to provide additional validation authorizing the purchase for other parties.
  2. For travel on Partner Airlines or for United travel booked other than at united.com you or a family member with the same surname must be present when the ticket is issued at a United ticketing location.
    • Identification driver - license, passport or official picture identification is required at the time of ticketing and check-in.
    • Once issued, award tickets are not transferable.
    • Miles from separate accounts cannot be combined or transferred.

Book award travel
Redeem miles for award travel.
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Additional Award Seats
Find seats available to popular destinations.
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