Are you short on United miles to book an award ticket? Booked a coach ticket but want to upgrade to Business Class? Today’s the last day to buy United miles and get up to 75% bonus miles.
But should you buy miles?
I’ve written before about the only time you should you buy miles.
Sometimes buying miles are worth it.
With an up to 75% bonus offer, this could be one of those times buying miles are worth it.
Because during this promotion your money and miles will go further.
But should you?
Let’s find out.
Contents
Buy United Miles, Get up to a 75% Bonus
United is offering a mystery bonus promotion. You can get up to a 75% bonus when you buy United miles by 11:59 pm CT on November 20, 2018.
- Buy 5,000 to 14,000 miles: Get a 25% bonus
- Buy 15,000 to 29,000 miles: Get a 50% bonus
- Buy 30,000 t0 88,000 miles: Get a 70% to 75% bonus
Your exact bonus will be revealed once you log into your account. I was offered the 70% bonus which seems to be the most common.
During this offer, you can buy 88,000 United miles.
Pro-tip: Buying miles don’t count towards elite status with United.
Should You Buy United Miles?
There are times you should buy airline miles, especially when there’s a high bonus offer.
Normally, United miles cost 3.76 cents a mile. But with this offer, you can buy miles for as low as 2.2 cents per mile.
Let’s assume you got the 70% bonus offer. You can purchase 88,000 miles with a bonus of 61,600 miles giving you 149,600 miles for $3,311.
Which is a pretty good deal when you use those miles for flights in Business Class and First Class.
If you’re traveling during the holidays, summer, and spring break, it can be cheaper to buy miles and use them to book your flights instead of paying cash.
Pro-tip: Bonus miles count towards United 150,000-mile yearly cap on purchased miles.
Other Ways to Get United Miles
There are other ways to get United miles without buying them:
- Transfer Chase Ultimate Rewards points to United (points transfer on a 1:1 ratio)
- Chase Sapphire Reserve® Card – 60,000 point signup bonus after spending $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months (then transfer to United)
- Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card – 60,000 point bonus after spending $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months (then transfer to United)
- Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card – 100,000 point signup bonus after spending $15,000 on purchases in the first 3 months (then transfer to United)
- Transfer your Marriott Bonvoy Boundless® Credit Card points (not the best use of your Marriott points)
But if you’re not eligible for new credit card signup bonuses, the easiest way is to buy miles.
It can take up to 48 hours for your miles to post. So be sure to buy miles at least 2 days before you plan to use them to book a free flight.
Pro-tip: You won’t earn a travel category bonus when you buy miles because the purchase goes through Points.com.
So when you buy United miles use a card to meet minimum spending or one that gives you a bonus for extra spending like the World of Hyatt credit card (you earn 2 elite qualifying nights with every $5,000 you spend and you get a free night award after spending $15,000 a year).
Summary of the Fine Print
- Up to 70% bonus valid through November 20, 2018 (11:59 pm CT)
- You can buy up to 88,000 miles during this offer
- Bonus miles count towards the 150,000-mile annual limit
- Miles post within 48 hours
- Bought miles don’t count towards elite status
- Purchases are nonrefundable
Conclusion
You can get up to a 75% bonus on United miles when you buy points by 11:59 pm CT on November 20, 2018.
When you log into your account, your mystery bonus will be revealed.
To get the bonus you have to purchase at least 5,000 miles.
Buying miles can be worth it if you’re short miles for an award ticket, need extra miles to book holiday travel, or want to upgrade from coach to Business or First Class.
It can be cheaper to buy miles and redeem for your flight instead of paying cash for your airline ticket.
Are you buying United miles?
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