Buying miles and points can represent a great deal, especially for premium air travel. Loyalty programmes tend to advertise these sales as discounts or offer a bonus on purchased miles. United MileagePlus has launched its latest promotion on purchased miles, valid through March 19, 2023, 2359 hours Central time. United is offering up to a 100% Miles Bonus on purchasing miles in this round of the promotion, which is a tiered one.

Buy United MileagePlus Miles with up to a 100% Bonus.

Through March 19, 2023, 11:59 PM Central Time, United MileagePlus is offering a bonus on purchased miles. The promotion offers up a 100% points bonus at the top end of the promotion.

It usually costs 3.5 US Cents per purchased mile when you buy United MileagePlus miles, apart from a 7.5% excise tax charged in the US. For those who received the 90% bonus offer, the tiering is as below:

• Buy 5,000+ miles, get a 50% bonus
• Buy 15,000+ miles, get a 75% bonus
• Buy 40,000+ miles, get a 100% bonus

With the 100% bonus, I can buy 87,500 miles (and have another 87,500 miles bonus) at the price of 1.88 US Cents per purchased mile (INR 1.53 per mile).

Note that United MileagePlus limits members to purchasing 175,000 MileagePlus miles per account per calendar year, including any bonuses being offered. This is the maxed-out version of the offer for you. If you are buying United miles, it can take up to 48 hours for them to post to your account.

Which credit card should you buy United MileagePlus miles with?

Typically, these point purchases are processed through Points.com and not directly by the hotel or airline. However, you will almost always pay in USD/EUR/GBP, not INR. So, the best cards to earn a bonus are Citi Prestige, Axis Reserve or American Express Platinum Charge Card, as these cards offer an international spending bonus. Beyond these, look at any card that provides a reduced foreign exchange spend conversion or one where you want to meet any minimum spend requirements.

Is it a good deal to use United Miles to buy flights?

While there is a bit of variability in the redemption of miles, MileagePlus redemptions usually represent a good deal.

• India – USA Business Class travel starts at 90K miles one way
• India – Japan Business Class travel starts at 60K Miles one way

One of the great features of United Mileage Plus is that United does not pass on fuel surcharges to customers. Another great feature is the fact that United MileagePlus miles don’t expire. So, you get to keep your miles no matter what. And you can use them on Star Alliance airlines for redemption as well.

Bottomline

United MileagePlus is offering a bonus on purchased miles, with up to a 100% bonus. With this sale, MileagePlus miles can be acquired for US Cents 1.88/ INR 1.53 each at the top end. The promotion is valid for the purchase of miles till March 19, 2023 (11:59 PM Central Time) or March 20, 2023 (10:29 AM IST). Crunch the numbers before you buy.

Do you plan on buying United MileagePlus miles with this promotion? 

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