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If you’re a fan of travel rewards and airline loyalty programs, you’re probably familiar with how valuable miles can be. On a recent trip to Asia, I used the United Airlines MileagePlus loyalty program to score a business-class flight on Singapore Airlines, a carrier that’s well-known for its phenomenal service.
Although business-class cash fares on this route are routinely over $1,500, I was able to redeem just 27,500 United MileagePlus miles and $42.80 to fly from Hong Kong (HKG) to Singapore (SIN).
Here’s how I used my United miles to fly on Singapore Airlines and how you can do the same.
Benefits of the United MileagePlus program
My recent redemption is a great reminder of how United MileagePlus can be a super valuable loyalty program. You can refer to our full guide about United MileagePlus to read about all the program benefits. But at a high level, United miles offer great flexibility for United loyalists. Members earn and redeem miles for flights, upgrades and more.
As a member of the Star Alliance, United Airlines allows MileagePlus members to earn and redeem miles on flights operated by other Star Alliance carriers. Keep in mind, however, that not all fare classes qualify for earning miles, and you can only redeem miles if award seats are available.
Star Alliance has 25 airlines:
- Aegean Airlines
- Air Canada
- Air China
- Air India
- Air New Zealand
- All Nippon Airways
- Asiana Airlines
- Austrian Airlines
- Avianca
- Brussels Airlines
- Copa Airlines
- Croatia Airlines
- Egyptair
- Ethiopian Airlines
- EVA Airways
- LOT Polish Airlines
- Lufthansa
- Shenzhen Airlines
- Singapore Airlines
- South African Airways
- Swiss
- TAP Air Portugal
- Thai Airways
- Turkish Airlines
- United Airlines
How I redeemed United MileagePlus miles for business class
On my flight from Hong Kong to Singapore, there were business-class award seats available for redemption. As a result, I was able to book this business-class award flight as you’d normally redeem United miles by going to united.com and selecting “Book with miles.”
Another option is to check your flight itinerary on an online award search tool like point.me.
Point.me is an online tool to help you book award flights using your credit card points and airline miles. It shows available flights and the best ways to book them with your existing points.
When I booked my flight, United charged 27,500 miles, but for a sample search in November, the same flight costs 65,000 United miles. In this case, point.me shows Air Canada Aeroplan offers the same flight for 30,000 points.
That means that if you had Chase Ultimate Rewards points from a credit card like the Chase Sapphire Preferred, you would be better off transferring your points to Air Canada rather than United for a lower price.
We always recommend verifying award space with the airline selling the ticket (Air Canada, in this case) before transferring your credit cards as credit card points cannot be annulled once you transfer points to a transfer partner.
How to earn United miles
One of the easiest ways to boost your MileagePlus balance is through credit cards. These cards allow you to earn miles on everyday purchases and sign-up bonuses. Some options include:
- United Club℠ Infinite Card: Earn 80,000 bonus miles after you spend $5,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening.
- United Quest℠ Card: 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.
- United℠ Explorer Card: Earn 50,000 bonus miles after you spend $3,000 on purchases in the first 3 months your account is open.
- United Gateway℠ Credit Card: Earn 20,000 bonus miles after you spend $1,000 on purchases in the first 3 months your account is open.
You can also transfer Chase Ultimate Rewards points to United MileagePlus at a 1:1 ratio. Some options include:
- Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card: Earn 60,000 bonus points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening.
- Chase Sapphire Reserve® Card: Earn 60,000 bonus points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening.
Bottom line
Using United MileagePlus miles to book premium flights, like business class on Singapore Airlines, can provide exceptional value. Although United has been recently increasing partner award rates, in my case, for just 27,500 miles and a small cash fee, I enjoyed a luxury flight that would normally cost over $1,500.
If you’re looking to maximize travel rewards, United MileagePlus can offer great options for flexible redemptions and premium travel experiences.
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