United Airlines continues its 2026 Buy Miles Sales, offering MileagePlus members the chance to buy miles at a discount or with a bonus. The latest offer is valid until October 31, 2026.
United Airlines offers monthly promotions for purchasing miles, but they all cap out at a 100% bonus or a 50% discount. United has now limited the number of miles members can buy every 90 days to 50,000, including bonus miles, and to a total of 200,000 in any calendar year.
You can access and see your bonus on United’s website here.
Note that you can now buy up to 50,000 miles per transaction with the bonus, down from 200,000. The 50,000-mile limit resets every 90 days, and you can still buy up to 200,000 miles during the calendar year.
Price at 95% Bonus:
The price under the 95% bonus is 1.93 US cents each.
Does it make sense to purchase the United miles?
The answer is likely yes if you use them for international business or first-class tickets between expensive city pairs.
United’s award pricing has changed several times recently. You should check how many miles your awards require and compare the price of buying the miles to the price of a cash ticket.
Conclusion
I don’t think United’s new cap of 50K miles you can buy within any 90 days makes much sense, given how devalued they have become.
They can still make sense for some United awards, but they rarely work mileage requirement-wise on Star Alliance partners, except for some short-haul awards in economy.
Terms and conditions of this sale:
Promotional offer valid between 8:00 a.m. CT on October 21, 2026, and 11:59 p.m. CT on October 31, 2026. Promotional offer not applicable to past transactions. MileagePlus members may Buy, Gift, or Multiply a maximum of 50,000 miles within any consecutive 90-day period. This limit is calculated on a rolling basis; eligibility to purchase additional miles resets only after 90 days have elapsed from the date of the applicable transaction(s). a. Bonus miles count toward the 50,000-mile rolling 90-day limit per account. b. You may purchase up to 50,000 miles per account per 90-day period. Members may Buy, Gift, or Multiply up to 200,000 miles per account per calendar year. Bonus miles count toward the 200,000-mile annual limit per account. Miles will generally be credited to the recipient’s MileagePlus account when the transaction is complete; provided that certain transactions may take up to 72 hours. Bonuses will be calculated on a per transaction basis only. The bonus amount applicable to a transaction is shown in the chart. Transactions may not be aggregated to calculate the bonus. The credit card used in the transaction will be billed immediately upon purchase. Mileage rates and other fees and offer terms are subject to change. Miles purchased are nonrefundable. Purchased miles do not count toward MileagePlus Premier® status. See here for all Terms and Conditions applicable to this transaction, which include United’s Privacy Policy and the MileagePlus Program Rules. GST/HST is charged to Canadian residents. QST is charged to Quebec residents. If you use Powered by Points to purchase United MileagePlus miles. Transactions will appear as ‘Points United Miles’. Buying miles counts as a United® purchase when made with your United MileagePlus card. You’ll get the miles you buy, plus miles for every $1 spent. Pricing is only available for purchases made through buymiles.mileageplus.com.