As a United MileagePlus member, every time you fly you have the opportunity to earn miles with 25 different airlines as part of the Star Alliance. For even more opportunities to earn miles, United is partnering with 14 other MileagePlus partner airlines such as Hawaiian Airlines, Cape Air and Eurowings.
If you want to earn free flights, upgrades and more, it’s smart to figure out how best to use your United MileagePlus miles to your advantage. This guide contains information about all of the United Airlines partners you need to know about and how to get the most out of them every time you book flights with cash or miles.
United Airlines partner airline
Here is the full list of United Airlines partners, including 25 Star Alliance members.
Airline | Partner type |
---|---|
Aegean Airlines | star union |
Air Canada | star union |
Air China | star union |
Air India | star union |
Air New Zealand | star union |
ANA | star union |
Asiana Airlines | star union |
Austrian | star union |
Avianca | star union |
Brussels Airlines | star union |
Copa Airlines | star union |
Croatia Airlines | star union |
Egypt Air | star union |
Ethiopian Airlines | star union |
Eva Air | star union |
LOT Polish Airlines | star union |
Lufthansa | star union |
Scandinavian Airlines (CAC) | star union |
Shenzhen Airlines | star union |
Singapore Airlines | star union |
South African Airlines | star union |
Swiss International Airlines (SAS) | star union |
TAP Air Portugal | star union |
Thai Airways | star union |
Turkish Airlines | star union |
Aer Lingus | Other partner |
Aeromar | Other partner |
Air Dolomite | Other partner |
Airlink | Other partner |
Azul | Other partner |
Boutique Air | Other partner |
Cape Air | Other partner |
Edelweiss Air | Other partner |
Eurowings | Other partner |
Eurowings Discover | Other partner |
Hawaiian Airlines | Other partner |
Olympic Air | Other partner |
Silver Airways | Other partner |
Vistara | Other partner |
Please also note that United MileagePlus Premier members automatically earn Star Alliance Gold or Silver status based on their United Elite status. This means that when you travel with Star Alliance partner airlines, you can enjoy the recognition of your elite status as well as the benefits of travel.
United MileagePlus members also earn Premier Qualifying Miles (PQM) and Premier Qualifying Points (PQP) when they fly with partner airlines to various destinations around the world. Finally, Star Alliance Gold members have access to one of the largest lounge networks in the world.
In addition to redeeming United MileagePlus miles on flights, you can earn miles on paid flights with partner airlines. However, it is important to note that you can only earn miles with one airline at a time. If you would like all of your miles to be assigned to your United MileagePlus account, you will need to enter your United loyalty number at the time of booking.
Here is how the benefits of Star Alliance elite status are distributed:
Benefit | Silver | Gold |
---|---|---|
Priority booking waiting list | Yes | Yes |
Priority waiting at the airport | Yes | Yes |
Priority check-in at the airport | Yes | |
Extra baggage | Yes | |
Gold Track (security and immigration priority) | Yes | |
Airport Lounge Access | Yes | |
Priority boarding | Yes |
Using a Credit Card to Earn United Miles
United Airlines offers many different ways to earn miles. However, one of the best and easiest ways to get free flights with United Airline and its partners is to use a co-branded credit card.
United Clubâ„ Infinite Map is a premium airline credit card that gives you access to the United Club, free first and second checked baggage, and up to $100 to apply for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck. In terms of rewards, you’ll earn 4x miles on purchases at United, 2x on meals (including applicable shipping services) and travel, and then 1x on everything else. Note. There is an annual fee of $525.
If you are looking for another way to earn United Miles and prefer to pay a lower annual fee, you can also check out Unitedâ„ Explorer Map. This card gives you up to 70,000 bonus miles – 60,000 if you spend $3,000 over three months, and then another 10,000 miles if you spend $6,000 over six months. You also earn 2x miles on hotels, restaurants and United direct purchases, plus 1 miles on other purchases.
Cardholder benefits include two one-time United Club tickets, up to $100 credit towards Global Entry or TSA PreCheck applications, priority boarding and more. This card also waives the $95 annual fee for the first year.
Also be aware that United MileagePlus is a partner of Chase Ultimate Rewards, which means you can transfer points from cards like the Chase Sapphire Preferred Card and Chase Sapphire Reserve to this frequent flyer program. All transfers start at 1,000 points, but at a 1:1 conversion rate, you earn 1,000 miles for every 1,000 points you transfer.
To initiate the conversion of points to miles, all you need to do is log into your Chase credit card account and go to the Chase Ultimate Rewards portal. From there, you can click “Transfer to Travel Partners”.
You will then be redirected to a page where you can select United MileagePlus and transfer your Chase points in increments of 1000.
Earn miles through United partners
While you can earn miles by flying with United Airlines and its partners, there are many other ways to earn miles. The number of miles you earn at hotels, car rental companies and other partner companies will depend on the promotion available and may change throughout the year.
Here is a list of some of United’s most popular partners and the number of miles you can earn. A complete list of all United partners can be found on the United MileagePlus website.
United Airlines Hotels & Vacation Rental Partners
Partner | Income level |
---|---|
United Hotels | 2 miles per dollar spent |
Missile miles | 1000-10000 miles per night |
GlassesHound | Up to 10,000 miles per night |
Courtyard by Marriott | 1 mile for every dollar spent |
Days Inn Wyndham | 1-2 miles per dollar spent |
Fairfield Inn Marriott | 1 mile for every dollar spent |
Grand Hyatt | 500 miles per stay |
Holiday Inn Express | 2 miles per dollar spent |
Holiday Inn Hotels & Resorts | 2 miles per dollar spent |
Hyatt hotels and resorts | 500 miles per stay |
Intercontinental hotels and resorts | 2 miles per dollar spent |
JW Marriott Hotels and Resorts | 2 miles per dollar spent |
Marriott Hotels & Resorts | 2 miles per dollar spent |
Qualitative | 250 miles per stay |
radisson | Convert points to miles |
Ramada by Wyndham | 1-2 miles per dollar spent |
The Ritz-Carlton | 2 miles per dollar spent |
Sheraton Hotels & Resorts | 2 miles per dollar spent |
Super 8 by Wyndham | 1-2 miles per dollar spent |
Vrbo | 3 miles per dollar spent |
Wyndham | 1-2 miles per dollar spent |
United Transport Partners
Partner | Income level |
---|---|
United Cruises | Varies |
Avis and budget | Up to 1250 miles per rental |
bottom line
While United MileagePlus is valuable in its own right, its reliable partner selection makes earning and redeeming miles an even more rewarding proposition. In addition, the fact that your elite status is transferred to partner airlines can also make air travel much more comfortable and rewarding.
Before you book a flight with United Airlines, find out if you can get a better buyback rate by flying with a partner airline. Depending on where you’re flying, you may spend fewer United Miles flying with a partner while enjoying the same elite status benefits.
Also, make sure you take the opportunity to earn points with United MileagePlus at hotels, transportation and business partners. Depending on which United Airlines card you choose, you can earn more points on your normal spending. Because you can earn tens of thousands of miles by booking cruises, hotels, and car rentals, or by using a United partner, it’s always worth checking out when shopping online.
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