Travel & Lifestyle

How to redeem gift cards for United MileagePlus miles

‘Tis the season of gift-giving — and that includes gift cards. Unfortunately, you may have received some holiday gift cards that you’re not too excited about. If that’s the case, we have some good news: You can convert those unwanted gift cards into United MileagePlus miles through United MileagePlus Gift Card Redemption. Here’s how it works.

Related: What credit card should you use to buy gift cards?

Which gift cards are eligible for United miles?

On the MileagePlus gift card redemption login page, there is a link at the bottom to the Gift Card Retailer List. The list currently includes more than 30 retailers, such as Best Buy, Sears, Starbucks and Walmart.

MILEAGEPLUS gift card redemption

Please note, however, that some of the merchants on this list may not actually be available for redemption on the site. There are also a few merchants that are not on the list that can redeem, including The North Face and HP.

MILEAGEPLUS gift card redemption

Related: Flights, Credit Cards, and More: How to Earn Miles with United’s MileagePlus Program

Is it worth exchanging gift cards?

United has a chart that lists “minimum award miles awarded,” which would lead you to think that some options offer more miles than these rates. But we checked dozens of different merchants, and the mileage discounts at each were the same.

MILEAGEPLUS gift card redemption

Despite the chart, your gift cards are not limited to $25, $50, and $100. According to the homepage, you can redeem gift cards with a minimum balance of at least $15. However, some merchants have higher minimum balances, such as The North Face, which has a minimum balance of $50. If your balance is too low, a red box will pop up showing the minimum amount when you click “Get Miles Offer”.

Based on the information we have gathered, the number of miles offered is the gift card value multiplied by 26.6, rounded to the nearest 10 miles. The price per mile ranges from 3.70 to 3.76 cents, depending on the amount of your transaction.

  • $15 gift card equals 400 United miles (3.75 cents per mile)
  • $20 gift card equals 540 United miles (3.70 cents per mile)
  • $25 gift card equals 670 United miles (3.73 cents per mile)
  • $30 gift card equals 800 United miles (3.75 cents per mile)
  • $40 gift card equals 1,070 United miles (3.74 cents per mile)
  • $50 gift card equals 1,330 United miles (3.76 cents per mile)
  • $100 gift card equals 2,660 United miles (3.76 cents per mile)

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That rate is well above TPG’s December 2024 valuation of 1.35 cents per United mile, meaning you won’t get high value from the gift card. However, if you’d rather earn miles than gift cards, this can be an effective way to reduce your miles.

Besides, at least United are playing solidly. When United is not running mileage purchase promotions, you can purchase United miles for $35 per 1,000 United miles. After taxes and fees, that’s 3.76 cents per mile.

RELATED: The Best Credit Cards to Buy Points and Miles

Gift Card Redemption Limitations

To sell gift cards through the MileagePlus Gift Card Redemption Office, your MileagePlus account must be open for at least 90 days and have a positive account balance. This means you can’t redeem gift cards for miles if you don’t have them in your account.

But if your account is empty, don’t worry: There are easy ways to earn United miles without flying, such as through the MileagePlus shopping portal or the MileagePlus dining plan.

Photo Appeal/Getty Images

Although the site may make you an offer for a $10 gift card from certain merchants, the terms and conditions state that “the minimum balance on the gift card accepted must be $15 and maximum limits may apply.” The exchange appears to only accept gift cards under $100.

If you decide to sell gift cards through the MileagePlus Gift Card Redemption Office, the miles should be credited to your United account within five business days.

Related: How to use points and miles to give gifts with zero out-of-pocket cost

bottom line

While you can’t get the most value by redeeming your gift cards for United miles, it’s nice to have the option to trade your unwanted gift cards for something more useful. A MileagePlus gift card redemption may come in handy if you need United miles for an upcoming redemption, have used Bilt Rewards points and Chase Ultimate Rewards points, and have an eligible gift card. If your only option is to buy United miles, you might as well liquidate the gift card — especially if you won’t be using it anytime soon.

On the other hand, if you’re not considering a United redemption, it might be worth checking out other gift card redemption programs online (such as CardCash), which may offer you better deals.

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