United MileagePlus has recently introduced a new miles purchase promotion where you can save up to 50% when buying miles. This promotion is active until May 4, 2026, so consider buying additional Miles when you need to reach a certain redemption threshold but don't have enough miles for your upcoming award ticket.

Keep in mind that while the promotional savings on buying miles may look tempting, there are also restrictions associated with such miles purchases. In addition, the math can show that buying miles isn't the most efficient choice for most people unless their redemption delivers more than 1.88 cents per mile in value.

Miles Purchase Promotion Details

The Miles purchase rate may vary depending on the number of miles you want to buy, so it's essential to log into your account and find out how many miles you will be able to buy at a discount. As of today, the best publicly available deal looks like this:

• 2,000 to 4,000 miles: no discount applied
• 5,000 to 49,000 miles: 30% discount
• 50,000 miles: 50% discount, bringing the cost per mile down to approximately 1.88 cents

So, if you want to buy 50,000 miles, the total cost with tax and fees would amount to roughly $940.63. This is almost twice cheaper than the standard per-mile price of about 3.5 cents. So, while 50% is a substantial discount, it's also important to take a look at restrictions.

One of the latest changes associated with this Miles purchase promotion is the 90-day cap on how many miles you can purchase at once. It amounts to 50,000 miles, and the maximum number of Miles you can buy per calendar year is set to 200,000 miles. This means that you won't be able to purchase a large amount of Miles in one go to redeem the Miles purchase at once. Instead, you will have to split it into several parts to stay within these limitations.

Does Buying United Miles at 1.88 Cents Per Mile Makes Sense?

This is the crucial question because, although the discount of 50% may look impressive, you won't benefit from Miles purchase if you can redeem your miles at a higher rate than the price you paid for purchasing them. For instance, let's say you buy 50,000 Miles for $940.63 at the 50% discount. However, your redemption requires a lower value of 1.2 cents per mile. In this case, your total expenditure will be higher than your redemption benefit, which isn't what you should be aiming for.

However, there are also redemptions where buying Miles will pay off. Namely, if you have a certain route where you can get your redemption at the price of 1.88 cents or higher, it may make sense to buy Miles at this discounted rate to secure your award ticket or upgrade. Here are a few concrete examples to showcase the difference.

If you need to fly domestic first class, the total cost of tickets via MileagePlus can amount to 66,100 Miles. This means that you will have to buy at least 17,000 Miles on top of your existing balance. The cost of such a purchase will be approximately $1,500, and the total cost of the flight will be the same if you book the ticket in cash. So, it's better to spend your miles balance instead of buying Miles.

On the contrary, business-class flights to Europe on United or its partners' flights will cost between 80,000 and 88,000 Miles. At the same time, the cost of such tickets in cash is over $3,000, so this Miles purchase may pay off if you plan to book a business class ticket in Europe or any other premium destination.

The 50,000 Miles Cap Impacts the Miles Purchase Strategy

Since the Miles purchase limit has changed, the approach we took to maximize Miles purchases also changed. We used to be able to purchase enough Miles in one shot to cover our premium redemptions, but this is no longer possible due to the newly introduced Miles purchase limit of 50,000 Miles every 90 days. Instead, you will need to combine your existing balance and additional Miles purchase or pool Miles with another MileagePlus member to cover your redemption cost. United allows MileagePlus members to pool Miles together to redeem rewards, so this is a legitimate option to consider.

Another scenario that can make Miles purchase a wise choice is when you currently have 30,000 or 40,000 Miles in your account, and you only need to buy 50,000 additional Miles at the discounted rate to achieve your goal. However, it's important to note that you should only pursue Miles purchase strategies when your redemption delivers a higher value than the per-Mile cost of Miles purchase.

What Credit Card to Use for Miles Purchase?

The last thing to remember before purchasing Miles is that your Miles purchase will not qualify for bonus airline categories since MileagePlus uses Points.com to sell Miles. Instead, you will earn general reward points when buying Miles, which isn't bad since you still earn something from such a Miles purchase. So, your best choice here would be using a credit card where you're working towards earning a welcome bonus or a flat-rate credit card that gives you a fixed rate of points on all transactions.

Quick Decision Framework for Miles Purchase

In summary, when deciding whether you should purchase Miles or not, consider three key criteria. First, do you have a concrete Miles redemption in mind? Miles expiration and potential program devaluation may become obstacles if you want to purchase Miles speculatively. Unless you have a specific trip in mind, it is best to skip purchasing Miles. Second, does your Miles redemption deliver 1.88 cents or higher value per mile? Most international redemptions of premium cabins will give you a higher rate than the cost of purchasing Miles, making it beneficial for buyers.

On the contrary, domestic first class redemptions rarely provide more than 1.2 cents per mile, making Miles purchases an impractical choice. Finally, is the Miles redemption available right now? Purchasing Miles is a waste of money if the redemption you are targeting is not currently available.

Conclusion

In conclusion, United Miles purchase promotion offers up to 50% discount on buying Miles, bringing the total cost per mile down to approximately 1.88 cents. The cap on Miles purchase of 50,000 Miles every 90 days means that you will be able to buy this amount in one go. If you target premium Miles redemptions to Europe or any other destination, you may get good value from Miles purchase.