So, you've accumulated a healthy stash of American Express Membership Rewards points, and now you're dreaming of flying United! That's fantastic! Amex Membership Rewards are incredibly valuable because of their flexibility. While you can't directly transfer your Amex points to United Airlines' MileagePlus program (United isn't a direct transfer partner), there are some clever and highly effective strategies to use your points for United flights.
This comprehensive guide will walk you through each step, ensuring you get the most out of your hard-earned points. Let's dive in!
The Essential Truth: No Direct Transfer, But Plenty of Workarounds!
It's crucial to understand this upfront: American Express Membership Rewards do not directly transfer to United Airlines MileagePlus. United is part of the Star Alliance, and while Amex has many airline partners, United is not on that direct list. However, don't despair! The beauty of Amex Membership Rewards lies in its indirect pathways to book flights on various airlines, including United, through its Star Alliance partners or the Amex Travel portal.
Step 1: Discovering Your Amex Point Power – Where Do You Stand?
Before you even think about booking, let's get you acquainted with your Amex Membership Rewards account! This is the very first and most crucial step.
Sub-heading: Logging In and Checking Your Balance
Action: Head over to the official American Express website (usually
americanexpress.com) and log in to your account.Locate Your Points: Once logged in, navigate to the "Rewards" or "Membership Rewards" section. You'll typically find your point balance prominently displayed on your dashboard.
Understand Your Card Benefits: If you have an American Express Business Platinum Card, pay close attention to its specific benefits. This card offers a fantastic 35% rebate when using "Pay With Points" for certain flight bookings, which can significantly boost your point value! Keep this in mind as we proceed.
Step 2: Unveiling the Strategies – Your Pathways to United Flights
Now that you know your point balance, let's explore the primary methods to use your American Express points for United flights. There are two main approaches, each with its own advantages and considerations.
Sub-heading: Strategy 1: Transferring to Star Alliance Partners (The Savvy Traveler's Choice)
This is often the most valuable way to use your Amex points for United flights, as it allows you to redeem for award tickets, potentially getting a much higher value per point compared to booking through the Amex Travel portal. United Airlines is a proud member of the Star Alliance, a global airline network. Many of Amex's airline transfer partners are also Star Alliance members, meaning you can transfer your Amex points to their loyalty programs and then use their miles to book flights on United.
Key Star Alliance Partners for Amex Transfers:
Air Canada Aeroplan: This is often hailed as one of the best Amex transfer partners for booking United flights. The transfer ratio is 1:1, and Aeroplan generally has reasonable redemption rates and doesn't impose hefty fuel surcharges on United flights. Transfers are usually instant.
Avianca LifeMiles: Another excellent 1:1 transfer partner, LifeMiles often has competitive award charts and instant transfers.
Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer: A 1:1 transfer partner, KrisFlyer can be a good option, especially for longer-haul flights, though award space on United might be more limited than with Aeroplan or LifeMiles. Transfers can take up to 24 hours.
ANA Mileage Club: Offers a 1:1 transfer ratio. While a good program, finding optimal award space on United via ANA can sometimes be more challenging. Transfers can take up to 48 hours.
Step-by-step for Strategy 1:
Identify Your United Flight: Before transferring any points, you must find the exact United flight you want to book and verify award availability on one of the Star Alliance partner's websites (e.g., Aeroplan, LifeMiles, KrisFlyer). This is critical because award space is limited and fluctuates.
Tip: Use the partner airline's website (e.g.,
aircanada.com/aeroplan
Confirm Award Space: Once you find the United flight with award space available through your chosen Star Alliance partner, note down the flight details, including the flight number, date, and class of service (Economy, Business, First).
Link Your Loyalty Account (If Not Already): Go to the American Express Membership Rewards portal. Under the "Transfer Points" section, you'll see a list of airline partners. Select the Star Alliance partner you've chosen (e.g., Air Canada Aeroplan). If you haven't already, you'll need to link your frequent flyer account with them to your Amex Membership Rewards account. Ensure the name on your Amex account matches the name on your loyalty program account.
Initiate the Point Transfer: Enter the number of Amex points you wish to transfer. Be precise! Only transfer the amount needed for your booking, as transfers are generally irreversible. Most transfers occur in increments of 1,000 points.
Important Note: While many transfers are instant, some can take a few hours or even up to 48 hours. Account for this when planning your booking, especially if award space is limited.
Book Your United Flight with Partner Miles: Once the points have landed in your chosen Star Alliance partner's loyalty account, log back into their website. Search for the United flight you identified earlier and proceed with booking using the transferred miles.
Pay Taxes and Fees: You will still need to pay taxes and fees associated with the award ticket. These are usually paid with a credit card.
Sub-heading: Strategy 2: Booking Through the American Express Travel Portal (Convenience over Maximum Value)
This method is more straightforward but generally offers a lower redemption value for your points (typically 1 cent per point for flights). However, it provides flexibility, as you can book almost any available United flight, including those without award space.
Step-by-step for Strategy 2:
Access Amex Travel Portal: Log in to your American Express account and navigate to the "Travel" section, then "Book a Trip," or directly go to
amextravel.com.Search for Flights: Enter your desired United flight details – origin, destination, dates, and number of passengers.
Select Your United Flight: Browse the search results and choose the United flight that suits your needs. The prices will be displayed in both USD and the equivalent number of Membership Rewards points.
Proceed to Payment: During the checkout process, you'll see options to pay.
"Use Only Points": If you have enough points to cover the entire cost, you can select this option.
"Use Points + Card": If you want to use a combination of points and pay the rest with your American Express card, select this. Note: There's usually a minimum redemption of 5,000 points when using "Pay With Points."
Complete the Booking: Confirm your details and finalize the booking.
Important: When using "Pay With Points," Amex will initially charge the full dollar amount to your linked Amex card. Then, a corresponding credit for the value of the points used will be applied to your account within 48 hours.
Special Consideration: The American Express Business Platinum Card Rebate
If you hold The American Express Business Platinum Card, this strategy becomes significantly more attractive!
You can get a 35% rebate on points when booking eligible flights (First Class or Business Class on any airline, or Economy Class on your selected airline, up to 1,000,000 rebated points per calendar year). This effectively boosts your redemption value to ~1.54 cents per point, making it competitive with some award redemptions.
To qualify for the rebate: Ensure you select your Business Platinum Card as the payment method, even if you're using points to cover the entire cost. The rebate will be credited back to your account 6-10 weeks after the flight purchase.
Step 3: Maximizing Your Redemption Value – Smart Moves for United Flights
Now that you know how to book, let's talk about getting the best bang for your buck!
Sub-heading: Timing Your Transfers and Bookings
Award Availability is Key: For Star Alliance partner transfers, award availability can be fleeting, especially for popular routes and premium cabins. Always find the award space first before transferring points.
Be Flexible with Dates: If your travel dates are flexible, you'll have a much better chance of finding favorable award space and potentially lower point requirements. Mid-week travel and off-peak seasons are generally better.
Look for Transfer Bonuses: American Express periodically offers transfer bonuses to its airline partners (e.g., transfer 1,000 Amex points and get 1,200 Aeroplan miles). These bonuses can significantly enhance the value of your points, so keep an eye out for them!
Sub-heading: Understanding Point Values
Transferring to Partners: This method generally yields the highest value for your points, often ranging from 1.5 cents to 5 cents or even more per point, especially for business or first-class international flights.
Amex Travel Portal (without Business Platinum rebate): Typically around 1 cent per point. This is a good option for convenience, but not for maximizing value.
Amex Travel Portal (with Business Platinum rebate): Effectively ~1.54 cents per point, making it a strong contender for paid flights, especially if award space is scarce or unfavorable.
Sub-heading: The Power of Incidental Credits (Amex Platinum/Business Platinum)
If you have the American Express Platinum Card or Business Platinum Card, remember your annual airline fee credit (up to $200 for the Platinum Card). While this doesn't directly pay for flights, it can offset incidental fees like baggage, in-flight purchases, or even seat assignments on your chosen airline (including United, if you select them as your airline for the credit). This essentially reduces your out-of-pocket costs, indirectly making your point redemption more valuable.
Step 4: Finalizing Your Booking and Post-Booking Considerations
You're almost there! Here's what to keep in mind as you finalize your United flight booking with Amex points.
Sub-heading: Double-Checking Details
Passenger Information: Ensure all passenger names match their IDs exactly.
Flight Details: Confirm dates, times, flight numbers, and airports (check for different airports in the same city, e.g., ORD vs. MDW in Chicago).
Confirmation Email: Once booked, save your confirmation email with the ticket number and record locator.
Sub-heading: Earning Miles and Status on Award Tickets
Transferred Miles (Award Tickets): Generally, when you book an award ticket using miles transferred to a partner program, you do not earn additional miles or elite qualifying credits (PQPs/PQFs for United) on that flight. This is because you're using miles for the booking, not paying a cash fare.
Amex Travel Portal (Paid Tickets): If you book a United flight through the Amex Travel portal using "Pay With Points" (especially with the Business Platinum rebate), it's treated as a cash ticket. This means you will earn United MileagePlus miles and elite qualifying credits based on the cash price of the ticket and your MileagePlus status. This is a significant advantage of using the Amex Travel portal for some travelers.
10 Related FAQ Questions
Here are 10 frequently asked questions about booking United flights with American Express points, with quick answers:
How to check my American Express Membership Rewards point balance?
You can check your Amex Membership Rewards point balance by logging into your American Express online account and navigating to the "Rewards" or "Membership Rewards" section.
How to transfer Amex points to an airline partner?
Log in to your Amex account, go to "Membership Rewards," select "Transfer Points," choose your desired airline partner (e.g., Air Canada Aeroplan), link your loyalty account if needed, and enter the number of points to transfer.
How to find United award availability on Star Alliance partner websites?
Visit the website of a Star Alliance partner like Air Canada Aeroplan or Avianca LifeMiles, navigate to their "award travel" or "redeem miles" section, and search for your desired United flights.
How to know if my American Express Business Platinum Card qualifies for the 35% rebate?
The 35% rebate applies to First Class or Business Class flights on any airline, or Economy Class flights on your selected airline, when booked through Amex Travel using "Pay With Points" on your Business Platinum Card.
How to ensure I get the best value when transferring Amex points?
Always research and find award availability first on the partner airline's website, compare redemption rates across different partners, and look for Amex transfer bonuses to maximize your point value.
How to pay for taxes and fees on United award tickets booked with partner miles?
Taxes and fees for award tickets are typically paid separately with a credit card at the time of booking on the partner airline's website.
How to earn United MileagePlus miles when using Amex points for a flight?
You will earn United MileagePlus miles if you book your United flight through the American Express Travel portal using "Pay With Points," as these bookings are treated as cash tickets. Award tickets booked via transferred partner miles generally do not earn miles.
How to link my frequent flyer account to my American Express Membership Rewards account?
Within the Amex Membership Rewards "Transfer Points" section, select the airline partner and follow the prompts to link your existing frequent flyer account by entering your loyalty program number. The name on both accounts must match.
How to handle potential delays in point transfers to airline partners?
While many transfers are instant, some can take a few hours or up to 48 hours. Plan accordingly, especially if award space is limited, and consider booking only when points have officially landed in your partner account.
How to use the American Express airline fee credit for United flights?
Enroll in the airline fee credit and select United as your preferred airline. The credit can then be used to offset incidental fees charged by United, such as baggage fees or in-flight purchases, essentially reducing your out-of-pocket travel costs.