None
Premier Silver (+25%)
Premier Gold (+50%)
Premier Platinum (+75%)
Premier 1K (+100%)
Estimated MileagePlus Miles: —
Understanding United MileagePlus Miles Calculation
The United MileagePlus program allows members to earn miles for flying with United and its Star Alliance partners, as well as through credit card spending, hotel stays, car rentals, and various shopping and dining partners. This calculator focuses on earning miles through flights.
The number of base miles earned on United flights is determined by the distance of the flight and the cabin class purchased. While historically miles were earned based on distance flown, United now primarily uses a revenue-based system for its own flights. However, for partners and to provide a general estimate, a distance-based calculation is often used and can be influenced by fare class and status. This calculator provides an estimate based on common earning rules and factors.
Key Factors for Earning Flight Miles:
Flight Distance: The core of your mileage earning. Longer flights naturally earn more miles.
Cabin Class: Flying in higher classes like Business or First Class typically earns a higher multiple of base miles compared to Economy.
Fare Class: Different fare classes (e.g., K, V, Y, J, F) within each cabin can have different multipliers. Sometimes, even within Economy, certain fare classes earn more. If you know your fare class, you can input a specific multiplier; otherwise, a default (often 1.0 for Economy) is assumed.
Promotional Bonuses: United occasionally runs promotions offering bonus miles for specific routes or during certain periods.
Premier Status: MileagePlus Premier members earn bonus miles based on their status level (Premier Silver, Gold, Platinum, 1K). This bonus is a percentage added on top of earned miles.
How the Calculator Works (Estimated Logic):
This calculator estimates miles earned based on the following formula:
(Flight Distance * Cabin Class Multiplier * Fare Class Multiplier) + Promotional Bonus + (Base Miles Earned * Premier Status Bonus Percentage) = Total Estimated Miles
Where:
Flight Distance is the mileage of your route.
Cabin Class Multiplier reflects the higher earning rates for Premium Economy, Business, and First Class.
Fare Class Multiplier allows for finer adjustments if you know the specific fare class. A value of 1.0 is a common baseline, especially for standard Economy tickets.
Promotional Bonus is a fixed number of extra miles from a specific offer.
Base Miles Earned is calculated as Flight Distance * Cabin Class Multiplier * Fare Class Multiplier.
Premier Status Bonus Percentage is applied to the Base Miles Earned.
Example Calculation:
Let's say you fly a distance of 2,500 miles in Business Class (Multiplier 1.5), with a standard Business fare class (Multiplier 1.0), receive a 500-mile promotional bonus, and have Premier Gold status (+50% bonus).
Base Miles = 2,500 miles * 1.5 (Business) * 1.0 (Fare Class) = 3,750 miles
Premier Bonus = 3,750 miles * 0.50 (Premier Gold) = 1,875 miles
Total Miles = 3,750 (Base) + 1,875 (Premier Bonus) + 500 (Promo) = 6,125 miles
This calculator provides a useful estimate for planning your MileagePlus earnings. For precise calculations, always refer to United's official MileagePlus terms and conditions, as earning rules can change and may vary for partner airlines.
function calculateMiles() {
var distance = parseFloat(document.getElementById("distance").value);
var cabinMultiplier = parseFloat(document.getElementById("cabinClass").value);
var fareMultiplier = parseFloat(document.getElementById("fareClass").value);
var promoBonus = parseFloat(document.getElementById("promotionalBonus").value);
var premierBonusRate = parseFloat(document.getElementById("premierStatus").value);
var resultElement = document.getElementById("result");
var resultSpan = resultElement.querySelector("span");
// Input validation
if (isNaN(distance) || distance <= 0 ||
isNaN(cabinMultiplier) || cabinMultiplier <= 0 ||
isNaN(fareMultiplier) || fareMultiplier <= 0 ||
isNaN(promoBonus) || promoBonus < 0 ||
isNaN(premierBonusRate) || premierBonusRate < 0) {
resultSpan.textContent = "Invalid input. Please enter valid numbers.";
resultSpan.style.color = "#dc3545"; // Red for error
return;
}
var baseMiles = distance * cabinMultiplier * fareMultiplier;
var premierMiles = baseMiles * premierBonusRate;
var totalMiles = baseMiles + premierMiles + promoBonus;
// Ensure the result is displayed as a whole number, common for miles
totalMiles = Math.round(totalMiles);
resultSpan.textContent = totalMiles.toLocaleString() + " Miles";
resultSpan.style.color = "#28a745"; // Green for success
}