Nov 15, 2015, 11:28 pm

FlyerTalk Forums Expert How-Tos and Guides

Quote:

Mileage accrual for Million Miler qualification is based on the flight distance of United- and United Express-operated flights.

With United's change to PQPs and PQFs, UA no longer provides information on flight / "BIS" mile
United no longer shows the BIS mileage. For now, the app is showing segment miles during booking -- but united.com is not.
Presently using UA's timetable to research the flight, the flight miles are provided
Alternatively, you can use third-party tools like, gcmap to get a number. It may differ from UA's number by a few miles
Building a UA city pair BIS table
And finally, you can trust UA to track your miles (There have been very, very few instances of issues and less recently)

For elites, there is 500 lifetime mile minimum for UA/UX flights. (still true in 2020 and PQP/PQF era)
There is no elite bonus or class of service bonus.
BIS miles ~~= PQMs for 100% fares~~
Bus operated land connections booked as UA flight numbers earn lifetime miles
No partner flights earn UA lifetime miles.
Flight number / codeshare / ticket stock does not matter -- as long as it is a United-operated flight that is being credited to UA MP program.
No credit card activity earns UA lifetime miles
Only paid flights (including BULK / most consolidator tickets), no credit for award flights
There is no method for purchasing lifetime miles
~~Basic Economy segments are non-mileage earning and do not earn lifetime miles~~ ~~In the second iteration of BE (2018Q4),~~ LT mileage earning appears to have been restored (100% ~~50%~~ of BIS)
Lapchild tickets are non-mileage earning including lifetime miles

There was a complicated adjustment of lifetime miles at the time of the UA/CO merger due to the different programs & earning rules, including that CO granted lifetime miles for partner flights, PQM bonuses, and some credit card activity. But the above are the present rules.

Post-merge, COPA flights also accumulated UA lifetime miles, that ceased in July 2015 when COPA left MileagePlus.

What if I use miles to purchase the trip? Does that earn Lifetime Miles?

Depends
If you are using just UA miles and only paying cash for the taxes, as an award trip, it does not qualify for Lifetime miles
However
If you are using points from a credit card to purchase a ticket on their site, then the trip qualifies
If you are booking an economy ticket but using miles to upgrade, then the trip qualifies
If you are using the Money+Miles payment option, then the trip qualifies (regardless of the amount paid by miles)
If you are purchasing with a Chase creditcard and then using miles as a statement credit, then the trip qualifies

What about purchasing with "Money+Miles"?

100% Lifetime Miles earning
see What is the "Book with Money and Miles" option ?

Related Threads
MileagePlus Million Mile (and Beyond) Flyer Benefits [2014 forward]
Million Miler companion benefit
Building a UA city pair BIS table

Archive: [url=https://www.flyertalk.com/forum/united-airlines-mileageplus/2150272-how-lifetime-miles-calculated-mileageplus-archive.html]How are "lifetime miles" calculated for MileagePlus? {Archive}
Related thread: Lifetime status by airline -- attempted summary

How are "lifetime miles" calculated for MileagePlus?

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Jul 15, 2022, 11:11 am

#166

WineCountryUA

Moderator: United Airlines

Join Date: Jun 2007

Location: SFO

Programs: UA Plat 1.995MM, Hyatt Discoverist, Marriott Plat/LT Gold, Hilton Silver, IHG Plat

Posts: 66,857

Quote:

Originally Posted by theise

...
Now on to my main question: if I use miles to pay for the flights, will the miles of those flights still count toward million mile status? ...

Depends

If you are using just UA miles and only paying cash for the taxes, as an award trip, it does not qualify for Lifetime miles
However
If you are using points from a credit card to purchase a ticket on their site, then the trip qualifies
If you are booking an economy ticket but using miles to upgrade, then the trip qualifies
If you are using the Money+Miles payment option, then the trip qualifies (regardless of the amount paid by miles)
If you are purchasing with a Chase creditcard and then using miles as a statement credit, then the trip qualifies

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kmxu

.... United does allow one to purchase miles using cash when buying a mileage ticket and you have insufficient amount of miles. This is treated as a mileage ticket and therefore not be counted toward MM status. I am not aware of any other purchase of UA tickets paid partially with miles and cash.

see What is the "Book with Money and Miles" option ?
100% Lifetime miles earning

jsloan, SPN Lifer and theise like this.

Last edited by WineCountryUA; Jul 15, 2022 at 11:23 am Reason: merged consecutive posts by same member

Jul 15, 2022, 11:25 am

#167

trm2

Join Date: Apr 2006

Location: CO hublette

Programs: UA AU MM,HH Diamond,Hyatt Globalist , Marriott Gold

Posts: 2,281

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kmxu

I guess that @trm2 might refer to miles and copay upgrade to a business class ticket from a paid economy/premium economy ticket. United does allow one to purchase miles using cash when buying a mileage ticket and you have insufficient amount of miles. This is treated as a mileage ticket and therefore not be counted toward MM status. I am not aware of any other purchase of UA tickets paid partially with miles and cash.

Sorry, I was on a flight when posting earlier and we all know how great the Wi-Fi is onboard.

When you do not select using miles and you get to the payment screen you have options. Credit card, debit card, travel bank, maybe another AND miles and money. You can’t pay for the whole ticket with miles and they redeem at $.01 each. When you pay with that method, the miles count toward lifetime miles.

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Jul 15, 2022, 12:35 pm

#168

jsloan

FlyerTalk Evangelist

Join Date: Oct 2001

Location: Austin, TX

Posts: 21,413

Quote:

Originally Posted by theise

I'm very close to hitting 1M BIS miles for the million mile status, currently at 978,986. I have a trip to Denmark coming in October, and am getting ready to book it. I haven't checked the mileage for that trip, but think it should get me pretty close. Am I remembering correctly that segments on Star Alliance partner airlines don't count toward MM status?

Just as a procedural thing, unless you have some other travel planned — Denmark isn’t as far as you think.

Especially because, as you correctly point out, only UA-operated flights apply. Something like IND-ORD-FRA-CPH will get you almost 9700 lifetime miles if you currently have status with UA and fly UA on the ORD-FRA segment (Premier members get a 500-mile minimum toward lifetime mileage that others don’t).

Enjoy your trip.

Jul 16, 2022, 4:48 pm

#169

hotscot

Join Date: Dec 2011

Posts: 309

About 20 years ago I often enjoyed flying in to LAX then a puddle jumper to SNA.
Am I correct in thinking you gained 500 miles for that?

Beautiful flight down the coast too.

Jul 16, 2022, 7:08 pm

#170

SPN Lifer

FlyerTalk Evangelist

Join Date: Mar 2002

Location: Saipan, MP 96950 USA (Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands = the CNMI)

Programs: UA Silver, Hilton Silver. Life: UA .57 MM, United & Admirals Clubs (spousal), Marriott Platinum

Posts: 15,055

Quote:

Originally Posted by hotscot (Post # 560)

About 20 years ago I often enjoyed flying in to LAX then a puddle jumper to SNA.
Am I correct in thinking you gained 500 miles for that?

Yes, that is correct, if you were a Premier member at the time.

Even short flights such as LAX-SNA would get the 500-mile minimum. A general member, however, would get only the actual flight mileage for lifetime accrual purposes.

Last edited by SPN Lifer; Jul 16, 2022 at 7:17 pm

Jul 16, 2022, 8:52 pm

#171

DELee

FlyerTalk Evangelist

Join Date: Jun 2010

Location: TOA

Programs: HH Diamond, Marriott LTPP/Platinum Premier, Hyatt Lame-ist, UA !K

Posts: 20,061

Quote:

Originally Posted by theise

Now on to my main question: if I use miles to pay for the flights, will the miles of those flights still count toward million mile status?

No. Lifetime BIS miles accrual is only via paid flights.

David

theise likes this.

Jul 16, 2022, 10:21 pm

#172

IMissThe747

Join Date: May 2018

Location: Latin America and USA

Programs: UA 1K, Marriott Gold

Posts: 456

Quote:

Originally Posted by WineCountryUA

Depends

If you are using just UA miles and only paying cash for the taxes, as an award trip, it does not qualify for Lifetime miles
However
If you are using points from a credit card to purchase a ticket on their site, then the trip qualifies
If you are booking an economy ticket but using miles to upgrade, then the trip qualifies
If you are using the Money+Miles payment option, then the trip qualifies (regardless of the amount paid by miles)
If you are purchasing with a Chase creditcard and then using miles as a statement credit, then the trip qualifies

see What is the "Book with Money and Miles" option ?
100% Lifetime miles earning

Wow, didn't realize that an award booking using Money+Miles would count for lifetime miles. So, I could use $1 plus miles, and have it count? That's what I'll do in the future. Would that strategy also put me on the list for a CPU? I don't have the UA credit card, so my award bookings are typically not eligible for CPU.

Jul 16, 2022, 10:29 pm

#173

WineCountryUA

Moderator: United Airlines

Join Date: Jun 2007

Location: SFO

Programs: UA Plat 1.995MM, Hyatt Discoverist, Marriott Plat/LT Gold, Hilton Silver, IHG Plat

Posts: 66,857

Quote:

Originally Posted by IMissThe747

Well be aware you will be getting just 1 cpm and reduced PQPs but lifetime miles and normal CPU based on status
Covered in What is the "Book with Money and Miles" option ?

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Jul 20, 2022, 7:32 am

#174

theise

Join Date: Dec 2013

Location: West Lafayette, IN

Programs: 1MM UA Gold

Posts: 179

Quote:

Originally Posted by jsloan

Just as a procedural thing, unless you have some other travel planned — Denmark isn’t as far as you think.

Yeah, thanks, jsloan! I wasn't figuring the trip to Denmark would put me over the top, but I had been thinking I might fly out of ORD. I had overlooked that an IND-ORD segment would add 500, so that's a really good point. I'm gold now (need to update my profile), so I think that 500 miles still applies.

jsloan likes this.

Aug 3, 2022, 5:07 am

#175

lsquare

FlyerTalk Evangelist

Join Date: Mar 2010

Programs: DL, OZ, AC, AS, AA, BA, Hilton, Hyatt, Marriott, IHG

Posts: 19,902

Quote:

Originally Posted by WineCountryUA

No both are UA metal only

And certain elite privileges will different, boarding order, bag allowance (depending on cabin), meal preference, ....
on NH it is *G and not GS, 1K. Plat, Gold ....

Yet, things are still tight in Japan and there isn't sufficient demand to justify previous scheduled

Quote:

Originally Posted by Repooc17

ANA does not earn UA lifetime miles.

016 are UA issued tickets.

Unless you absolutely care about miles and status, go with ANA

Given that UA and NH are JV partners, NH BIS miles should count in UA's LT program. That's actually a major deterrent for me to consider NH. I've only flown NH once in my life, but my schedule forced me to go with them.

Last edited by WineCountryUA; Aug 3, 2022 at 8:31 am Reason: no need to pile on

Aug 3, 2022, 10:16 am

#176

jsloan

FlyerTalk Evangelist

Join Date: Oct 2001

Location: Austin, TX

Posts: 21,413

Quote:

Originally Posted by lsquare

Given that UA and NH are JV partners, NH BIS miles should count in UA's LT program.

The vast majority of NH tickets are excluded from the JV, which only includes TPAC travel to Japan and a select number of destinations across Southeast Asia.

And the vast majority of flyers will never reach lifetime status with any program, nor does anyone know what the lifetime program will look like when they reach it. Unless you're close to a tier -- say, within 2 years of flying at your regular pace -- I would exert exactly zero energy on worrying about lifetime status. It happens or it doesn't, but if NH is significantly more comfortable / convenient / whatever, I don't think the lifetime status you'd get should make much of a difference. We're talking about approximately one half of one percent of one million miles for a SFO-TYO flight. It's a rounding error.

Aug 3, 2022, 11:56 am

#177

Kmxu

Join Date: May 2012

Location: ORF, RIC

Programs: UA LT 1K, 3 MM; Marriott Titanium; IHG Platinum

Posts: 6,958

Quote:

Originally Posted by lsquare

United can give you all partner BIS miles (NH, LH, etc.) to your lifetime status, but you may get only Premier Silver status after reaching 1MM.
Okay, I might have given UA an idea to satisfy your need.

Happy travel!

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Aug 3, 2022, 12:14 pm

#178

Repooc17

FlyerTalk Evangelist

Join Date: Aug 2017

Programs: AS 75K, DL Silver, UA Platinum, Hilton Gold, Hyatt Discoverist, Marriott Platinum + LT Gold

Posts: 10,514

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kmxu

Okay, I might have given UA an idea to satisfy your need.

Yeah, UA can always just copy its Dallas and Atlanta-based friends.

Life is short. Take the best available option, and enjoy the experience.

Aug 3, 2022, 4:51 pm

#179

blug

Join Date: Apr 2007

Location: SFO

Programs: UA Silver

Posts: 1,155

Quote:

Originally Posted by lsquare

The JV is only applicable to certain routes and under certain conditions. For example, as far as I understand, UA and NH share revenue and cost on SFO-NRT, but not if it is part of a SFO-NRT-PVG itinerary.