United MileagePlus: 80% Bonus on Miles Purchase — Ends May 4, 2026
If you've got a Star Alliance premium-cabin redemption scoped out and you're a few thousand miles short, here's your move. United is offering an 80% bonus on purchased MileagePlus miles through May 4, 2026 — bringing the effective rate to 1.94 cents per mile (USD, pre-tax). Log in to verify your targeted offer, then buy before May 4.
United is selling miles at an 80% bonus through May 4, bringing the effective cost to 1.94 cents per mile — the best rate since a 100% promo that hit 1.88 cents. That's a meaningful gap from the last sale's 2.3 cents, and it covers Star Alliance partners like ANA and Luftthansa where United miles genuinely outperform. Only pull the trigger if you have a premium booking already priced out and award space confirmed.
If a Lufthansa, ANA, Singapore Airlines, Swiss, or EVA Air business class seat has been sitting in your award search with a miles gap between you and the booking button, this is a real reason to act. United miles book these partners directly on United.com whenever saver space appears — no tricks, no transfers, just a clean partner redemption. An 80% bonus is the strongest MileagePlus buy‑miles sale of the year so far, and it’s within striking distance of the best rate the program has ever offered.
What qualifies:
Bonus: 80% on purchased miles (targeted — log in to verify)
Minimum purchase: 2,000 base miles
Purchase window: ends May 4, 2026 (short runway — most members will only fit one purchase)
Annual cap: 200,000 base miles
90‑day sub‑limit: 50,000 base miles (bonus miles stack on top)
Pre‑tax CPM: 1.94¢/mile (3.5¢ base → 80% bonus applied)
Posting timeline: Not specified — check your offer page
Payment routing: Processes via Points.com — not a travel charge
Refundability: Non‑refundable
Historical context: Last sale was ~52% (~2.3¢). Best‑ever was 100% (~1.88¢). This sits above the last sale but just below the all‑time low.
Excluded use case: Speculative buying — MileagePlus miles are worth ~1.2¢, so buying without a specific redemption in hand doesn’t make sense.
Skip the co‑branded United card — Points.com won’t trigger travel bonuses. Use a card with a strong base earn rate or one you’re still meeting a welcome‑offer spend on. Charges post in USD, so a U.S.‑issued card avoids foreign transaction fees. Confirm your award space is bookable before purchasing — the sale ends May 4.
- End Date
- May 4, 2026
- Confidence
- High — Confirmed
- Action
- buy_miles
- Published
- April 28, 2026