Feb 3, 2024, 9:46 pm
Last edit by: WineCountryUA
This is an archive thread, the active thread is How are "lifetime miles" calculated for MileagePlus?
Million Miler Program
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)
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
Million Miler Program
Mileage accrual for Million Miler qualification is based on the flight distance of United- and United Express-operated flights.
United no longer shows the BIS mileage.
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 milesIn 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
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
How are "lifetime miles" calculated for MileagePlus? {Archive}
Oct 19, 2012, 8:17 am
#61
Join Date: Jun 2004
Posts: 703
If it was me Id go into my acct and 1stly get the MM # as of 12/31 (look for the statement that ended then). Then Id write up alist of all my flights and what the EQMs were suppose to be and see if all the EQMs flown on CO or UA metal in '12 added to the MM amount on 12/31 agrees with what CO is showing you are at today.
Oct 19, 2012, 8:40 am
#62
Join Date: Feb 2012
Posts: 2,933
Although I'm not the OP, out of curiosity, I wanted to check my account. I don't see lifetime miles listed in any of the monthly statements available on-line (will need to check the old printouts from when I used to get them). Am I missing something, or is the lifetime miles total only available on the My Account summary page?
Lifetime flight miles
"Your lifetime flight miles balance is viewable on the My Account section of united.com, after you log in with your MileagePlus account number and password or PIN."
I can't find anywhere else that these Lifetime miles appear except on the "My Account" (FRONT) page either!
Oct 19, 2012, 8:44 am
#63
Join Date: May 2011
Posts: 5,814
Where can I see my lifetime flight miles?
Lifetime flight miles
"Your lifetime flight miles balance is viewable on the My Account section of united.com, after you log in with your MileagePlus account number and password or PIN."
I can't find anywhere else that these Lifetime miles appear except on the "My Account" (FRONT) page either!
Lifetime flight miles
"Your lifetime flight miles balance is viewable on the My Account section of united.com, after you log in with your MileagePlus account number and password or PIN."
I can't find anywhere else that these Lifetime miles appear except on the "My Account" (FRONT) page either!
Oct 26, 2012, 11:45 pm
#64
Join Date: Mar 2009
Posts: 29
If I get pass million life time miles, say, in February, will I become a million miler immediately or have I got to wait till the next year?
Oct 27, 2012, 1:00 am
#65
Join Date: Sep 2007
Location: Between SFO and SJC
Programs: UA 1K-MM
Posts: 1,406
Technically neither one - it will take (hopefully) a few days to become effective on your profile, but you definitely don't have to wait until the next year!
Apr 24, 2013, 7:54 am
#66
Join Date: Feb 2013
Location: ORD
Programs: UA 1K, IHG Platinum Ambassador, Marriott Gold
Posts: 94
Lifetime miles - Do United Express flights operated by Skywest or Mesa count?
I know that flights booked through UA and flown with a different carrier, ie Lufthansa do not count toward your lifetime flight miles. Do United Express flights operated by Skywest or Mesa count? I would assume they do, but I was just curious.
Last edited by FlyinHawaiian; Apr 24, 2013 at 8:14 am Reason: ask question in thread titles, please
Apr 24, 2013, 7:57 am
#67
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Sep 2008
Location: Jersey Shore/YYZ
Programs: UA 1K, Marriott Plat, Hilton Diamond, Hertz PC
Posts: 12,521
Yes. Be careful - some UX carriers (Silver) are sometimes UX, sometimes not.
Apr 24, 2013, 8:49 am
#68
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: May 2007
Location: Houston
Programs: UA Plat, Marriott Gold
Posts: 12,714
United Express flights operated by other carriers count - but those same carriers doing their own branded flying do not.
Apr 24, 2013, 10:52 am
#69
Moderator, Omni, Omni/PR, Omni/Games, FlyerTalk Posting Legend
Join Date: Oct 2004
Location: Between DCA and IAD
Programs: UA 1K MM; Hilton Diamond
Posts: 67,385
If the flight shows up as "xxx doing business as United Express" I believe they should count. The biggest area this appears to be a problem is w/r/t Silver Airways, where the flight shows a UA #, is listed as "Silver Airways dba UAX," and yet United denies credit for the miles altogether, won't allow for award redemptions on those flights, etc.; for whatever reason, these are being treated by UA as if they were partner flights on Silver, vs. Silver dba UA.
Apr 24, 2013, 2:32 pm
#70
Join Date: Jul 2010
Location: WAS
Programs: UA Silver, Marriott Titanium, Nexus, GE
Posts: 2,126
I just had a UX flight post as Republic Airlines, not as United Express in my mileage summary. That's the first time I've seen that.
Apr 24, 2013, 3:20 pm
#71
Moderator, Omni, Omni/PR, Omni/Games, FlyerTalk Posting Legend
Join Date: Oct 2004
Location: Between DCA and IAD
Programs: UA 1K MM; Hilton Diamond
Posts: 67,385
May 3, 2013, 2:31 pm
#72
Join Date: Jun 2005
Location: NYC
Programs: UA 1K, AA EXP, DL Silver, Hyatt Diamond, SPG Gold, HHonor Gold, Hertz President's Circle
Posts: 352
Question on Million Miler
Does it have to be on UA's own metal?
What about those cross Atlantic revenue share flights with LH and CX?
What about those cross Atlantic revenue share flights with LH and CX?
May 3, 2013, 2:38 pm
#73
Moderator: Hawaii-based airlines & Hawai'i forums
Join Date: Mar 2003
Location: Ka ʻĀpala Nui, Nuioka
Programs: NEXUS/Global Entry, Delta, United, Hyatt, IHG, Marriott, and Hertz
Posts: 18,109
Last edited by FlyinHawaiian; May 3, 2013 at 2:45 pm
May 3, 2013, 3:20 pm
#74
Join Date: Feb 2008
Location: Honolulu / DC
Programs: UA 1K /2mm / Marriott Lifetime Titanium , Hilton Diamond
Posts: 1,059
A couple of things come out of this thread...
1st, count me among the well warned but somehow oblivious to the drop off of partner flights. My US flights indeed show as EQMs (and not as an uptick in MM tallies). I hadn't noticed, but what are you gonna do? UA doesn't fly to some of these places.
2nd - the UAx flights that list as Republic or other. As they count for EQMs and RDMs, I never thought to assure that they were counting for MMs. Obviously they should.
Even after the merger and the mm adjustment, I have > 10 years as a 1K and right at 700k lifetime miles. While i have some fare bonus and a trace of double EQMs, the main reason for the gap is partner flights.
1st, count me among the well warned but somehow oblivious to the drop off of partner flights. My US flights indeed show as EQMs (and not as an uptick in MM tallies). I hadn't noticed, but what are you gonna do? UA doesn't fly to some of these places.
2nd - the UAx flights that list as Republic or other. As they count for EQMs and RDMs, I never thought to assure that they were counting for MMs. Obviously they should.
Even after the merger and the mm adjustment, I have > 10 years as a 1K and right at 700k lifetime miles. While i have some fare bonus and a trace of double EQMs, the main reason for the gap is partner flights.
May 3, 2013, 3:27 pm
#75
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Sep 2008
Location: Jersey Shore/YYZ
Programs: UA 1K, Marriott Plat, Hilton Diamond, Hertz PC
Posts: 12,521
A couple of things come out of this thread...
1st, count me among the well warned but somehow oblivious to the drop off of partner flights. My US flights indeed show as EQMs (and not as an uptick in MM tallies). I hadn't noticed, but what are you gonna do? UA doesn't fly to some of these places.
2nd - the UAx flights that list as Republic or other. As they count for EQMs and RDMs, I never thought to assure that they were counting for MMs. Obviously they should.
Even after the merger and the mm adjustment, I have > 10 years as a 1K and right at 700k lifetime miles. While i have some fare bonus and a trace of double EQMs, the main reason for the gap is partner flights.
1st, count me among the well warned but somehow oblivious to the drop off of partner flights. My US flights indeed show as EQMs (and not as an uptick in MM tallies). I hadn't noticed, but what are you gonna do? UA doesn't fly to some of these places.
2nd - the UAx flights that list as Republic or other. As they count for EQMs and RDMs, I never thought to assure that they were counting for MMs. Obviously they should.
Even after the merger and the mm adjustment, I have > 10 years as a 1K and right at 700k lifetime miles. While i have some fare bonus and a trace of double EQMs, the main reason for the gap is partner flights.