United MileagePlus miles are valuable for redemptions on United Airlines and Star Alliance Airlines. You can easily earn United Miles; however, if you are short of miles, United is running a bonus promotion that lets you buy miles with a flat 80% bonus.
Here are all the details about buying United Miles with a bonus.
Starting January 2026, United Airlines have implemented a restritive policy on pucrahse of United Mileage Miles. Now, you can only buy 50000 United Miles in a rolling 90 days period. However, annual calendar limit of 200K miles still applies.
Current United Miles Bonus Offer
If you buy United miles without a promotion, it costs 3.76¢ per mile, including a 7.5% tax that United recovers. That means that if you buy 25K United miles, you will pay $1,105.88. However, until 26 January 2026 [11:59 p.m. CT], you get a flat 80% bonus.
This 80% bonus offer reduces the cost to 2.09¢ per mile. [Promotion Link]
This promotion, though, is a tiered promotion, and it costs less as you buy more miles:
| Buy From | Buy To | Bonus | ¢/Mile (Promotion) |
| 2000 | 2000 | 0% | 3.76 |
| 3000 | 27000 | 80% | 2.09 |
Related: When does it make sense to buy Air Miles?
How Much Does It Cost to Buy United Miles?
This United Miles cost calculator shows exactly how much you will pay for the miles you plan to buy:
Is Buying United Miles at 2.09¢ per Mile Worth It?
If you want to buy United miles, make sure you have exhausted other options, such as transferring your credit card points. And, you are still short of United miles. Does it make sense to buy United miles at 2.09¢ per mile?
A cost of 2.09¢ per mile is higher than what I would usually pay for United miles. I would consider this a good promotion only when I have a specific redemption in mind and the cash fare is significantly higher than the cost of buying miles. In practice, this offer only makes sense when topping up miles to complete a booking.
However, United have now capped the maximum number of miles you can buy within a rolling 90-day period. So, you can’t buy a huge stash of United Miles and need to have a specific redemption in mind to take advantage of these promotions.
Apart from the cost, some benefits you get on award flights with United miles:
- Low fuel surcharges on award tickets, including most Star Alliance partners
- Free award cancellation and redeposit, giving flexibility if plans change
- Good Star Alliance access, often with decent long-haul availability
History of United Miles Discounts and Bonuses
Here is the past Bonus/discount Points offer summary on buying Miles:
| Start Date | End Date | Maximum Bonus % Offered | ₹/Mile | Cents Per Mile |
| 7 Jan 2026 | 26 Jan 2026 | 80% | 1.88 | 2.09 |
| 27th Dec’25 | 31st Dec’25 | 45% | 1.86 | 2.07 |
| 5th Dec’25 | 24th Dec’25 | 50% Discount | 1.68 | 1.88 |
| 27th Nov’25 | 30th Nov’25 | 50% Discount | 1.68 | 1.88 |
| 5th Nov’25 | 25th Nov’25 | 100% | 1.68 | 1.88 |
| 1st Oct’25 | 18th Oct’25 | 95% | 1.71 | 1.93 |
| 2nd Sep’25 | 23rd Sep’25 | 100% | 1.68 | 1.88 |
| 5th Aug’25 | 24th Aug’25 | 100% | 1.68 | 1.88 |
| 7th Jul’25 | 25th Jul’25 | 95% | 1.71 | 1.93 |
| 9th Jun’25 | 29th Jun’25 | 100% | 1.68 | 1.88 |
| 12th May’25 | 30th May’25 | 95% | 1.71 | 1.93 |
| 7th Apr’25 | 13th Apr’25 | 100%/50% Disc | 1.68 | 1.88 |
| 11th Mar 2025 | 29th Mar 2025 | 100%/50% Disc | 1.68 | 1.88 |
| 5th Feb 2025 | 28th Feb 2025 | 95% | 1.71 | 1.93 |
| 7th Jan 2025 | 31st Jan 2025 | 100% | 1.68 | 1.88 |
| 9th Dec 2024 | 31st Dec 2024 | 100% | 1.68 | 1.88 |
| 28th Nov 2024 | 1st Dec 2024 | 100% | 1.68 | 1.88 |
| 6th Nov 2024 | 21st Nov 2024 | 100% | 1.68 | 1.88 |
| 3rd Oct 2024 | 25th Oct 2024 | 95% | 1.71 | 1.93 |
| 4th Sep 24 | 20th Sep 24 | 100% | 1.68 | 1.88 |
| 7th Aug 24 | 25th Aug 24 | 100% | 1.68 | 1.88 |
Check the latest promotion here.
Related: Ongoing Buying Points & Miles Offer
Bottomline
Buying United MileagePlus miles can make sense if you are short of miles for a specific redemption. Since there are ways to earn United miles, a small top-up may work for some. United’s key advantage remains its low fuel surcharges. That said, before buying, I would also check Avianca LifeMiles and Air Canada Aeroplan, as both use more fixed award charts and can require fewer miles on specific routes.
