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The Basics of Booking an Award Flight with United

Reviewed by Tyler Glatt

AwardWallet receives compensation from advertising partners for links on the blog. Terms Apply to the offers listed on this page. The opinions expressed here are our own and have not been reviewed, provided, or approved by any bank advertiser. Here's our complete list of Advertisers .

The United Airlines MileagePlus program is one of the most popular and easy-to-use frequent flyer programs. There are many ways to earn miles, and finding and booking award flights is pretty straightforward.

Today, we'll go over the basics of how the United award chart works. Then, we'll show you the step-by-step process for finding and booking award flights with United miles. Finally, we will show you how to earn MileagePlus miles.

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United uses a dynamic pricing model , meaning the prices can change from day to day. Take a look at the picture below, and you'll see that a flight from San Francisco to New York costs 15k one day, 19.4k another day, and 27.7k a different day.

This is important to remember when looking to book award flights with United. You can save a lot of miles if you're flexible with your dates! Thankfully, you can view both seven-day and 30-day charts, which will show you the cheapest flight dates.

MileagePlus Premier members and qualified MileagePlus Chase Cardmembers are eligible for exclusive award travel availability. So, those with a United credit card or United elite status get access to extra award seats that aren't available to everyone else .

When it comes to booking an award flight on a partner airline, prices can be all over the place. It depends on dates, times, connections, which partner airline, and more. To provide some clarity, we have compiled an unofficial United award chart .

Now it's time to book your United award flight! If you have earned miles directly with United, they're already in your account. If you have earned points through a credit card with flexible points, you should find flights before transferring your points to your United account. We generally do not recommend speculatively transferring points as you can't transfer them back if there's an award devaluation.

To book an award flight, log on to your MileagePlus account. Then, click “book” and fill out the search information. Make sure to select “book with miles.” When you've filled all of that out, click “find flights.”

The next screen shows all of your flight options. At this point, we suggest clicking either the seven-day or 30-day calendar to show the surrounding dates and prices. This is very helpful if you're able to adjust your dates to save some miles. Next, select both your departing and returning flights (if it's a round-trip booking).

After selecting your flights, enter all of your personal information. Make sure that your MileagePlus number is included. You can also include your TSA PreCheck information (if you have it) and any special travel requests.

Finally, you will see a breakdown of the cost and be able to pay for your flight. And when you pay the award taxes and fees, don't forget to use a card offering travel insurance benefits .

How to Earn United MileagePlus Miles

Before you can book United award flights, you need to earn United miles. To do that, ensure you've signed up for a free United MileagePlus account. If you haven't yet, you can do that here . This will be where all your United miles go, so you can use them to book award flights. You can use AwardWallet to track your United account for new miles you earn, bookings you make, and more.

When it comes to earning miles, you have many options. Let's review each one.

An easy way to earn United miles is to open one of its co-branded cards from Chase. There are six options total: four personal cards and two business cards. After qualifying spending, each of these cards has a sign-up bonus that can help jumpstart (or boost) your stash of United miles, putting you on your way to booking an award flight.

Related: Which United Credit Card Is Right for You?

• Earn 20,000 bonus miles
• No annual fee
• Earn 2 miles per $1 spent on United ® purchases, at gas stations and on local transit and commuting
• Earn 2 miles per $1 spent on United ® purchases
• Earn 2 miles per $1 spent at gas stations, on local transit and commuting
• Earn 1 mile per $1 spent on all other purchases
• 25% back as a statement credit on purchases of food, beverages and Wi-Fi on board United-operated flights and on Club premium drinks when you pay with your Gateway Card
• Member FDIC
• 2 miles per $1 spent on United ® purchases
• 2 miles per $1 spent at gas stations
• 2 miles per $1 spent on local transit and commuting
• 1 mile per $1 spent on all other purchases

The entry-level United Gateway℠ Card earns 20,000 bonus miles after you spend $1,000 on purchases in the first 3 months your account is open. Plus, 0% intro APR for 12 months from account opening on purchases. Here's how you'll earn United miles when using this $0-annual fee card:

• Earn 50,000 bonus miles after you spend $3,000 on purchases in the first 3 months your account is open.
• $0 introductory annual fee for the first year, then $95.
• Earn 2 miles per $1 spent on dining, hotel stays, and United ® purchases
• Up to $100 Global Entry, TSA PreCheck ® or NEXUS fee credit
• 25% back as a statement credit on purchases of food, beverages and Wi-Fi on board United-operated flights and on Club premium drinks when you pay with your Explorer Card
• Free first checked bag - a savings of up to $160 per roundtrip. Terms Apply.
• Enjoy priority boarding privileges and visit the United Club℠ with 2 one-time passes each year for your anniversary
• 2X miles per $1 spent on purchases from United ®
• 2X miles per $1 spent at restaurants and on hotel stays
• 1X mile per $1 spent on all other purchases

The United℠ Explorer Card is by far the most popular United card — for good reason! You earn 50,000 bonus miles after you spend $3,000 on purchases in the first 3 months your account is open. This card's annual fee is $95 ($0 intro annual fee for the first year, then $95) and the benefits far outweigh the nominal annual fee.

• First checked bag free for you and a companion
• Two United Club one-time passes each year
• Up to $100 TSA PreCheck or Global Entry fee application credit
• Earn up to 1,000 Premier Qualifying Points toward United status through credit card spending

Here's how you'll earn miles using the United Explorer Card :

• Earn 60,000 bonus miles and 500 PQP after qualifying purchases
• Earn 3 miles per $1 spent on United ® purchases
• Earn 2 miles per $1 spent on all other travel, dining and select streaming services
• Free first and second checked bags - a savings of up to $360 per roundtrip (terms apply) - and priority boarding
• Up to a $125 United ® purchase credit and up to 10,000 miles in award flight credits each year (terms apply)
• Earn up to 6,000 Premier qualifying points per calendar year (25 PQP for every $500 you spend on purchases)
• 3 miles per $1 spent on United ® purchases
• 2 miles per $1 spent on all other travel
• 2 miles per $1 spent at restaurants
• 2 miles per $1 spent on select streaming services

The mid-tier United Quest℠ Card will earn you many miles and more perks — with an annual fee that reflects it. You can earn 60,000 bonus miles and 500 Premier Qualifying Points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months your account is open. The annual fee is $250. If you are a frequent United flyer, this card may be a good choice for you due to these perks:

• Two free checked bags for you and a companion
• $125 annual purchase credit
• Two 5,000-mile anniversary award flight credits
• Earn up to 6,000 Premier Qualifying Points through spending

Plus, earn miles on purchases at the following rates:

• Earn 80,000 bonus miles after qualifying purchases
• Earn 4 miles per $1 spent on United ® purchases
• Earn 2 miles per $1 spent on all other travel and dining
• Free first and second checked bags - a savings of up to $360 per roundtrip (terms apply) - and Premier Access ® travel services
• 10% United Economy Saver Award discount within the continental U.S. and Canada
• Earn up to 10,000 Premier qualifying points per calendar year (25 PQP for every $500 you spend on purchases)
• Earn 2 miles per $1 spent on all other travel
• Earn 2 miles per $1 spent on dining

The United Club℠ Infinite Card is made for United loyalists. New applicants can earn 80,000 bonus miles bonus miles after you spend $5,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening.

This card charges a hefty $525 annual fee, but there is one big benefit that may make it worth it: lounge access ! This card comes with an annual subscription to United Club , which is valued at $650. In addition to your United Club subscription, you will get:

• Premier Access travel services such as priority check-in, security screening, plus priority boarding and baggage handling
• Earn up to 10,000 Premier Qualifying Points through spending
• Automatic IHG One Rewards Diamond Elite status

Earn United miles on purchases at the following rates:

In addition to the four personal cards above, United also has two business cards.

• Earn 75,000 bonus miles after you spend $5,000 on purchases in the first 3 months your account is open.
• $0 introductory annual fee for the first year, then $99.
• Receive a 5,000-mile "better together" bonus each anniversary when you have both the United℠ Business Card and a personal Chase United ® credit card.
• Earn 2 miles per $1 spent on United ® purchases, dining including eligible delivery services, at gas stations, office supply stores, and on local transit and commuting.
• Earn 1 mile per $1 spent on all other purchases. Plus, employee cards at no additional cost - miles earned from their purchases accrue in your account so you can earn rewards faster.
• Enjoy a free first checked bag - a savings of up to $160 per roundtrip (terms apply), 2 United Club℠ one-time passes per year, and priority boarding privileges.
• $100 United ® travel credit after 7 United flight purchases of $100 or more each anniversary year.
• 2x on United ® purchases
• 2x on local transit and commuting — including train tickets, taxicabs, mass transit, tolls and ride share services
• 2x at gas stations, restaurants and office supply stores
• 1x on all other purchases

The United℠ Business Card offers the following benefits:

• $0 intro annual fee for the first year, then $99
• First checked bag free
• 2 miles per $1 spent on United, local transit and commuting and at gas stations, office supply stores and restaurants. Plus, earn 1 mile per $1 spent on all other purchases
• Earn up to 1,000 Premier Qualifying Points through spending

The United Club℠ Business Card has an annual fee of $450. Like the name says, it comes with lounge access! Benefits include:

• Annual membership to United Club
• 50,000 bonus miles + 1,000 Premier qualifying points after you spend $5,000 on purchases in the first 3 months your account is open.
• Premier Access travel services

Another way to earn United miles is to transfer flexible reward points from other programs to United. You have three options for transferring points to United to boost your mileage balance.

The first is Chase Ultimate Rewards . Because United is one of Chase's transfer partners , you can transfer points from Chase to United at a 1:1 ratio in increments of 1,000 (1,000 Ultimate Rewards equals 1,000 United miles). Several credit cards earn Chase Ultimate Rewards points . However, you'll need one of three cards to access Chase's transfer partners — Chase Sapphire Preferred ® Card , Chase Sapphire Reserve ® , or Ink Business Preferred ® Credit Card . Transfers are typically immediate .

• Earn 120k bonus points after you spend $8,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening. That's $1,200 cash back or $1,500 toward travel when redeemed through Chase Travel℠
• Earn 3 points per $1 on the first $150,000 spent on travel and select business categories each account anniversary year. Earn 1 point per $1 on all other purchases
• Round-the-clock monitoring for unusual credit card purchases
• With Zero Liability you won't be held responsible for unauthorized charges made with your card or account information.
• Redeem points for cash back, gift cards, travel and more - your points don't expire as long as your account is open
• Points are worth 25% more when you redeem for travel through Chase Travel℠
• Purchase Protection covers your new purchases for 120 days against damage or theft up to $10,000 per claim and $50,000 per account.
• 3X points per $1 on the first $150,000 spent in combined purchases on travel, shipping purchases, Internet, cable and phone services, advertising purchases made with social media sites and search engines each account anniversary year
• 1X point per $1 on all other purchases

Related: How To Transfer Chase Points to United MileagePlus

Bilt Rewards

You can transfer points from Bilt Rewards to United at a 1:1 ratio in increments of 2,000. To earn Bilt Rewards, you need to pay your monthly rent through Bilt or hold The Bilt Mastercard ® — or do both. This card has a $0 annual fee ( Rates & Fees ) and can be used to pay rent with no transaction fees, plus you'll earn 3x on dining and 2x on travel. Just be sure to use the card five times each statement period to be eligible to earn points.

• 3x points on dining
• 2x points on travel
• 1x points on rent payments without the transaction fee (up to 100,000 points each calendar year)
• 1x points on other purchases

You can also transfer Marriott Bonvoy points to over three dozen airlines , and United may offer the best deal among them. Transfers happen at a 3:1 ratio, plus you'll get 10,000 bonus miles for transferring 60,000 Marriott points. That means you'll end up with 30,000 United miles in the end. It involves an extra step, but any credit card earning Marriott points can effectively earn United miles.

Note that transfers can take up to five days .

• Earn 155,000 Marriott Bonvoy bonus points after you use your new Card to make $5,000 in purchases within the first 6 months of Card Membership.
• Earn 6X Marriott Bonvoy® points for each dollar of eligible purchases at hotels participating in Marriott Bonvoy.
• Earn 4X points at restaurants worldwide and U.S. supermarkets (on up to $15,000 in combined purchases at restaurants and U.S. supermarkets per calendar year, then 2X points).
• Earn 2X points on all other eligible purchases.
• Marriott Bonvoy 1K Bonus Points Per Stay: Earn 1,000 Marriott Bonvoy® bonus points per paid eligible stay booked directly with Marriott for properties participating in Marriott Bonvoy.
• With complimentary Marriott Bonvoy Gold Elites status, earn up to 2.5X points from Marriott Bonvoy® on eligible hotel purchases with the 25% Bonus Points on stays benefit, available for Qualifying Rates.
• Marriott Bonvoy Bevy Free Night Award: Earn 1 Free Night Award after spending $15,000 on eligible purchases on your Marriott Bonvoy Bevy™ Card in a calendar year. Award can be used for one night (redemption level at or under 50,000 Marriott Bonvoy® points) at a hotel participating in Marriott Bonvoy®. Certain hotels have resort fees.
• 15 Elite Night Credits: Each calendar year with your Marriott Bonvoy Bevy™ American Express Card® you can receive 15 Elite Night Credits toward the next level of Marriott Bonvoy® Elite status. Limitations apply per Marriott Bonvoy member account. Benefit is not exclusive to Cards offered by American Express. Terms apply.
• Plan It® is a payment option that lets you split up purchases of $100 or more into equal monthly installments with a fixed fee. Plus, you'll still earn rewards the way you usually do.
• $250 Annual Fee.
• Terms Apply.
• Rates & Fees
• 6X points on purchases at hotels participating in Marriott Bonvoy
• 4X points on up to $15,000 in combined purchases per year at restaurants worldwide and at U.S. supermarkets
• 2X points on all other eligible purchases

Obviously, you can earn United miles when flying with United or one of its Star Alliance partners .

When you book a flight on United, enter your MileagePlus number (the membership number from the free account you've created) during checkout. You will then earn 5x miles for every dollar you spend, not including taxes and fees. If you have any status with United , your earning rate goes up. Here are the current earning rates:

Additionally, when you fly on a Star Alliance partner, you can enter your United MileagePlus number to earn United miles.

Along with earning miles from flying, you can book rental cars and cruises through United's transportation partners . United partners with more than 25 cruise lines, and you can earn up to 45,000 points on sailings. United also partners with Avis and Budget rental cars, providing up to 1,250 award miles per qualifying rental (depending on your United status). It is important to include your MileagePlus number when booking travel through a travel partner, otherwise you won't earn miles.

Buying something? You can earn miles when you shop through the United MileagePlus Shopping portal .

Click the shopping portal link and sign into your MileagePlus account. Then, search for the store you want to shop at. Once you find the store you want, click on it and go to the store's website to shop like you normally would.

United tracks the purchase, and you will earn miles based on how much you spend. You'll earn different rates at different stores, and rates can change often — 0.5 to 20 miles per $1 spent. Shopping portals like United's are an easy way to earn miles for shopping that you would already be doing.

Related: Beginner's Guide to Shopping Portals

You can download the MileagePlus X app to use for in-person and online shopping. In the app, you'll essentially buy a gift card to the store you're shopping at, pay with that, and then earn five miles per $1 spent. If you have a United credit card, you'll earn 25% more.

One final option for earning United miles is to buy them . Occasional United buy miles promotions may let you snag miles at a low rate, but be sure to consider your other options before pulling out your credit card to buy miles.

Despite several devaluations over the last few years, United miles are relatively easy to come by, and it's easy to book award flights with the MileagePlus program. Additionally, there are a ton of partner airlines that help make booking award travel an easy and affordable option to countless destinations.

What's your favorite award flight you've booked with United miles? Let us know in the comments.

For rates and fees of the cards mentioned in this post, please visit the following links: The Bilt Mastercard ® ( Rates & Fees ), and Marriott Bonvoy Bevy™ American Express ® Card ( Rates & Fees )

The comments on this page are not provided, reviewed, or otherwise approved by the bank advertiser. It is not the bank advertiser's responsibility to ensure all posts and/or questions are answered.

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30,000 united miles is nearly worthless with the major inflation United just introduced.

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How to Use the United Airlines Award Chart

Signing up for credit cards through partner links earns us a commission. Terms apply to the offers listed on this page. Here’s our full advertising policy: How we make money .

For folks looking to get  Big Travel with Small Money , using United Airlines miles to book award flights can be incredibly valuable!

United Airlines has a simple award chart with easy-to-understand pricing.  And because United Airlines miles are easy to accrue, many of these award flights are very accessible.

The United Airlines tool is one of my favorites for booking award flights.  Because it is straightforward and easy to maneuver.   And I love using United Airlines miles to book flights on United Airlines’ Star Alliance partners   because they have competitive prices and don’t impose fuel surcharges .

In this post, I’ll show you how to understand the United Airlines award chart and how to use your United Airlines miles to get Big Travel with Small Money!

Rules for Booking Flights With United Airlines Miles

When booking award flights with United Airlines miles, keep in mind:

• You can book round-trip flights.  Or book one-way flights for half the miles listed.
• United Airlines charges a “close-in” booking fee of $75 for award flights book within 21 days of departure.   But you can avoid it with this trick !
• United Airlines allows a free stopover or a free one-way on round-trip award flights in the form of the “United Airlines Excursionist Perk”  
• Award flights booked on United Airlines’ Star Alliance partners are sometimes more expensive than award flights on United Airlines operated flights (such as for Business Class and First Class flights to Europe and Asia)
• United Airlines offers 2 levels of award flights.  “ Saver awards” are cheaper, but “ Standard awards” are easier to find!

United Airlines Award Chart

Link:    United Airlines Award Chart

Unfortunately, the United Airlines award chart is only in PDF format and is frustrating to use.    Instead, United Airlines offers a more friendly   “Interactive travel destinations award chart.”  On this chart, you pick your origin and destination “regions,” and the website gives you the cost in miles.

To determine the price of an award flight, decide which “regions” you are traveling between.  For a list of the countries in each award “region,” visit the United Airlines’ region definition page .  

United Airlines divides their award regions into the following 17 regions:

• Mainland US, Alaska, & Canada
• Central America
• Northern South America
• Southern South America
• Middle East
• Northern Africa
• Central & Southern Africa
• Central Asia
• Australia & New Zealand

Once you’ve determined your origin and destination “regions,” use the interactive travel destinations award chart to determine the cost of your award flights.

1.   Select Your Origin

First, select the specific region from where you plan to commence your award travel.

2.   Select Your Destination

Then, select the destination where you want to conclude travel.

3.   View Award Prices

Finally, scroll down to view the various pricing options for the different award types.

For example, a one-way saver award flight in coach from the mainland US   to Europe costs 30,000 United Airlines miles.  But a one-way standard award flight in coach from the mainland US   to Europe costs 65,000 United Airlines miles.

And a one-way saver award flight in Business Class from the mainland US   to North Asia on United Airlines costs 70,000 United Airlines miles.  While a one-way saver award flight in Business Class on one of United Airlines’ Star Alliance Partners for the same route would cost 80,000 United Airlines miles.

The interactive travel destinations award chart is simple and intuitive.  But if you would rather just start searching for flights, the United.com tool is very easy to use!

Saver vs. Standard Awards

United Airlines offers 2 types of flight awards, saver awards and standard awards.  Saver awards cost fewer miles than standard awards, but standard awards are easier to find.

When searching for award flights,  United.com  displays available saver and standard coach award flights in the same column.

But Business Class and First Class saver and standard flight awards are clearly displayed in individual columns.

The Award availability calendar at the top of the award search page can also be incredibly helpful!  For example, any date that has a blue solid line will have available   saver award seats in coach.  And any date that has a blue dotted line will have saver award seats available   in a premium cabin (either Business Class or First Class).

Based on the blue lines above, we know that March 20, 2017,   has both saver coach awards and saver premium cabin awards.  To view the details of the available awards, scroll down to the specific flight options.

Using the availability calendar and the blue lines (both dotted and solid), the United Airlines award website makes searching for award flights very straightforward.

Flights Under 700 Miles

United Airlines also offers discounted award prices for United Airlines flights under 700 miles in the mainland US.  Instead of 12,500 United Airlines miles one-way, these award flights cost only 10,000 United Airlines miles.

So for folks who often fly on shorter routes (such as Chicago to Washington, DC, or Los Angeles to San Francisco), this can be a great way to save 2,500 miles.

Alaska Add-On Charge

United Airlines charges additional miles for flights between Alaska and the mainland US.  Saver level award flights cost an additional 5,000 United Airlines miles one-way per person.  Standard level award flights cost an additional 10,000 United Airlines miles.

So award flights between the mainland US and Alaska cost:

• 17,500 United Airlines miles for one-way saver coach awards
• 30,000 United Airlines miles for one-way standard coach awards
• 30,000 United Airlines miles for one-way saver Business Class awards
• 60,000 United Airlines miles for one-way standard Business Class awards

No Fuel Surcharges

One of my favorite things about booking award flights with United Airlines miles is that they never impose fuel surcharges .   So no matter where you want to use your miles, the taxes and fees will be relatively cheap!

For example, Lufthansa regularly charges ~$400 per person in taxes and fuel surcharges on one-way First Class flights.  But when booking with United Airlines miles, you only have to pay the taxes.

Bottom Line

The United.com award booking tool  is easy to use!  Enter your departure and destination regions and you’ll see the price in miles.  

On the calendar, a solid line indicates you can book saver award seats in coach.  And dots mean you can book Business or First Class at the cheaper saver award price.

I like how easy it is to check the cost in miles of your award flight.  But I do NOT like the added $75 fee for booking a flight within 21 days of departure.  So try using this trick to avoid it !

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How to Find and Book United Saver Awards Through Partners

Many, or all, of the products featured on this page are from our advertising partners who compensate us when you take certain actions on our website or click to take an action on their website. However, this does not influence our evaluations. Our opinions are our own. Here is a list of our partners and here's how we make money .

In spring 2023, United made several changes to its unpublished saver award chart, increasing award prices by up to 122%. Unfortunately, travelers with United MileagePlus miles must pay higher rates for the same awards as before. However, not all travelers are stuck paying these higher rates.

For those with Chase Ultimate Rewards or Bilt Rewards, rather than transferring points to United MileagePlus, they can transfer points to United's partner airlines to potentially book the same award for much cheaper.

First, you need to know how to find United saver award availability. Then, you'll need to know a bit about which partner programs are better alternatives. Here's what you need to know about how to search and book United saver awards through partners.

When to book United awards through partner programs

Before we get into how to search, we'll review a few cases when you'll want to consider booking through a partner loyalty program.

Save on United award flights to Europe

United MileagePlus now charges at least 80,000 miles each way for United Polaris business class awards to Europe, up from the previous award price of 60,000 miles each way. With this 33% jump, United went from an appealing option to a mediocre one.

However, you can do much better through partners. For example, Turkish Miles&Smiles charges 45,000 miles each way for the same United business class award. If you don't have enough miles in your Miles&Smiles account, you can transfer in Citi ThankYou points, Capital One miles or Marriott Bonvoy points.

Or if you have Chase Ultimate Rewards points, transfer points to Air Canada’s Aeroplan program instead of United to book United award flights to Europe. Aeroplan charges 60,000 points for business class awards under 4,000 miles in distance each way. That's enough to cover many routes from the Northeast U.S. to Western Europe.

If you need to fly further, itineraries covering up to 6,000 miles in distance cost 70,000 Aeroplan points. That means you can fly from Houston to Amsterdam for 70,000 Aeroplan points instead of 80,000 United miles.

» Learn more: Great ways to earn United MileagePlus Miles

Save on United award flights to Hawaii

Flying to Hawaii is another time when it can make sense to book United awards through partner loyalty programs. Under its dynamic award pricing model, United can charge wildly varying rates for flights to Hawaii. However, if you can find saver award availability, you can book for a set price through partner mileage programs.

For example, Denver to Kona often prices no lower than 25,000 MileagePlus miles for economy.

However, you can book the same awards cheaper through United's Star Alliance partners. For example, use Turkish Miles&Smiles to save on United award flights to Hawaii.

Turkish's online award search tool is wonky; but, if you can find award space, you'll pay 7,500 miles each way for economy and 12,500 miles each way in business class.

Based on our most recent analysis, NerdWallet values Turkish Airlines miles at 1.1 cents each . But this sweet spot can often provide much higher value than that.

Air Canada Aeroplan can also be an appealing option for booking United award flights between the U.S. West Coast and Hawaii. For partner awards, Air Canada Aeroplan charges 12,500 points for economy flights from 1,501 to 2,750 miles each direction.

That means you can book the same United awards for a fraction of the mileage cost, depending on what United decides to charge that day. For example, the same award above costs more than 30,000 United miles one-way through MileagePlus.

Don't already have Aeroplan points? You can transfer Chase Ultimate Rewards®, American Express Membership Rewards, Capital One miles or Marriott Bonvoy points to Air Canada Aeroplan to take advantage of this Aeroplan sweet spot.

» Learn more: What the United Airlines MileagePlus programs gets right

How to search United saver award availability

Over the years, United has made it progressively more difficult to find saver award availability. Yet, the United website is still the easiest way to do so. Here are the steps we recommend.

First, make sure that you're logged out of your United MileagePlus account. United Premier elite status members and United co-branded cardholders have access to additional saver award space . That extra award space is great when you're booking an award using MileagePlus miles, but this additional saver award isn't available when booking through partners.

2. Start searching on a special website

You don't necessarily want to start your award search on United's homepage. Instead, use this link to start your award search. Select the "book a MileagePlus® award ticket" option and enter your origin, destination, number of travelers and class of service.

For the cleanest results, we recommend searching one-way flights and selecting the "My dates are flexible" option. Select the earliest month you'd like to travel, as it's easier to scroll forward through the results than backward. Then, click "search" to launch an award search.

» Learn more: Valuable benefits of United Airlines credit cards

United will prompt you to log into your account. You'll only want to log into your account if you're using United miles. If you want to book United saver awards through partners, click the "X" at the top right of the pop-up box — or just press the escape key.

3. Search again

United doesn't seem to want travelers to know about this trick. So it will initially return an error that "there are no award flights on the date you selected." That's incorrect. Ignore the error and simply click the "update" button to see award search results.

4. Browse the calendar

This will display a results page with search results for the specific date that you searched along with a flexible-date calendar.

To see more dates, click the link to "view 30 days calendar" to further expand your search results. If you prefer a nonstop flight, you can uncheck the "with stops" option to limit the results to nonstop flights.

5. Find the cheapest date

Unfortunately, United no longer makes it easy to see on a calendar where there's award availability. Instead, it simply lists a bunch of rates on the calendar. Particularly on international routes, it will be obvious which dates have saver space as they will be much cheaper.

To confirm that there's saver award space on that date, click on the date and review the flight results. United will note "Saver Award" above economy award options with saver award space.

However, United doesn't make it clear for premium cabin awards. Instead, you'll need to check the fare class code in the details. "X" is the code for saver economy awards and "I" is the key for saver business class awards.

6. Look up the same trip on your preferred partner's website

Finally, use this information to search and book United saver awards through your preferred partner loyalty program.

Other tips for booking saver awards on partner sites

Narrow results to nonstop options.

You can narrow down the calendar results by unchecking the "With stops" option at the bottom left of the calendar. Depending on the route, this may drastically reduce the number of award results.

Use the special award search link above to filter the calendar search results by the number of stops. United's standard award calendar gives the option to filter results by number of stops, but the calendar isn't updated to reflect nonstop pricing.

» Learn more: The best airline credit cards right now

Avoid mixed cabin awards

If you're searching for premium cabin awards, United may show "mixed cabin" results. That's where only part of the itinerary is in a premium cabin and other legs are in economy. However, you'll still be charged the business class award price for the whole trip.

That might be worth it if you're flying in economy on a short domestic hop to catch a long-haul flight in business class. But check the details to make sure you're happy with the option.

There are two ways to avoid mixed cabin awards. First, search using flexible dates and limit the calendar results to nonstop flights. If a date shows premium cabin saver availability, you'll know that the nonstop flight has premium cabin availability.

For itineraries that require a connection, search flights separately. So if you find award space on one flight (e.g., Newark to Los Angeles) and a second flight (e.g., Los Angeles to Honolulu), you'll know that you can book those two legs together as one award through a partner program.

If you're searching for United saver award availability

United's website is a great way to search for United award availability. However, if you're planning to book United saver awards through a partner loyalty program, you'll want to search in a different way than if you're using United miles.

Make sure to stay logged out of your United MileagePlus account. Use a special link to start your search. Then, use nonstop filters to limit your options and avoid mixed cabin awards.

Review the price-based calendar results to find saver award space. Once you find award availability, take advantage of the best partner loyalty program pricing to book the award.

Doing all of this is more difficult than booking through United MileagePlus. However, the hard work is worth it when you book the same awards for a fraction of the miles United charges.

How to maximize your rewards

You want a travel credit card that prioritizes what’s important to you. Here are some of the best travel credit cards of 2024 :

Flexibility, point transfers and a large bonus: Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card

No annual fee: Wells Fargo Autograph℠ Card

Flat-rate travel rewards: Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card

Bonus travel rewards and high-end perks: Chase Sapphire Reserve®

Luxury perks: The Platinum Card® from American Express

Business travelers: Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card

on Chase's website

1x-2x Earn 2 miles per $1 spent on dining, hotel stays and United® purchases. 1 mile per $1 spent on all other purchases

50,000 Earn 50,000 bonus miles after you spend $3,000 on purchases in the first 3 months your account is open.

1x-2x Earn 2 miles per $1 spent on United® purchases, dining, at gas stations, office supply stores and on local transit and commuting. Earn 1 mile per $1 spent on all other purchases.

75000 Earn 75,000 bonus miles after you spend $5,000 on purchases in the first 3 months your account is open.

1x-3x 3 miles per $1 spent on United® purchases. 2 miles per $1 spent on dining, select streaming services & all other travel. 1 mile per $1 spent on all other purchases. Plus, each year, receive up to a $125 United® purchase credit and up to 10,000 miles in award flight credits (terms apply) and earn up to 6,000 Premier qualifying points.

60,000 Earn 60,000 bonus miles and 500 Premier qualifying points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months your account is open.

Here's what happened when we used my 5-year-old’s award miles to book travel

My husband and I have always been passionate travelers . We've shared our love for exploring the world with our son , who, at just 5 years old, has already traveled to five continents. With his impressive collection of passport stamps has also come a significant number of frequent-flyer points and miles from the various airlines we've flown.

When we planned our latest family adventure to Scotland last month, it made sense to book his ticket using his own United MileagePlus miles rather than our own, based on our specific travel plans.

We booked our tickets in February. However, in March, United announced it was starting a family pooling program where groups of up to five members can link their United MileagePlus accounts to share and redeem miles. That's all to say, we would have avoided the issues detailed below if we had booked a few weeks later.

Before family pooling became available through United MileagePlus, we thought securing his seat alongside ours would be a breeze. As we soon found out, booking his ticket with his own points ended up causing more complications than we anticipated. This is something families should be aware of when choosing an airline.

My child was flagged as an unaccompanied minor 

Despite informing the airline via its online customer service chat feature that we were traveling as a family, when we tried to book separate tickets for each of us, it resulted in my son's being flagged as an unaccompanied minor.

The airline's system categorized him this way simply because his ticket was booked individually with his own miles. This created a string of inconveniences for us that took many hours and some extra spending to sort out.

Separate reservations, separate seats

Instead of grouping us as a family traveling together, the airline's reservation system considered each of us individual passengers with separate reservations. This made it difficult to secure seats together, so we had to pay extra (about $50 each way) to ensure we'd be seated as a family. This was an unexpected expense.

Extra time at the airport

Since our son was flagged as an unaccompanied minor , we couldn't check him in online as we usually do to avoid long waits at the airport. Instead, we had to allocate extra time to check him in at the ticket counter; we had to explain to an agent that he wasn't traveling alone so the usual extra services (which can come at a cost) were not necessary.

Although we resolved the issue relatively smoothly at both Edinburgh Airport (EDI) and Newark Liberty International (EWR) airports due to shorter lines, it was still an inconvenience. During a busy travel season, these extra steps could easily add more stress to an already hectic travel day.

In the future, taking advantage of United's family pooling program should alleviate many of these problems.

For example, pooling our JetBlue TrueBlue points for a trip to Grenada allowed us to travel smoothly as a family and easily reduce the overall cost. Of course, we could have avoided these problems by using our own United miles for our son's ticket. Still, there are benefits to your child garner their own mileage points, especially if you can pool them for travel.

Should you sign kids up for mileage programs?

Earning miles

Kids can earn points and miles on their own tickets, just like adults. These can accumulate quickly, especially if you fly a lot or spend a lot of money on tickets with revenue-based programs. You can use those miles to offset the cost of future flights, which means family travel becomes less expensive.

Even with the headache, if you're traveling frequently with your kids, it's worth signing them up for airline mileage programs early on. Here's why.

Special offers for kids

Some airlines offer exclusive deals and promotions for younger travelers in their loyalty programs. For example, Air France-KLM's "Flying Blue Family" program offers some of the best discounts for children's award flights. This program includes several family-friendly features, such as a 25% discount on award tickets for children ages 2 to 11 when traveling with a parent.

Elite and lifetime status

Frequently flying kids can earn elite status just like adults. Not to mention, signing them up for programs and having them earn points early means they will also have a head start toward lifetime status with programs that still offer it.

Lifetime status basically offers travelers automatic elite status after they reach certain thresholds. By having more runway to hit those thresholds, kids will be well on their way toward those permanent benefits by the time they're adults.

Take advantage of family pooling

Some frequent flyer programs go the extra mile by allowing family pooling . This feature makes it easier for families to link their accounts and reservations (and thus avoid the type of hassle my family encountered).

Pooling miles enables multiple family members to combine their mileage balances into a single loyalty pool; this can turn small, individual points into something potentially significant that can be redeemed toward award flights. For instance, five family members with 5,000 miles each might not have enough for individual redemptions. Together, though, their 25,000 miles could be enough for an award flight.

In recent years, more airlines have adopted family-friendly policies that make pooling easier. Some of the major U.S. airlines that offer family pooling include:

JetBlue TrueBlue

JetBlue allows members to pool TrueBlue points among up to seven friends or family members. A designated pool leader (who must be at least 21) manages the points, making it easier to combine and use them for family travel.

Frontier Airlines

Frontier offers family points pooling for up to eight people. However, this feature is only available if the pool leader has Frontier elite status or the Frontier Airlines World Mastercard® . A person can only be a member of one Frontier family pool at a time and must wait 90 days between switching pools. If you have a family, keep in mind that kids can fly free at select times on Frontier.

The information for the Frontier card has been collected independently by The Points Guy. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.

United Airlines MileagePlus

As mentioned above, United recently introduced a pooling option, allowing up to five members to share and redeem miles in one account. There are no age restrictions, and families can combine balances to redeem their miles more easily than booking separate reservations.

International airlines

Internationally, many airlines also offer family pooling, including:

• Air Canada Aeroplan
• Air France-KLM
• British Airways Executive Club
• Emirates Skywards
• Qatar Airways Privilege Club
• Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer

Find the full list of airlines that offer pooling here .

Family pooling makes so much sense for travelers like us, where even our young son has accumulated his own robust roster of mileage accounts. The ability to pool points into one account allowed us to book as a family and sit together without the hassle of separate reservations or unaccompanied minor categorizations.

Bottom line

Traveling as a family should be about creating cherished memories, not jumping through hoops due to technical glitches. By understanding airline policies and leveraging programs like mileage pooling, families can avoid unnecessary complications and focus on the joy of travel.