United Airlines Award Tickets are travel rewards that can be earned by frequent flyers who accumulate enough points through their United Airlines ticket purchases. These tickets are a type of carrier reward and allow customers to redeem their points for free airline tickets.
Once enough points have been accumulated, travelers can use them to book one-way or round-trip flights with United Airlines for free by converting their MileagePlus points into free tickets.
MileagePlus: How do I book award tickets to fly with United Airlines?
Booking award tickets with United Airlines can be done by first visiting their US airline website or by opening its mobile application. Once on their homepage, select the type of tickets you want to book (Flight only, flight + hotel, flight + hotel + car rental or flight + car rental).
Then in the online form, you will need to enter your booking information such as the departure and destination airport, the outward and return flight date, the travel class (Eco, Eco Premium, Business or First).
The next step is to choose a flight sorting option choosing to display the offers available to book according to: Best Match, Travel and Departure Time, Arrival Time or Number of Stops.
Specify whether or not you wish to travel with your pet and then search for travel offers with MileagePlus award tickets, available for booking.
Once your account is valid, you will be able to search and book award tickets from the available flight options that are eligible for award points. You can view your reservation details and finalize your purchase after selecting the flight of your choice at least 24 hours before departure. Plus, you can call to make reservations with a representative who can walk you through the process and answer any questions you have.
Select your seat and travel cabin
When you book a MileagePlus award ticket, you have the option of choosing the type of seat and class of travel. When selecting a seat, you will be able to see available seat choices in Economy/Eco Premium and Business/First Class. It is important to remember that some rewards may have availability restrictions when choosing your seat or class of travel. Additionally, there may also be restrictions depending on the airline partner operating the flight. If a flight is listed as being operated by a partner airline, it is important to check their terms and conditions before booking an award ticket.
You can reserve the last available seat on a plane using your MileagePlus points. United Airlines offers you to occupy the last empty seat on board with your award ticket at no additional cost.
However, when booking with award tickets, it is important to check availability before making any purchasing decisions. Plus, being flexible with travel dates can help you get the most out of your miles and points by taking advantage of the best redemption opportunities.
Earn the Excursionist Perk reward
This award is granted to passengers traveling with award tickets on a multi-route flight (requiring the reservation of a minimum of three award tickets to travel within the continent where the country of departure is located).
Use an award ticket to request an upgrade on a United Airlines flight?
You can do this by contacting the airline’s customer service team, who can help you find an available upgrade seat (to change from eco class to eco premium or to Business class) and help you with all the procedures necessary to obtain the upgrade. You must pay the fare difference using your miles. Change fees may be applied by your airline operator.
Fees associated with booking your MileagePlus award ticket over the phone
Reserving a MileagePlus award ticket to take a United Airlines flight over the phone is chargeable. The cost of a premium reservation is usually $25 for General, Premier Silver and Premier Gold members, while the service is completely free for Premier Platinum and Premier 1K members.
Other costs associated with booking an award ticket with United Airlines
Other taxes are applicable by the United States airline if you do not present yourself for boarding and then request the redeposit of your miles used for the purchase of your award ticket. In this case, you are charged a fee of $125 regardless of your status.
However, if you choose to change your booking before your flight departs, you can do so free of charge.