United MileagePlus offers up to 95% bonus on purchased miles

United Airlines' MileagePlus program is running a promotion offering a bonus of up to 95% on purchased miles. This offer is valid for transactions completed by September 30, 2026.

Key details

• Purchase by: 11:59 p.m. CT on September 30, 2026

• Bonus: Up to 95%

• Price with 95% bonus: 1.93 US cents per mile

• Purchase limit: 50,000 miles per 90-day period (including bonus miles)

• Annual limit: 200,000 miles per calendar year

A significant change to the program is the new limit on miles members can purchase. The maximum number of miles a member can buy, gift, or multiply within any consecutive 90-day period is now 50,000 miles, inclusive of any bonus miles received. This 50,000-mile limit resets on a rolling basis after 90 days have passed from the previous purchase. The overall annual limit for purchasing, gifting, or multiplying miles remains 200,000 miles per calendar year.

For members receiving a 95% bonus, the cost per mile is 1.93 US cents. The terms state that the bonus amount is calculated per transaction and transactions cannot be aggregated to achieve a higher bonus. Purchased miles do not count towards MileagePlus Premier status and are non-refundable.

Source: United

Opinion

The headline bonus of up to 95% is decent, translating to a 1.93 US cents per mile cost, which can be useful for expensive international premium cabin awards. However, United has kneecapped the utility of these sales by severely restricting purchase volumes.

Given how dramatically United's award chart has devalued for Star Alliance partners and how dynamic pricing makes high-value redemptions scarcer, this low cap makes it difficult to accumulate enough miles for meaningful redemptions.