United becomes first major U.S. airline to
allow members of its loyalty program, MileagePlus®, to
pool their miles with family and friends into a joint
account
This new feature makes it easier for family
members of all ages -- and groups to share and use miles for award
travel
MileagePlus miles pooling is now available on
United.com
CHICAGO, March 21,
2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Just in time for summer travel
planning, United today launched MileagePlus miles pooling – a new
way for MileagePlus members to contribute and combine their miles
into a joint account. Available on United.com, groups of up to five
members can now share and redeem miles in one linked account.
United allows any MileagePlus member – whether relatives or close
friends – to be in a pool with other members. United is the first
and only major U.S. airline to offer this feature.
"We're always looking for new ways to provide the most value to
all of our loyalty members and are proud to be the first major U.S.
airline to allow our members to pool their miles with their loved
ones and friends," said Luc Bondar, Chief Operating Officer of
MileagePlus. "MileagePlus miles pooling further reinforces United's
position as the leader in family and group travel and gives our
members more flexibility to use their miles while making it easier
to connect to the destinations and moments that matter most, with
the people that matter most."
As 81% of parents report intent to travel with their children in
the next year and nearly 60% report concern about travel
affordability, according to a 2023 U.S. Family Travel Survey
conducted by the Family Travel Association, the introduction of
MileagePlus miles pooling aims to make travel even easier for
families or groups looking to get away; even the youngest family
members can contribute as there's no minimum age to become a
MileagePlus member.
MileagePlus miles pooling is now available to all MileagePlus
members by logging in to their account on United.com. For those not
already MileagePlus members, the program is free to join
here.
How MileagePlus miles pooling works
Any MileagePlus member over 18 years old can become the pool
leader and create a pool for free when logged in to their account
on United.com.
- Pool leaders can invite up to four of their family, friends, or
close travel companions of any age to join the pool if
they have an active MileagePlus account. There is no minimum age to
join MileagePlus.
- When logged in to their MileagePlus account on United.com,
members will be instructed on how to contribute miles to the group
pool as well as how to redeem pooled miles for award flights on
United and United Express*.
- There are no limits to the number of miles that may be
contributed to an active miles pool.
- Pooled miles can be used when booking a ticket
on United.com or in the United mobile app.
For example, if a group of friends is planning an upcoming
summer getaway and each friend has their own individual MileagePlus
accounts with their respective number of miles, they can combine
all, or a select amount of their personal miles into one central
'pool' that can be used to purchase flights and offset the cost of
ticket prices.
Contributing miles to a MileagePlus miles pool will not affect
an individual member's Premier® status. Only members who
travel on a ticket using pooled miles will earn any eligible
Premier qualifying points (PQP), not the member who contributed
them. Members cannot pool PQP, Premier qualifying flights (PQF),
PlusPoints, or TravelBank cash.
The MileagePlus program provides the most ways to earn and use
miles of any other U.S. airline. Members earn miles that never
expire with every flight purchased, through spending on the United
Family of Cards from Chase, by making purchases on MileagePlus
ShoppingSM and more. Members can opt to fully cover a
trip with their MileagePlus miles or use a combination of money and
miles to save on the out-of-pocket cost of their next flight**.
*For full terms, restrictions, and conditions, see here.
**MileagePlus miles pooling is excluded from money and miles at
this time.
About United
At United, Good Leads The Way. With U.S. hubs in Chicago, Denver, Houston, Los
Angeles, New
York/Newark, San Francisco and Washington, D.C., United operates the most
comprehensive global route network among North American carriers,
and is now the largest airline in the world as measured by
available seat miles. For more about how to join the United team,
please visit www.united.com/careers and more information about the
company is at www.united.com. United Airlines Holdings, Inc., the
parent company of United Airlines, Inc., is traded on the Nasdaq
under the symbol "UAL".
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SOURCE United Airlines