The 5 best redemption spots for the United Mileage program
The United Mileage program generally isn't the best place to transfer your points but there are some amazing sweet spots that would even put Aeroplan to the test!
Below are my top 5 sweet spots when redeeming United mileage after the devaluation.
Sweet Spot 1: 24 Hours in Business Class For Under 80K Miles
We all love flying Business class but especially if you're an AVgeek like myself you love it even more. United, after the devaluation, charges a flat saver rate of 100K points from the US-Japan but did you know starting from Brazil reduces the rate to 77.8k when connecting to Japan? A Polaris ticket will run you 80k GRU-IAD and then 100K IAD-HND when booked separately but together the total reduces to 77.8K miles. A heck of a deal for 24 hours in a lie-flat pod. The same works with other routes in South America as well!
Sweet Spot 2: 23+ Hours in Lufthansa First Class for 143K Miles
Caviar, LPGS, and first class for 23 hours, sounds like the dream right? United is known to have late award space for LH first class, albeit for a hefty dent in your miles, especially for a singular flight. A typical Lufthansa First Class flight from Bogota to Frankfurt will charge you 132K miles but adding on a 12-hour flight to Shanghai or Tokyo brings the total to 143K miles. A 12-hour flight for an extra 11k Miles is an amazing deal! This deal works from GRU as well which could mean sitting in the nose of 747-8 for 24 hours!
Sweet Spot 3: Economy Flights Within the US
Economy flights can get expensive at times throughout the US especially during holidays so having a surplus of United miles could be beneficial when trying to cross the continent. With shorter flights at the saver level priced at 7.5K, transcon routes are priced at 15K.
Sweet Spot 4: Business Class From Cairo-Singapore/SE Asia
While a lot of these sweet spots are relatively unknown this one is especially but it could be useful if you find yourself in Northern Africa. A saver partner award in business from London-Bangkok is 115K miles but flying from Cairo to Singapore/Jakarta drops the rate to 66k Miles and around 60$ in taxes. If you look around and play with the dates enough you might be able to even get a long-haul in Singapore business class which is a treat. This whole itinerary comes out to 66k miles for business class!
Sweet Spot 5: Fly on a 777-200 for 5.5K Miles!
Japan is a beautiful country to visit and if you're planning a trip this redemption might be perfect for you. Most domestic flights on ANA within Japan are priced at 5.5k miles +5$ in economy. While the bullet train is a great way to travel around Japan, it doesn't get better than hopping around Japan for such low mileage on a 777-200.
Conclusion
Apart from the AA Advantage program, the other US programs aren't great for redeeming miles. However, the easy travel partner of Chase United can offer great value for miles if the situation and availability arise. My tips are to remain flexible as saver space tends to open closer to departure on most of these routes apart from the Japanese sweet spot and domestic flights.
I hope this helped and happy bookings!
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