How much are United miles worth?

It costs $30 to transfer United miles, plus $7.50 for every 500 miles transferred. You can transfer as many as 15,000 miles per year to another MileagePlus account unless you have a United credit card. Then, there’s no limit.

You must be a United MileagePlus member to earn, transfer and redeem United frequent flyer miles. You can ... read full answerenroll here for free. But if you have a United credit card, you’re automatically enrolled.

Here’s how much it costs to transfer United miles:

• Transaction Fee: $30 per transfer.
  
• Mileage Fee: $7.50 per 500 miles (1.5 cents each).
  
• Mile Value: Around 1.4 cents each. So it will cost you more to transfer miles than the miles are worth.
• Miles Expiration: 18 months from the last transaction on your MileagePlus account. You must earn, redeem or transfer United miles to reset the clock.

You can only transfer United miles online, through your MileagePlus account. To make a transfer, select “Transfer Miles” from the top menu bar, then enter the recipient’s name, MileagePlus number and e-mail address. Finally, select the number of miles you’d like to transfer and click “Submit Transaction.” You will be prompted to pay the transfer fees with a credit card or debit card.

MileagePlus miles can be redeemed for airfare, hotel rooms, car rentals and more. You can also buy United miles, but that’s expensive: at least $35 per 1,000 miles, with a minimum purchase of 2,000 miles.

You need 10,000+ miles for a free flight on United. The number of United miles needed for a free flight is determined by the distance. Flights less than 700 miles in distance only require 10,000 award miles. Flights longer than 700 miles will cost at least 12,500 miles. The mileage requirements are for one-way economy class flights. If you’re looking to fly first class or business class, it’ll cost approximately twice as many miles each way.... read full answer

United Airlines has a travel awards chart that you can use to determine how many miles you need for various flights. Select your country of departure and destination, and you’ll see the award mile requirement for each class of travel and award-type.

United divides the awards chart into two award types: One-way Saver Award and One-way Everyday Award. The award-type depends on the route and availability. Saver Award flights require fewer miles than the Everyday Award flights because they have less availability. So if your dates are flexible, you can benefit from a cheaper Saver Award flight.

How Many Miles You’ll Need for a Free Flight on United:

• Domestic Flights: 10,000-12,500 (Saver), 32,500 (Everyday)
• U.S. to the Caribbean: 17,500 (Saver), 40,000 (Everyday)
• U.S. to Europe: 30,000 (Saver), 70,000 (Everyday)
• U.S. to Northern Africa: 40,000 (Saver), 90,000 (Everyday)
• U.S. to Central Asia: 42,500 (Saver), 95,000 (Everyday)

All of the mile-requirements above are for one-way economy class flights. United will no longer be publishing a travel award chart as of November 15th, 2019. They’ll be introducing a broader range of award prices, so the miles you need for free flights will be changing.

For loyal United flyers, a United credit card can help you earn more miles and get free flights faster. Most offer initial rewards bonuses for spending a certain amount within a few months of opening an account. Such a bonus alone could get you a free flight or two. You will need at least good credit to get approved for a United credit card.