Quick Insights: How to earn additional miles through United's Mile Play promotions

As the cost of award flights continues to rise, it's essential to discover simple ways to accumulate more miles. Not everyone can rack up a million dollars in credit card spending each year or hold 100,000 miles for a paid first-class ticket. If you're among the majority who value United Airlines Mileage Plus miles, it's worth paying attention to their Mile Play promotions. These promotions present straightforward opportunities to earn extra miles on flights you already plan to take.

United Airlines Mile Play hidden promotions

Occasionally, United Airlines introduces these "hidden promotions." These targeted offers enable travelers to earn extra miles by meeting specific requirements. The promotions are personalized and typically align with your travel habits. For example, members who haven't flown United recently are often presented with more attractive offers. While Mile Play won't make you rich, it can certainly help you reach your next award faster at no extra cost.

These promotions may appear on the United app's homepage or in your inbox. However, more frequently, you'll need to check online regularly to see if you're targeted. United features a dedicated webpage for Mile Play. Simply enter your Mileage Plus number to check your eligibility and register.

It's crucial to thoroughly review the terms and conditions of any promotion. Generally speaking, award flights do not qualify for Mile Play promotions. Additionally, there is often a minimum spending requirement associated with these promotions, either overall or for each flight.

In the past, TPG team members have received various offers, including bonuses of 2,500 to 8,000 miles simply for booking a single round-trip flight with United Airlines. Although I currently don't have any Mile Play offers, I've been targeted three times in the past year:

Clearly, I need to improve my adherence to my own advice. While I wasn’t traveling much in April of this year, my business travel picked up significantly in September. I neglected to check Mile Play and lost out on an easy 5,000 miles. Based on TPG's latest valuations, that amounts to about $57 worth of miles I missed out on. I hope to avoid making that mistake again.

In summary

True "free" miles are extremely rare. Generally, you’ll either miss out on earning miles or points elsewhere or give up valuable cash back on purchases. Mile Play presents a special chance for both loyal and occasional United flyers to earn extra miles for flights you were already planning to book. Set a monthly reminder in your calendar to check if you qualify for an opportunity to get closer to your next award flight.