Quick Points: Save thousands of United miles by booking partner flights to Europe

United’s MileagePlus program recently increased the prices of its premium cabin Anytime awards, as first reported by Live and Let’s Fly. However, we do not recommend booking United Airlines’ Anytime awards. Instead, consider our trick to save hundreds, if not thousands, of miles on your next flight to Europe.

MileagePlus Saver Rewards and any time

United has variable prices for MileagePlus redemptions for flights on its own fleet (ie, flights operated by United). The cheapest Saver fares from the US to Europe in business class start at 80,000 miles per person round trip.

If you book during less expensive times like winter, you can easily get these rates, which are good value for a solid business class product. However, these seats are limited and are unlikely to be available during busy periods such as summer.

United also offers Anytime awards, which are easy to earn but require the most miles. These were previously priced from 155,000 miles to Europe but have now increased to start at 200,000 miles round trip.

Anytime return rates from the US to South America have also increased from 155,000 to 220,000 miles one way.

If you can’t find limited Lifesaver award availability and there’s only One Time left, a round-trip flight to Europe will require 400,000 miles, worth a whopping $5,400 per TPG August 2024 estimate.

You may be able to get a cash ticket with your choice of carriers and schedules for less than that price.

However, there is a way to avoid this latest price drop. Flights booked with United miles on partner airlines are often offered at fixed prices, and all award availability is at the Saver level. However, since United doesn’t publish partner award charts, these prices are always subject to change without notice — as we saw earlier this year.

United MileagePlus has a long list of partner airlines that you can redeem miles on. These include Star Alliance airlines Lufthansa, Swiss and Air Canada, as well as non-alliance airlines Aer Lingus, Emirates and Hawaiian Airlines (inter-island flights only).

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Related: Emirates business class review on the Airbus A380 from New York to Milan

While off-peak days may show an 80,000-mile award available on a United-operated flight, on busy days, always look for flights operated by partner airlines, such as the Aer Lingus program below, even if it includes a connection. Doing so can save you over 100,000 miles.

How to earn United miles

An easy way to boost your MileagePlus balance to take you on your next trip to Europe is to apply for a United cobranded credit card. Here are some of our favorite United credit cards:

• United℠ Check Card: Earn 50,000 bonus miles after spending $3,000 in purchases in the first three months your account is open.
• United Quest℠ Card: Earn 60,000 bonus miles and 500 eligible Premier points after spending $4,000 in purchases in the first three months your account is open.
• United℠ Business Card: Earn 75,000 bonus miles after spending $5,000 in purchases in the first three months your account is open.
• United Club℠ Unlimited Card: Earn 80,000 bonus miles after spending $5,000 in purchases in the first three months your account is open.

You can also transfer Chase Ultimate Rewards points to United MileagePlus at a 1:1 rate. Here are some of the best Chase credit card offers available:

Related: How to get the best value on the United MileagePlus program