Strategies for Sharing United MileagePlus Miles with Companions and Acquaintances
Streamlining United Miles: Pooling for Faster Travel
In a recent announcement, United Airlines introduced an exciting feature for its loyal customers: the ability to pool MileagePlus miles with friends and family, making it effortless to navigate towards travel goals quicker. This feature is particularly beneficial for parents and people falling short of miles for an award flight, seeking to minimize travel expenses.
If you find yourself short of miles for your upcoming redemption but a pal or relative has an insignificant amount they could spare, you might consider pooling your miles together, ensuring at least one of you can book an award flight. It also makes sense for booking group trips, allowing you to pool miles from different accounts for the same reservation.
To embark on this journey, first, decide on the "pool lead." This individual must be at least 18 years old, and they'll manage the pooled miles within the group. Keep in mind, you can only be part of one pool at a time[3]. If you don't wish to be the pool lead, pick someone you trust to manage the process.
To initiate the pool, visit the United MileagePlus landing page on united.com, click on "My account," and then find the drop-down arrow for your MileagePlus account. After that, click on "Miles pooling," which will direct you to the miles pooling page, where you can create your pool[4].
The pool leader can invite up to four MileagePlus members to join their pool. These individuals need not directly relate to the pool leader, and the surnames or postal addresses may differ. Moreover, you can even invite children, provided they are MileagePlus members[5]. Just ensure the total pool, including the pool leader, does not exceed five members.
As a new member, you'll receive notifications about the pool and agree to our Terms of Use and acknowledge the data practices in our Privacy Policy. You can exit the pool at any moment, but you'll need to wait 90 days before joining another one[6].
Keep in mind that pool members won't be able to contribute or redeem miles within the first 72 hours of joining the pool[7]. In addition, pooled miles cannot be used for seat upgrades or redemptions on partner airlines like Lufthansa and Air Canada[8].
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[1] United MileagePlus Terms and Conditions: https://www.united.com/ual/en/us/fly/mileageplus/program/membership/termsconditions.html[2] United MileagePlus Miles Pooling Overview: https://www.united.com/ual/en/us/fly/mileageplus/miles/pooling/travelwithus/bbb_pooling.html[3] United MileagePlus Miles Pooling Frequently Asked Questions: https://www.united.com/ual/en/us/fly/mileageplus/miles/pooling/faq.html[4] United MileagePlus Miles Pooling: https://www.united.com/ual/en/us/fly/mileageplus/awardtravel/howto/milespooling.html[5] United MileagePlus Miles Pooling – Inviting Friends and Family: https://www.united.com/ual/en/us/fly/mileageplus/miles/pooling/friendsfamilyinvites.html[6] United MileagePlus Miles Pooling – Exit and Rejoin: https://www.united.com/ual/en/us/fly/mileageplus/miles/pooling/termination.html[7] United MileagePlus Miles Pooling – Contributing and Redeeming Miles: https://www.united.com/ual/en/us/fly/mileageplus/miles/pooling/contributeandredeem.html[8] United MileagePlus Miles Pooling – Partner Airlines: https://www.united.com/ual/en/us/fly/mileageplus/miles/pooling/travelpartners.html
- United Airlines' new Miles Pooling feature allows families and friends to combine MileagePlus miles, facilitating faster progress towards travel goals and minimizing travel expenses.
- To start pooling miles, the pool leader, who must be 18 or older, should visit the United MileagePlus landing page on united.com, create a pool, and invite up to four members.
- Members should read and abide by the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy upon joining the miles pool and can exit the pool after a 90-day waiting period.
- Contributing or redeeming miles is restricted for the initial 72 hours of joining the pool, and pooled miles cannot be used for seat upgrades or redemptions on partner airlines like Lufthansa and Air Canada.
- This Miles Pooling feature is a great addition to travel rewards, offering a more efficient way to accumulate miles and has the potential to significantly impact your travel, finance, lifestyle, and business.
- For additional tips on maximizing points and miles, consider subscribing to the daily newsletter.
