United Flight Miles Calculator

United MileagePlus Award Miles Calculator

Use this calculator to estimate the number of award miles you could earn on a United or United Express flight based on your ticket price and MileagePlus status. For most United-operated flights, miles are awarded based on the base fare of your ticket, excluding taxes and fees.

function calculateUnitedMiles() { var ticketPriceInput = document.getElementById('ticketPrice'); var unitedStatusSelect = document.getElementById('unitedStatus'); var resultDiv = document.getElementById('unitedMilesResult'); var ticketPrice = parseFloat(ticketPriceInput.value); var unitedStatus = unitedStatusSelect.value; if (isNaN(ticketPrice) || ticketPrice < 0) { resultDiv.innerHTML = 'Please enter a valid positive number for the base ticket price.'; return; } var milesPerDollar = 0; switch (unitedStatus) { case 'general': milesPerDollar = 5; break; case 'silver': milesPerDollar = 7; // 5 base + 2 bonus break; case 'gold': milesPerDollar = 8; // 5 base + 3 bonus break; case 'platinum': milesPerDollar = 9; // 5 base + 4 bonus break; case '1k': milesPerDollar = 11; // 5 base + 6 bonus break; default: milesPerDollar = 5; // Default to General Member } var estimatedMiles = ticketPrice * milesPerDollar; resultDiv.innerHTML = `

Estimated Award Miles:

Based on a base ticket price of $${ticketPrice.toFixed(2)} and your ${unitedStatusSelect.options[unitedStatusSelect.selectedIndex].text} status, you are estimated to earn: ${estimatedMiles.toLocaleString()} MileagePlus Award Miles `; } .united-miles-calculator-container { font-family: 'Segoe UI', Tahoma, Geneva, Verdana, sans-serif; background-color: #f9f9f9; border: 1px solid #ddd; border-radius: 8px; padding: 25px; max-width: 600px; margin: 20px auto; box-shadow: 0 4px 12px rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.08); color: #333; } .united-miles-calculator-container h2 { color: #0057a3; /* United Blue */ text-align: center; margin-bottom: 20px; font-size: 1.8em; } .united-miles-calculator-container p { line-height: 1.6; margin-bottom: 15px; } .calculator-form .form-group { margin-bottom: 18px; } .calculator-form label { display: block; margin-bottom: 8px; font-weight: bold; color: #555; } .calculator-form input[type="number"], .calculator-form select { width: calc(100% – 22px); padding: 12px; border: 1px solid #ccc; border-radius: 5px; font-size: 1em; box-sizing: border-box; transition: border-color 0.3s ease; } .calculator-form input[type="number"]:focus, .calculator-form select:focus { border-color: #007bff; outline: none; box-shadow: 0 0 0 3px rgba(0, 123, 255, 0.25); } .calculator-form small { display: block; margin-top: 5px; color: #777; font-size: 0.85em; } .calculator-form button { background-color: #0057a3; /* United Blue */ color: white; padding: 12px 25px; border: none; border-radius: 5px; font-size: 1.1em; cursor: pointer; transition: background-color 0.3s ease, transform 0.2s ease; display: block; width: 100%; margin-top: 25px; } .calculator-form button:hover { background-color: #004080; transform: translateY(-2px); } .result-container { background-color: #e6f7ff; /* Light blue for results */ border: 1px solid #b3e0ff; border-radius: 8px; padding: 20px; margin-top: 25px; text-align: center; } .result-container h3 { color: #0057a3; margin-top: 0; font-size: 1.5em; } .result-container p { font-size: 1.1em; color: #333; } .result-container .highlight-result { font-size: 1.8em; color: #0057a3; font-weight: bold; margin: 10px 0; } .result-container .error { color: #d9534f; /* Red for errors */ font-weight: bold; }

Understanding United MileagePlus Award Miles Earning

United Airlines' MileagePlus program is one of the most popular frequent flyer programs globally. For flights operated by United and United Express, the number of award miles you earn is primarily based on the base fare of your ticket (excluding taxes and fees) and your MileagePlus Premier status.

How Miles Are Calculated:

The core calculation is straightforward: Base Ticket Price x Miles Per Dollar Earning Rate.

• Base Ticket Price: This is the cost of your flight before any government-imposed taxes, fees, or carrier-imposed surcharges are added. It's crucial to use this value for accurate calculations.
• Miles Per Dollar Earning Rate: This rate varies significantly based on your MileagePlus Premier status:
  • General Member: 5 award miles per dollar
  • Premier Silver: 7 award miles per dollar (5 base + 2 bonus)
  • Premier Gold: 8 award miles per dollar (5 base + 3 bonus)
  • Premier Platinum: 9 award miles per dollar (5 base + 4 bonus)
  • Premier 1K: 11 award miles per dollar (5 base + 6 bonus)

Example Scenarios:

Let's look at how different statuses impact your earnings for a flight with a base fare of $400:

• General Member: $400 x 5 miles/dollar = 2,000 miles
• Premier Silver: $400 x 7 miles/dollar = 2,800 miles
• Premier Gold: $400 x 8 miles/dollar = 3,200 miles
• Premier Platinum: $400 x 9 miles/dollar = 3,600 miles
• Premier 1K: $400 x 11 miles/dollar = 4,400 miles

As you can see, achieving higher Premier status significantly boosts your award miles accumulation, allowing you to reach your next award flight or upgrade faster.

Important Considerations:

• Partner Airlines: When flying on United's Star Alliance partners or other airline partners, the earning structure can be different. Miles are often awarded based on the flight distance and the fare class of your ticket, not the ticket price. This calculator is primarily for United and United Express operated flights.
• Promotions: United occasionally offers bonus miles promotions, which are not accounted for in this calculator. Always check for current offers.
• Credit Card Bonuses: Miles earned through United co-branded credit cards are separate from flight earnings and are not included here.
• Minimum Miles: Some very short flights might have a minimum miles earning, but for most revenue-based earnings, the calculation above applies.

Use this calculator as a helpful tool to estimate your earnings and plan your MileagePlus strategy!