Earn more United miles with the MileagePlus X app

United’s MileagePlus X app is a valuable and easy-to-use tool for United customers. It allows you to earn United award miles in a few different ways, but my favorite is purchasing gift cards through the app. Here’s how it works.
Related: United MileagePlus: Your guide to earning and redeeming miles, elite status, and more
The MileagePlus X app offers e-gift cards from more than 270 merchants, from restaurants to retailers.
First, download the app, enter your United MileagePlus information, and click the yellow “Buy eGift Card” button.
Under the Catalog tab, you can scroll through merchants by category or see which merchants offer bonus miles. If you’re looking for a specific business, select “All” and use the search box.
After finding the merchant, click “Continue Payment Now”. The next screen will tell you the minimum and maximum gift card amounts. You can enter any number within these limits (to the nearest cent) and the app will show you how many miles you’ll earn.
In my experience, eGift Cards are available within minutes of purchase. Once I decide to buy something, I can purchase a gift card for the desired amount and use it immediately.
You can find all gift cards under the “Buy” tab. Click on one to get the barcode scanned in-store or the number and PIN entered when shopping online. You can then mark it as redeemed to remove it from your list.
Miles earned through MileagePlus X are usually issued within a day or two. You can view your earnings under the Transactions tab.
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I found the MileagePlus
If your retailer is on the shopping portal and MileagePlus X, you can stack rewards. For example, as of this writing, MileagePlus You can earn a total of 8 United miles for every $1 you spend on online purchases through the portal and paying with MileagePlus X eGift Cards.
This does not include rewards you earned through the credit card you used to purchase the gift card. MileagePlus For example, you can buy a restaurant gift card with one of the best dining cards , or an Airbnb gift card with a card that earns bonus points on your travels.
bottom line
United’s MileagePlus X app is a quick and easy way to earn award miles. Additionally, if you have a United Chase card, you can earn 25% more miles with an eGift card, even if you don’t pay with the card.
If you’re considering adding a United card to your wallet, the following cards are offering higher welcome bonuses through January 29:
- United Gateway℠ Card: Earn 30,000 bonus miles after you spend $1,000 in purchases within the first three months of account opening.
- United℠Discover Card: Earn 60,000 bonus miles after you spend $3,000 in purchases within the first three months of account opening.
- United Quest℠ Card: Earn 70,000 bonus miles and 500 Premier qualifying points when you spend $4,000 in purchases within the first three months of account opening.
- United Club℠ Unlimited Card: Earn 90,000 bonus miles after you spend $5,000 in purchases within the first three months of account opening. You can also earn an additional 5,000 bonus miles when you add authorized users to your account within the first three months of opening your account.
Related: 4 Reasons Your Family Needs a United Credit Card