Collect MileagePlus miles through United's network of airline, hotel, and credit card partners

Many of the world’s leading airlines have forged alliances with other carriers, hotel chains, and car rental services. These collaborations expand flight options and provide frequent flyer members with more opportunities to earn and use their miles.

Your favorite airline probably has more partners than you realize. United Airlines, for instance, allows you to earn and redeem MileagePlus miles with numerous airlines, hotels, and by transferring points from various credit card reward programs. Additionally, the United MileagePlus program offers enhanced mileage earning rates through its diverse partnerships.

In this article, I’ll walk you through the key partners you should be aware of if you’re a United Airlines fan. Be sure to check them out — you may be missing out on opportunities to maximize your rewards.

United's Star Alliance airline affiliates

As a founding member of the Star Alliance — the world’s largest airline coalition — United allows its loyal passengers to earn and redeem miles across this extensive network. This partnership provides access to an enormous global route map, covering nearly every major city on all continents, with a multitude of airlines to choose from:

• 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
• Scandinavian Airlines
• Shenzhen Airlines
• Singapore Airlines
• South African Airways
• Swiss
• TAP Air Portugal
• Thai Airways
• Turkish Airlines

United's airline partners outside of the alliance

In addition to its membership in Star Alliance, United has a select group of airline partners that are not part of the alliance. These partnerships further expand United customers' travel options, offering access to even more destinations globally. Most of these partners allow members to earn and redeem miles, though certain conditions may apply.

For instance, MileagePlus members can accumulate miles on qualifying Hawaiian Airlines flights. According to United's website, flights must meet the following criteria to qualify:

• The flights must be interisland routes operated by Hawaiian Airlines.
• You must book the flight as a codeshare with a United Airlines flight number.

Flights with Hawaiian Airlines from the U.S. mainland do not qualify for earning United miles, nor can they be booked using United miles. However, if you book a United flight to Hawaii with miles, you can enjoy an interisland flight on Hawaiian Airlines for 'free' as part of United's Excursionist Perk.

Here’s a look at United's airline partners outside of the Star Alliance network:

• Aer Lingus
• Air Dolomiti
• Airlink
• Azul Brazilian Airlines
• Boutique Air
• Cape Air
• Discover Airlines
• Edelweiss Air
• Emirates
• Eurowings
• Flydubai
• Hawaiian Airlines
• JSX
• Lufthansa City Airlines
• Olympic Air
• Silver Airways
• Virgin Australia
• Vistara

How to earn miles with United's partners

From airlines to car rentals, United offers numerous opportunities to earn and redeem miles through its diverse partners. Here's a quick guide to get you started.

United's airline partnerships

You can earn United miles by adding your MileagePlus number to flights operated by any of United's partner airlines.

When United issues your ticket (i.e., with a ticket number beginning with "016"), you’ll earn 5 base miles for every dollar spent. If you hold Premier status with United, you will also receive additional bonus miles for every dollar spent on the ticket.

If your flight is booked through a partner airline, your miles will be based on the distance traveled and your fare class.

For instance, a Lufthansa flight from Los Angeles (LAX) to Frankfurt (FRA) in the M economy fare class would earn you 5,806 miles, as this flight covers 5,806 miles and M fares earn 100% of the distance flown according to Lufthansa's mileage chart.

You can also earn Premier qualifying points (PQP) and Premier qualifying flights (PQF) when flying with United's partner airlines. For flights with United’s "preferred" partners, you earn 1 PQP for every 5 miles flown, while flights with other partners yield 1 PQP for every 6 miles flown. Keep in mind, however, that United imposes limits on how many PQPs and PQFs you can accumulate based on the airline and fare class.

For detailed PQP guidelines and the miles-earning rates for each partner airline, visit United's website. Make sure to review these pages carefully, as some airlines may restrict earning miles to specific routes and fare classes.

Hotel partnerships

United collaborates with many major hotel chains and some hotel booking platforms, allowing members to earn miles when booking a stay. Some hotel partners offer a set number of miles per stay, while others base earnings on the amount spent. Many hotel loyalty programs also allow you to transfer your hotel points to United miles, although this is often not the most advantageous use of your points.

Here’s a look at all the hotel partners that United has teamed up with.

Rental car partners

Rental cars play a key role in many travel plans, especially when exploring beyond major cities. You can earn United miles when renting with Avis and Budget, as detailed below.

To accumulate miles, simply provide your MileagePlus membership number at the time of your rental. Keep in mind, however, that there may be an additional surcharge for frequent traveler programs if you choose to earn United miles with your rental.

United passengers can enjoy discounts of up to 35% with Avis and Budget by using their designated discount codes.

United credit cards

United Airlines has teamed up with Chase to offer credit cards in the U.S. These cards reward you with bonus miles for United purchases, and some also provide benefits like free checked luggage and access to the United Club.

Here’s a breakdown of the available United personal credit cards and their welcome bonuses:

• United Gateway℠ Card: Get 20,000 bonus miles after spending $1,000 on purchases within the first three months of account opening.
• United℠ Explorer Card: Receive 50,000 bonus miles after spending $3,000 on purchases in the first three months of account opening.
• United Quest℠ Card: Earn 60,000 bonus miles and 500 Premier qualifying points after spending $4,000 on purchases within the first three months of account opening.
• United Club℠ Infinite Card: Earn 80,000 bonus miles after spending $5,000 on purchases in the first three months from account opening.

United offers two business credit card options:

• United℠ Business Card: Earn 75,000 bonus miles after spending $5,000 within the first three months of account opening. Plus, enjoy an introductory $0 annual fee for the first year, then a $99 fee thereafter.
• United Club℠ Business Card: Receive 50,000 bonus miles and 1,000 Premier qualifying points after spending $5,000 in the first three months from account opening.

The details for the United Club Business Card were independently gathered by Dinogo. The card information on this page has not been reviewed or endorsed by the card issuer.

Transferring credit card rewards

You can transfer two types of credit card rewards to United MileagePlus: Chase Ultimate Rewards points and Bilt Rewards Points. Both transfer at a 1:1 ratio, so for every 10,000 Ultimate Rewards or Bilt points, you’ll receive 10,000 United miles — and the transfers are nearly instant.

Here are some of our top picks for cards that help you earn these valuable points:

• Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card
• Chase Sapphire Reserve®
• Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card
• Bilt Mastercard® (see rates and fees)

Brian Kelly, the founder of TPG, is an adviser and investor for Bilt.

In many situations, you can rack up United miles quicker with one of these cards compared to the United cards we previously mentioned. While you won’t get specific airline perks like free checked bags, these cards offer more points for daily spending. Plus, you can transfer your points to different airlines or hotels if you find a better redemption option.

Everyday shopping and partner offers

United has a range of other partners that allow you to earn United miles with your everyday purchases. Here's a brief overview of United's different everyday partners.

Using miles for partner flights

In recent years, United MileagePlus has faced a series of devaluations, including the shift to dynamic pricing for all partner awards and a 33% reduction in Europe saver award availability.

United often prices award seats on partner flights higher than those on its own planes, and it imposes additional miles charges when transferring from a United-operated flight to a partner-operated one. For instance, a one-way economy class ticket on a United flight from Denver (DEN) to Paris (CDG) could cost 40,000 miles, while similar flights on Air Canada, Lufthansa, or Turkish Airlines could run you 4,000 extra miles.

This means you can take advantage of United's partner network to reach destinations that United doesn't directly serve, often for just a few thousand extra miles. In other words, with your United miles, you can travel almost anywhere in the world.

You can easily find award availability for almost all United partners on their website, including Star Alliance members and non-alliance partners like Aer Lingus and Hawaiian Airlines. United's website is widely regarded as the best tool for searching Star Alliance awards.

If you accumulate transferable points and are looking for the best Star Alliance deals, we suggest checking availability on United's website and then booking through partner programs like Air Canada Aeroplan.

Elite status benefits across airlines

United Premier elite members enjoy reciprocal benefits with all Star Alliance airlines. Premier Silver members receive Star Alliance Silver status, while Premier Gold members and above are granted the more valuable Star Alliance Gold status. To enjoy these perks on partner airlines, simply add your United MileagePlus number to your reservation.

Here’s an overview of the benefits associated with both Star Alliance status levels, which can significantly improve your travel experience on partner carriers.

Star Alliance Silver

Star Alliance Silver status offers only basic perks. While they provide some assistance, they aren't likely to dramatically change your airport experience.

• Priority waitlisting: If the class you want isn't available when booking, your status places you higher on the waitlist. This does not apply to award bookings.
• Priority airport standby: You’ll be given a higher priority on the standby list for your preferred flight, unless you're flying on an award ticket. This can be helpful if you wish to switch to an earlier flight.

Star Alliance Gold

Star Alliance Gold status brings more significant advantages. Members enjoy access to more valuable perks that enhance the travel experience.

• Gold Track Security: Enjoy dedicated security lanes for Star Alliance flights, ensuring a smoother experience before you board.
• Additional baggage allowance: Take up to 44 pounds of extra checked baggage on partner flights, and in most cases, you can check an additional piece of baggage at no cost. Please note, basic economy fares may not qualify for this benefit.
• Priority boarding: You’ll board ahead of other passengers on all Star Alliance flights, even in economy class.
• Priority baggage handling: Your checked luggage will be among the first to be unloaded when you arrive at your destination.
• Airport lounge access: Access more than 1,000 Star Alliance partner lounges around the world when flying with any Star Alliance carrier. United elite members can only access United Clubs when flying internationally.
• Priority airport check-in: Skip the lines by using priority check-in counters when flying with Star Alliance partner airlines.

The bottom line

United offers an impressive network of partners, making it one of the easiest airlines to accumulate miles. If you're new to the world of miles, we suggest starting with a credit card that earns Chase Ultimate Rewards or Bilt points, as these points can be transferred to United and many other frequent flyer programs.

When it comes to redeeming miles, you’ll get the most value by using your United miles for United-operated flights. However, you can still take advantage of United’s extensive partner network to redeem miles for flights on partner airlines when United doesn’t fly to your desired destination.