United Airlines is offering customers who book airfare using Money + Miles a chance to win 1 million MileagePlus miles. While we’d all love to win a million miles, I would caution you before using United’s Money + Miles redemption option.
Win United Airlines Miles Via Million Miles Sweepstakes
First, let’s go over the particulars of this sweepstakes:
- Use the Money + Miles payment option when you book your next domestic trip to be automatically entered for a chance to win up to 1 million MileagePlus miles
- United Chase Cardmembers get an extra sweepstakes entry for every flight booked with Money + Miles
- United’s Money + Miles feature allows you to combine as little as 500 miles with money to pay for your flight
- Book your next trip before September 30 and fly before November 15 for a chance to win.
- You can enter up to eight times
- Winners will be contacted on or after December 5, 2022:
- One Grand Prize: 1,000,000 MileagePlus Miles
- valued at $20,000, meaning you’ll be taxed on this amount as if it is income
- One First Prize: 500,000 MileagePlus Miles
- valued at $10,000
- Five Second Prizes: Each Second Prize is 150,000 MileagePlus Miles
- valued at $3,000
- 10 Third Prizes: Each Third Prize is 50,000 MileagePlus Miles
- valued at $1,000
- One Grand Prize: 1,000,000 MileagePlus Miles
In short, book using Money + Miles by the end of the month for travel before the busy Thanksgiving rush and you’ll be entered to win one million miles.
Sorry, But Money + Miles Is Still A Poor Use Of Your Miles
Here’s the thing. I generally don’t recommend the money + miles program. Live and Let’s Fly took it for a test drive and found the value proposition poor.
The concept of applying miles toward the value of your purchased ticket is a blast from the past at United Airlines and an intriguing one. But there is virtually no value under the current iteration of this redemption option. Please do not waste your miles on United’s Money + Miles awards unless you are walking away from the MileagePlus program.
If United actually set the value of a point at 1.5 cents instead of less than half of that, I think many (myself included) would be much more receptive to this redemption option. That would also spur immense spending on United co-branded credit cards. But while that may be too generous for MileagePlus, the 0.6-0.75 cents per point is simply an insult to MileagePlus members.
> Read More: Money + Miles Awards At United Airlines: Good Concept, Bad Value
CONCLUSION
United is running a sweepstakes through the end of September with some intriguing prizes…but you’ll need to use United’s Money + Miles redemption option on a domestic flight, which is not a great value proposition. Consequently, this sweepstakes is a pass for me.
Notice that in your redemption, UA gives you considerably than one cent per mile. Then if you win, they turn around and send you a 1099 that values the miles they gave you at TWO cents per mile. Accounting must be hard in Chicago.
Yeah. The valuing of the miles at 2 cents per mile is enough of an insult to turn me away from this promotion. To my knowledge there is no way to convert MileagePlus miles into cash at anything even near 2 cents per point.
The ability readily convert miles into a good or service that can be regularly and reliably valued at 2 cents per mile is something that seems unlikely to me, but I’m open to hearing arguments suggesting that this is true.
The valuation makes it seem likely that the winner will pay $4400 or more in taxes for an award more reasonably valued at $10-12k. I get that you come out ahead, but the valuation adds a penalty to the winnings.
So if you win the grand prize and you’re a high earner in California, you’d essentially be buying a million MileagePlus miles for 1¢ each. Hardly a good deal.
Yeah money + miles is a joke. The only reason I’d ever consider using it is if I were on my way out of Mileage Plus and wanted to just to use the remainder of my miles, but that’s probably not happening any time soon.
I’m very greatful to be part of the sweepstakes I have never won anything in my life. Thank you for letting me be a part of it
Not a good deal; thanks for the info. System also asked me when I booked my Mexico trip.