Finding United Award Flights

One of the biggest mistakes people make is thinking they need United points to book a United award flight.
In reality, there are many more options you should be exploring.

UNITED AWARD FLIGHTS

If you are looking to book a United flight on points, you are in luck! United is part of STAR ALLIANCE which is made up of 25 airlines. Alliances are super important when it comes to award flights, because many times you can book an award flight on one airline via one of their partners.

*For best flexibility, I recommend searching one way flights when looking for award flights

Book directly on United’s website

A few things to note:
1. You don’t need to login to search – but if you have a United credit card you should login as sometimes there’s specific deals for card holders (even $0 annual fee United Gateway℠ Card)
2. United has a “flexible date” calendar search option

POINT OPTIONS FOR BOOKING UNITED FLIGHTS ON UNITED

Of course, if you have United points, you’ll be able to use those on United to book the flight.
The other option is transferring Chase Ultimate Rewards® Points to United to book then flight. Chase Points are the only points you can transfer to United.

Booking United Award flights on Air Canada (Aeroplan)

A few things to note:
1. You will need to login to search
2. You MUST select the box that says “Book with Aeroplan points”
3. United doesn’t release EVERY award flight to its partners, so this is hit or miss but worth checking
4. There unfortunately isn’t a calendar view and you’ll need to search day by day.

In this specific example, Air Canada has 1 option. A direct United Airlines flight on 12/19 for 12,500 points + $47CAD. This SAME flight is bookable ON United for 15K points + $5.60 fees/taxes.

While in this specific instance, the points needed is not a big difference. The reason you may favor the Air Canada/Aeroplan award is because you can transfer points to Air Canada/Aeroplan from Chase, American Express, and Capital One.

Booking United Award flights on Avianca LifeMiles

A few things to note:
1. You’ll search for these on LifeMiles website
2. You will need to login to search
3. If you find the award flight on Air Canada/Aeroplan, you’ll likely be able to find it on LifeMiles too

To book award flights with LifeMiles, you can transfer points from American Express, Capital One and Citi.

Booking United Award flights with Turkish Airlines

A few things to note:
1. You will need to login to search
2. If you are booking for more than 1 person, you will need to call Turkish to book

On the first part, select “award ticket”

You are looking for a United flights, so select Star Award Ticket

This flight requires 10K miles + $5.60 taxes/fees

If you find this to be the best option, I’d call Turkish Airlines, confirm availability for the number of passengers you need, then transfer points while on the phone with the agent and they’ll book the flight. Capital One miles and Citi points transfer to Turkish Airlines.

I’ve also had really good luck emailing Turkish Airlines, with incredibly quick replies. To find the email, go to this page, scroll down to “our offices” and choose the US office closest to you.

UNITED FREQUENT FLYERS

If you are a frequent flyer with United, the best way to ensure you can book a United flight on points is to have United and/or Chase Ultimate Rewards® Points.

If you only travel a few times a year with United, I would recommend getting the United℠ Explorer Card The reason I favor this card is because you’ll get a free checked bag and the annual fee is low ($0 the 1st year then $150).

For heavy United flyers, I think United Club℠ Card is the way to go. Although it’s a much higher annual fee ($695 annually), you’ll have United lounge access when flying United plus the first 2 checked bags free.

MY PERSONAL STRATEGY FOR INFREQUENT UNITED FLYER

We only fly United 1 – 2x a year. We got United℠ Explorer Card (because you can’t beat no annual fee for year 1!) and then at the 1 year mark, downgraded it to $0 annual fee United Gateway℠ Card. Holding a United card is important because United often gives better award pricing to United card holders.

We focus on earning points via Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card. Because these points are easy to earn and we can easily transfer them to United. And by focusing on earning flexible/transferable points, I can find the BEST deal and transfer points there.

TAKE AWAY

If you are a United frequent flyer, having one of their cards can be super helpful for free bags & best flight options. However, if you decide to only use a United credit card for every purchase, you are missing out on the flexibility of using your points in other ways. I think having a stash of United miles and Chase Ultimate Rewards® Points would be ideal for a United frequent flyer.

Thank you for supporting my small business! When you use my affiliate links to apply for a credit card, I earn a commission from the bank. But you still get the same great offer! And this helps me keep my guides and personal help free.

Opinions expressed here are the author’s alone, not those of any bank, credit card issuer, hotel, airline, or other entity. This content has not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any of the entities included within the post.