Skip Navigation LinksHome > Mileage Plus > Buy or transfer miles > Personal Miles > Personal Miles FAQ

Personal Miles® FAQ


I don't understand how the Personal Miles® promotion works?
How much do Personal Miles cost? Is there a tax on this purchase?
Are Personal Miles refundable?
How long will Personal Miles take to post to my MileagePlus® account?
Is it possible to post Personal Miles to my MileagePlus account any faster than the standard 48 hour period?
How quickly can my Personal Miles add up to travel awards?
How can I get a MileagePlus number?
How many MileagePlus Personal Miles may I buy?
Will the money I spend on this purchase using my MileagePlus credit card qualify for the usual benefit?
Do my Personal Miles help me qualify for MileagePlus Premier® or 1K® status?
How do I obtain a MileagePlus credit card?
May I buy Personal Miles other than online at united.com/personalmiles?
Will the Personal Miles I buy expire?
What is MileagePlus?
How useful are United MileagePlus miles?
After I have purchased my Personal Miles, how can I verify that my Personal Miles have been credited to my MileagePlus account?
I entered the wrong MileagePlus number!
Is the personal order information I provide confidential?
Is my online purchase secure?
Who is Crew Marketing®?
Contact Information
I don't understand how the Personal Miles promotion works?
In order to buy MileagePlus miles for your frequent flyer account, you must be a current MileagePlus member in good standing. A total of 100,000 MileagePlus Personal Miles and Give Miles combined may be purchased per account per calendar year and a MileagePlus number is needed when buying miles. Your credit card will be billed immediately for this transaction.

Some MileagePlus award travel seats are subject to capacity controls. MileagePlus program rules and conditions apply. Allow 48 hours for your MileagePlus account to be updated. MileagePlus bonus miles are not refundable and not exchangeable. Other terms may apply. Program fees and mileage rates subject to change.
How much do Personal Miles cost? Is there a tax on this purchase?
Personal Miles cost US $0.035 per mile. In addition, an applicable 7.5% Federal Excise tax applies. Personal Miles are non-refundable and non-transferable. Your credit card will be billed immediately for this transaction. Please allow 48 hours for your Personal Miles to be credited to your MileagePlus account.
Price Calculator:Miles   Price
A federal excise tax of 7.5% is included in the displayed USD price.
Are Personal Miles refundable?
Unfortunately, no. Personal Miles are non-refundable, non-transferable, and non-exchangeable.
How long will Personal Miles take to post to my MileagePlus account?
Please allow 48 hours for Personal Miles to post to your MileagePlus account.
Is it possible to post Personal Miles to my MileagePlus account any faster than the standard 48 hour period?
Unfortunately, no. Personal Miles require a 48 hour posting period. We regret we are not able to honor any requests to expedite Personal Miles postings.
How quickly can my Personal Miles add up to travel awards?
Your Personal Miles can very quickly add up to travel awards, especially if you purchase miles using your MileagePlus credit card. Taxes and fees apply to award flights and are the responsibility of the passenger. For more information on MileagePlus award travel visit www.united.com/awards.
How can I get a MileagePlus number?
Please visit the MileagePlus enrollment page at mileageplus.com/join to immediately receive your MileagePlus account number.
How many MileagePlus Personal Miles may I buy?
You may purchase a maximum of 100,000 MileagePlus Personal Miles per account per calendar year. For example, an individual MileagePlus account may receive 100,000 Personal Miles in 2013, and 100,000 additional Personal Miles in 2014.
Will the money I spend on this purchase using my MileagePlus credit card qualify for the usual benefit?
Yes, in addition to the Personal Miles you purchase, your MileagePlus account will be credited an additional number of miles corresponding to the purchase price of the miles.
Do my Personal Miles help me qualify for MileagePlus Premier or 1K status?
No, Personal Miles do not count towards qualifying for MileagePlus Premier or 1K status.
How do I obtain a MileagePlus credit card?
You may learn more about MileagePlus credit cards by visiting the credit card partners page.
May I buy Personal Miles other than online at united.com/personalmiles?
You may buy Personal Miles only online at united.com/personalmiles.
Will the Personal Miles I buy expire?
Personal Miles are treated as any partner miles and are subject to the terms and conditions of the United MileagePlus Program. Personal Miles do not count towards Premier status.
What is MileagePlus?
MileagePlus is the award-winning frequent flyer program from United Airlines-voted #1 by readers of Business Traveler International magazine for seven years in a row. As a MileagePlus member, you earn miles towards travel awards whenever you fly United, United Express®, or United's other worldwide airline partners on most paid tickets. Plus, you may earn MileagePlus bonus miles from participating travel partners and other specialty partners. Earn miles for things you do every day and redeem your miles for flights, car rentals, hotel stays, merchandise, memberships and more.
How useful are United MileagePlus miles?
You can redeem MileagePlus miles for award travel on any combination of partner airlines, to all Star Alliance destinations worldwide. (View a list of Star Alliance member airlines.) So you can earn miles on most published fares to almost anywhere you travel - and enjoy award travel to your choice of destinations throughout the world.
After I have purchased my Personal Miles, how can I verify that my Personal Miles have been credited to my MileagePlus account?
48 hours after you have purchased your Personal Miles, you will receive a notification email informing you that we have posted your miles. To check your MileagePlus balance, visit My Account, or you can contact MileagePlus customer service.
I entered the wrong MileagePlus number!
Once your order is processed, we may be able to change your MileagePlus number. If you're sure you entered the wrong MileagePlus number, send an email to CustServ@ualmiles.com.
Is the personal order information I provide confidential?
MileagePlus recognizes that it must maintain and use this customer information responsibly. We use customer information for MileagePlus marketing and promotional purposes only. We do not sell member information to any outside company or third party.
Is my online purchase secure?
Protecting your order is a priority. MileagePlus makes every effort to protect your online order information by using Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) technology. SSL encrypts your order information to avoid the decoding of that information by anyone other than MileagePlus and Crew Marketing. To check the security of your connection, look at the lower left-hand corner of your browser window after accessing the server. If you see an unbroken key or a closed lock (depending upon your browser), then SSL is active.
Who is Crew Marketing?
Crew Marketing® is a company dedicated to providing marketing and related consulting services. Crew Marketing is a contracted administrator for United MileagePlus with responsibility to develop and market components of the MileagePlus program.
Contact Information
Personal Miles Customer Service