United MileagePlus is not the program it once was…over the last few years, we’ve seen an avalanche of devaluations on the redemption side, making it a far less valuable loyalty scheme with most “aspirational” flight awards exponentially rising in price. Even so, there are sweet spots that remain, including five that I will highlight here.
5 United MileagePlus Redemption Sweet Spots – Look Outside The USA
You’ll notice that these sweet spots are outside the USA. Unfortunately, a series of devaluations have errored the value of most (but not all) redemptions within or touching the USA and most of the long-term sweet spots on the award chart even outside the USA.
1. USA to Central America – 38.5K In Business Class
Flying from the US to Central America on Copa in business class is as little as 38.5K miles one-way, including on 737 MAX aircraft wtih lie-flat beds in business class.
2. Southeast Asia – North Asia – 65K In Business Class
While you can get better value for these awards in other programs, it is a relative sweet spot in MileagePlus and can get you a great CPM (cent per mile, which is one way to more objectively value a redemption) depending on the routing and price, particularly for last-minute tickets.
3. Inta-Europe Nonstops – 6K In Economy Class
Sometimes, last-minute tickets on Lufthansa or SWISS can be very expensive, but you can use points to book the same nonstop flight for 6K miles. Even with the high taxes, you may come out ahead (I certainly have).
4. Europe/Northern Africa/Middle East – South America – 165K In First Class
While first class redemptions on Lufthansa and especially ANA have gone up through the roof to/from the USA, there’s still relative value in flying all the way to South America in Lufthansa First Class, including on its longest flight in the system to Buenos Aires, for 165K one-way in first class.
3. Domestic Japan Nonstops – 7K In Economy Class
Last-minute economy class tickets in Japan can exceed $250 but you may be able to use 7K miles and $5.80 instead.
Exurisonsit Perk Is Still A Valuable Tool
United has a complicated quirk that replaced free stopovers in 2016 that it calls an “Excursionist Perk”
Here’s how United describes it:
The Excursionist Perk is a free one-way award within select multi-city itineraries. Members who book an itinerary with three or more one-way awards will be eligible to receive one of those one-way awards for free, if it meets all of these conditions:
- The Excursionist Perk cannot be in the MileagePlus defined region where your travel originates. (For example, if your journey begins in North America, you will only receive the Excursionist Perk if travel is within a region outside of North America.)
- Travel must end in the same MileagePlus defined region where travel originates.
- The origin and destination of the Excursionist Perk is within a single MileagePlus defined region.
- The cabin of service and award type of the free one-way award is the same or lower than the one-way award preceding it.
- If two or more one-way awards qualify for this benefit, only the first occurrence will be free.
Here’s an exmaple United prvodies:
The trick is the free Excursionist Perk does not have to be in any particular region, just in one region…
So theoretically, you could book a ticket from New York to Lisbon in business class for 88K miles, then an “Excursionist Perk” for no extra miles from Dakar (DSS) to Johannesburg (JNB), a ticket that costs 35K in economy class or 90K in business class, then a return to the same region as origin, so if you could book an award from Africa to the USA on United…or if you were flying home via another carrier or program, you could just add on a domestic flight within the USA (the region you started in) to get the intra-Africa segment for free.
That means you could add a 10K domestic US segment to make the 90K segment within Afrifa free.
CONCLUSION
I hesitate even writing these posts for fear that United will “patch up” these redemptions of outsized value, but at this point, I feel like it’s only a matter of time already.
I look back on a piece I wrote in 2021 entitled, “Five Ways United Airlines Can Secure The Next 40 Years Of MileagePlus” and I have to shake my head. There I proposed:
- Offer A Truly Compelling Credit Card That Outshines Flexible Currency Alternatives
- Bring Back Award Charts, Keep Prices Reasonable
- Maintain Meaningful Elite Benefits For Flying United
- Keep The MillionMiler Program Intact
- Always Be Honest About Devaluations
All five have gone in the opposite direction…it’s a shame because I am confident United could win a lot more loyalty if it improved MileagePlus.
But there are still a few sweet spots in the MileagePlus program when it comes to redemptions.
top image: COPA
If you take advantage of CAI-EZE in F, just scrub any references to the fact that you know Lucky or read his blog, or you’re liable to be detained…
lol. Great point.
None of these are really that great, other than perhaps a good use of the Excursionist perk. I get the argument that FRA-AMS for 6K+$70 could be a good deal, but when you factor in travel to and from the airport even a walk up ticket on the ICE is comparably priced. I don’t think UA is about to shut any of these down.
None are great, but this represents the best right now (sadly).
165k for a first class flight eek.
The times they are a changin’
About a year ago I looked into Zrh-Gva on LX and was quoted some outrageous numbers like 25-35k miles.
That sounds like business class? Coach should have been 6K.
more posts like this please and less politics.
Overall I agree. You missed their awards on Ethiopian to Africa. I just went to Rwanda and flew from Washington to Kigali and back for 80k in biz each way. Which I thought was a great deal
Yes indeed, that is a good deal, esp because UA charges so much for Polaris to South Africa even in “I” class.
The business optics of all this is what is very interesting to me. The entire points situation has become so complicated and complex the average person has no idea how to deal with it (unless they engage a professional like yourself), which I suppose increases the likelihood they will dump all their miles to redeem a high mileage reward, which draws down miles from the UA balance sheet. The fact that airlines have still been able to earn a substantial, if not overwhelming amount of their revenue from the sale of miles is really a stunning business development. Who would have thought these programs would be over 50% of their revenue base. Amazing.
The fact that credit card companies are willing to buy miles when the seller continues to devalue what they are buying is really interesting. Airlines must devalue in proportion to increased in ticket prices, but the added program complexity is another added devaluation.
For me I long ago stopped trying to understand these programs and just pay-up for the seat I want. I do really admire the smart business acumen of the airline revenue team who engineer these programs to the extent they do. For the points community, as you have pointed out these programs are slowly sinking into essentially a par value with the cost of the seat. For those making their living explaining and writing about these programs, I hope they have a side hustle or plan B. Certainly glad you do!
Another area that isn’t too bad is US- Africa business class on star alliance. It’s 88k one way. I did Qsuites one way, but have to position on both the departure city and arrival city. So for ease, I’m leaning towards using UA for a one way because domestic UA flights aren’t being opened to partners as much as before so that greatly hampers the ability to start on the west coast when using AC or NH (which is a big bummer with NH allowing one way award soon). And Avianca isn’t seeing any Ethiopian space, so that hampers your ability to fly within Africa. So unless you’re starting from a major east coast gateway and ending in a major African city that a European carrier flies into, you’re pretty limited outside of UA miles. Plus AC and AS charge more one way anyway, so UA is cheaper and has free cancellations / changes. Any other options that I’m missing?
don’t worry no one can understand with all the typos! nice work gary <3