United MileagePlus Exclusives
MileagePlus Exclusives is United's marketplace for spending your miles on experiences instead of flights - think courtside seats, chef's tables, Broadway, and behind-the-scenes airline access. Some items have a fixed "buy now" miles price, but a lot of the good stuff goes to auction, so you bid your miles and the highest bidder wins. It is points-first by design: miles are the currency, not a cash add-on.
What you can redeem for
Six rotating categories, all priced in MileagePlus miles:
- Travel - global excursions tied to United's route network.
- Sports - tickets and premium-club seating for MLB, NBA, NHL, NFL, WNBA, PGA TOUR, plus VIP facility and talent access (e.g. batting practice with a team).
- Culinary & Dining - private and multi-course chef's-table dinners with notable culinary talent.
- Arts & Culture - Broadway, ballet, theater, and independent film.
- Entertainment - concerts, festivals, comedy, TV tapings, and studio tours.
- Uniquely United - behind-the-scenes airline experiences (flight simulator, ops facilities) you can't get anywhere else.
How it works
Three formats run side by side:
- Buy now - a fixed miles price; redeem and it's yours while it lasts.
- Auction - place a bid in miles; the system auto-bids up to the max you set, and you may win for less than your max. Win and it's a legally binding contract - miles are debited automatically, and you cannot retract or lower a bid once placed. Bids in the final minute extend the auction by another minute (anti-snipe).
- Raffles - enter for a chance at an experience. No cash option here - everything is paid in MileagePlus miles.
Who's eligible & how to access
You need a MileagePlus account; listings are filtered by member type - General, Premier (elite status), and Cardmember. Many of the best items are tagged Cardmember Exclusive or Premier Exclusive, meaning you must hold an eligible co-branded United card (the Chase United lineup - Explorer, Quest, Club Infinite, Gateway, and the United business cards) or hold Premier status to bid or buy. General-access items are open to any member.
Standout examples
Recent live listings show the range: a ten-course chef's-table dinner at Blue Duck Tavern in Washington, D.C. (auction, bidding into the 90,000-mile range); "Fly to New York to watch Wrexham AFC play Liverpool FC," a Premier Exclusive travel-plus-match package (auction, bids past 300,000 miles); Chicago White Sox Scout Seats and batting practice (from 15,000 miles); and a concert at San Francisco's Chase Center. Inventory rotates constantly and skews to United's hub cities (Chicago, New York, San Francisco, Washington D.C.), so the specific events change week to week.
Good to know
Everything is non-refundable: miles are not returned once redeemed, and a no-show forfeits your miles with no reschedule - though you can usually send an eligible substitute if you contact MileagePlus in advance. Auctions are binding the moment you win. Inventory is heavily US-centric and concentrated in United hub markets, so options thin out if you're not near a major city. Browse and filter by member type, category, and location at exclusives.mileageplus.com, and sign up for SMS alerts so you don't miss a drop.
Our take
It's one of the few legit ways to turn United miles into access you genuinely can't buy off the shelf - chef's tables, premium sports seating, and airline-insider experiences. Treat it as access and flexibility rather than a redemption to maximize, and only bid miles you'd otherwise let sit, since it's all binding and non-refundable.
Part of United MileagePlus
See the full United MileagePlus guide →