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Earning miles on United Airlines

Mileage Plus® will continue to be the loyalty program for the new United.
United and United Express together operate more than 3,600 flights a day to more than 200 U.S. and international destinations from its hubs in Los Angeles, San Francisco, Denver, Chicago and Washington, D.C. With key global air rights between the U.S. and Asia, Europe and Latin America, United is one of the largest international carriers based in the United States.

United

Earning miles
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Earn Mileage Plus miles on all qualifying United and United Express flights. You'll earn miles according to the booking class that you purchase.
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The miles you earn on United and United Express qualify toward Mileage Plus elite status, with 50% bonus elite status miles for paid first, business or full economy class flights.
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It's easy to earn miles for your flight. Simply provide your Mileage Plus number when you make your reservation, and make sure that it appears on your boarding pass at check-in.
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Save your boarding pass until flight miles have been credited to your account. If your miles haven't been credited within three weeks, you may request credit online within 12 months of your travel date.
Class of service Booking class Award miles1 Elite status miles/segments1
First F A 150% 150%
Business J C D 125% 150%
Discount Business Z 100% 150%
Full Economy Y B 100% 150%
Discount Economy M E U H Q V W S T L K G 100% 100%
No Mileage Credit X I O NY XY XC XF 0% 0%
Exceptions
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If you purchase a ticket on a flight that is marketed by United but operated by another airline (known as a code-share flight), the operating airline determines how many miles you earn for your flight.
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Note that the booking class that appears on your ticket may differ from the booking class that the operating airline uses to determine flight miles earned.
Terms & Conditions
Elite benefits
If you're a Mileage Plus elite member, you'll be recognized as an elite member when flying United and any other Star Alliance airline. You'll also earn applicable bonus award miles:
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Premier Executive® and 1K® members earn a 100% bonus, and receive Star Gold benefits when flying Star Alliance airlines.
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Premier® members earn a 25% bonus, and receive Star Silver benefits when flying Star Alliance airlines.
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All elite members earn a minimum of 500 award miles and 500 elite status miles on United and United Express flights that are less than 500 miles in length.
Learn more about Mileage Plus elite status
Using miles
You have options when it comes to using your miles.
United Awards give you the most options and flexibility to more than 200 destinations worldwide.
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Standard Awards enable you to fly whenever seats are available for the flight and class of service you want.
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Saver Awards require fewer miles, but may not be available for all flights.
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All United awards are now one way, which means you can fly a Saver Award for one direction of travel and return using a Standard Award. You can also choose a different class of service for each direction.
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See our award chart to find out how many miles you'll need, depending on class of service and region of travel.
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You may have the option to pay for your award trip with a Miles & Money Award use fewer miles and make up the difference with cash. Miles & Money Awards are available in all classes of service, but may not be available for all flights.
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Book online when you're ready to build your award trip.
Star Alliance Awards enable you to use your Mileage Plus miles for award travel to more than 1,000 destinations worldwide, on any Star Alliance airline.
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See our award chart to find out how many miles you'll need, depending on class of service and region of travel. The mileage amounts apply to all Star Alliance carriers, and any combination of carriers.
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You can use miles to fly one way or roundtrip.
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It's easier than ever - book online when you're planning an award trip with select Star Alliance airlines, including Continental.
You can use Mileage Plus Upgrade Awards to upgrade to the next class of service on United and United Express. Upgrade Awards are also available on Continental and other Star Alliance airlines. Find complete details at our Star Alliance Upgrade Awards page.
1Earned as a % of Flight Miles.
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