Up to 6,850% New United MileagePlus Discount Availability for Travel Later This Year and Into 2021

Get while the getting is up to 210,000 fewer miles on Premium Flights.

Just like the other two big U.S. carriers, it’s notoriously hard to squeeze low-price mileage award availability out of United. But obviously we are in exceptional times right now, and with that uncertainty comes unprecedented opportunity for those willing and able to grasp it.

This month we cover United (a Chase points partner), American, and Delta, and the news is spectacularly good on the availability front. We’re happy to bring you some good news right now, and everyone here at FCF hopes all our awesome readers are staying safe out there!

Putting on a United Front

Like its U.S. airline siblings, United Airlines has been stingy when it comes to confirmable availability of discount Business Class redemptions. You could often only use United miles for low-cost partner award space or for United upgrades.

Availability is a common complaint received by FCF, as evidenced in a recent survey we undertook:

“I have not been able to use miles to fly Business Class for my last four overseas trips, either because the flight did not offer them or because the number of points was totally exorbitant.” 

However, for the time being at least, that has changed.

In this new “corona world,” airlines are releasing low-cost mileage award space on routes and destinations on an amazing, unprecedented scale. FCF is seeing some pockets of award space that we never see. So if you’re thinking about booking a trip for later this year or into early 2021, book now. You can always cancel and for free.

The way we see it, you don’t have to ground all future bookings. Instead, take advantage of this rare opportunity.

While availability isn’t necessarily great across the board, intermittently the availability is unprecedented. You still have to know where to look.

The good news is that we’ve done that heavy lifting for you as our team has conducted hundreds of hours of research this month. Here are specific treasure maps to the best of the best we found…

TO LONDON

Research last year showed, at the most, 4 days of discount availability over a year’s time on United Newark/New York-London. Now we’re see 278 days this and next year with availability—6,850% more!

Unprecedented Business Class opportunities to London are also available from Chicago, Denver, Houston, Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Washington, DC, and for 4+ seats for travel September to February.

On United, the cost is 120,000 miles round-trip. That’s limbo-dancing low. This mileage award typically goes for 310,000 miles with United’s normal everyday price, a savings of 190,000 miles, or 61%. But if you live in, say, Portland you can add a flight to San Francisco to connect with the deal for no added miles.

TO BRAZIL

United Business Class from Chicago to São Paulo for up to four seats is wide open through November. That never happens. Our research team is busy year-round checking airlines and routes for low-cost mileage availability in premium cabins.

We fish in all traveling rivers, streams, and water holes, even puddles, but often don’t get a bite. That’s typical for a route like Chicago-São Paulo on United Airlines.

July 2019 was the last time our research showed any decent low-cost mileage award space on this route. And even then, it was only for one month of the year to São Paulo. Other research done in August, September, November 2019, and even February 2020 showed just a few days throughout the year with barely a handful of low-cost award space.

But oh boy has that changed. Now you can book São Paulo with United miles for JUST 120,000 miles round-trip. This mileage award typically goes for 320,000 miles with United’s normal everyday price, giving you a total savings of 200,000 / 62% for up to four seats. And that’s for travel June through November, 13 or more days a month.

Don’t See Your Home Airport Mentioned?
GET Free Connecting Flights

Connecting flights to the hub cities on United are free because its mileage plan is zone-based. Chicago to São Paulo in Business Class on United costs 120,000 miles round-trip. But if you live in Boston, you can add a flight to Chicago (or your departure city) for no additional miles so long as it’s available.

For details on getting free connecting flights to hub cities with the great availability, go here and here.

TO AMSTERDAM, LISBON, & MUNICH

Another United destination with unprecedented discount Business Class availability from Chicago, Houston, and Newark is to Amsterdam, with 4+ seats, wide open June through February, 2021.

Add Lisbon to the list from New York/Newark offering discount MileagePlus availability in Business Class for travel Nov. to Feb. 2021.

We discovered similar unprecedented availability to Munich from Chicago, Newark, and Washington, D.C.

U.S. to Europe in Business Class on United costs 120,000 miles round-trip at the lower levels. These mileage awards typically go for 310,000 miles with United’s normal everyday price, a savings of 190,000 / 61% miles. But let’s say you live in Miami. No problem. You can add a flight to Newark to connect with that awesome deal for no added miles.

TO INDIA

Good luck trying to find discount availability to Delhi or Mumbai, ordinarily. But now you can book India in Business Class on United for 150,000 miles round-trip. This mileage award typically goes for 360,000 miles with United’s normal everyday price, a huge savings of 210,000 / 58% miles. And to give you an example, if you live in New Orleans, you can add a flight to Newark to nab the deal for no extra miles. If it wasn’t for the pandemic, we’d be hugging each other right now.

Award Mileage Hold With United

If you want to grab these unprecedented opportunities but haven’t sorted out dates, vacation plans, or meeting windows, etc., you can hold the award seat with United’s “Fare Lock” option. For a small fee, you can get a hold time of three or seven days on United flights. For more details go here.

If You Don’t Have United Miles,
But Do Have Credit Card Points
(Plus how to POSSIBLY save even more
depending on your travel dates)

American Express and Marriott have a points-to-miles transfer partnership with All Nippon Airways—a United flights redemption partner—although All Nippon’s availability of United flights is often less than United’s. If you can find availability through All Nippon, you can pay just 88,000 miles round-trip to Europe and 136,000 miles to India for the same United flights.

You can also transfer Chase points to United miles.

Opportunity Travelers: This Is Your Time

While we’re all grounded right now, we don’t have to ground all future travel (or our travel dreams) because we will come out of this. Now is the time to book that unprecedented low-cost mileage award ticket. These prices are tailor made for the Opportunity Traveler.