If your itinerary includes a Star Alliance partner airline, refer to the
Star Alliance Award rules
1. Flight availability
- United Standard Awards enable you to fly any time seats are available for the flight and class of service you want.
- United Saver Awards are available for a limited number of seats per flight.
- United Miles & Money Awards are available in all classes of service, but only for travel on United and United Express. They might not be available for all flights.
2. Booking your United award ticket
- The first step is to search for your flight. You can book United award tickets on mileageplus.com or united.com. Effective June 15, 2011, there may be a fee for award tickets booked less than 21 days to departure. Learn more about award fees.
- There are no blackout periods.
- The name on your award ticket must match the name on your government-issued photo ID.
- Award tickets must be booked at least two hours before departure.
- Award tickets must be on a United or United Express flight routing between valid cities in the award regions listed in the United awards chart
- Cities and countries served by United are subject to change. Some countries listed in the award chart may not be available for award travel and other countries may become available later.
3. What you can do with a United award ticket
- Book a ticket for someone else, even if they’re not traveling with you.
- Stand by for an earlier or later domestic flight departing on your original date of travel and flying to and from the same places as on your original ticket. This option is only for flights within the U.S., and there may be a fee. Learn more about same-day travel changes..
- Request a same-day change to another United or United Express domestic flight within three hours of the time of your request. There may be a fee. Learn more about confirmed same-day travel changes.
- Use the ticket within one year of the date it was issued. You may be charged a fee to change the ticket.
- Fly to multiple cities without flying back to where you started (commonly called “open-jaw” travel). Both single- and double–open jaws are allowed.
- Include one stopover if you are traveling between regions; for example, between the continental U.S. and Hawaii, or between the U.S. and the Caribbean, Asia, Australia, Central America, South America, Middle East or Europe). You can have five stopovers if flying on a ‘Round-The-World Award.
4. What you can’t do with a United award ticket
- You cannot book a flight that is departing within two hours.
- You cannot change the name on the ticket.
- You cannot fly an indirect route.
- You cannot include a stopover when traveling within an award region (for example, an itinerary wholly within North America).
- You cannot include a stopover when traveling one way.
- You cannot have a “backhaul” (backtracking routing) unless it is required by routing restrictions.
- You cannot travel on codeshare flights operated by other airlines.
- You cannot upgrade an award ticket.
- You cannot earn award miles, elite status miles or elite status segments when flying on any United award ticket, including Miles & Money Awards.
- Discounts for children are not available.
5. Changes, refunds and fees
To make changes on your award ticket, call
United Reservations. As long as you keep your origin, destination and routing the same, you will not be charged a fee. However, there may be a fee for other types of changes.
Learn more about award ticket fees.
You can cancel any portion of your award ticket either before or after your original dates of travel. We will recredit your award miles and refund any money paid. However, there may be a fee.
Learn more about award ticket fees
You can request a refund for any cash and taxes paid up to one year from the date the ticket was originally issued, and your miles can be refunded up to two years from the date the ticket was originally issued. However, there maybe a fee.
Learn more about award ticket fees.
If you want to cancel your award ticket before your original travel date, just contact
United Reservations If it is past your original travel date, you may request a refund.
Note: You will be responsible for any applicable departure and arrival taxes, federal inspection fees, Passenger Facility Charges and other fees, charges and taxes. Taxes, fees and service charges are subject to change without notice. Some award fees will change on June 15, 2011.
Learn more about award fees.
United Saver / Star Alliance Awards allow you to redeem your MileagePlus miles for award travel to more than 800 destinations worldwide. No matter which carrier or combination of carriers you choose, the MileagePlus award levels are the same. They vary only by class of service and region.
- See the Saver/Star award chart for mileage amounts.
- Capacity-control restrictions do apply
- No upgrades are permitted on award travel bookings
- You can book here only if you are flying roundtrip on United, Continental, Lufthansa or US Airways. For travel on all other Star alliance Carriers, call United. There may be a fee for booking through United Reservations or at a ticket counter. Learn more about award fees.
Saver / Star Alliance award chart
More important facts about Saver Awards
- Saver Awards: Saver Awards can be redeemed for fewer miles than Standard Awards. See the Saver Award chart for specific mileage amounts.
- Capacity-control restrictions apply.
- Award restrictions: No minimum stay restrictions. Maximum stay restrictions exist per booking rules (within 331 days of booking date). Standby is permitted only if award is wholly on United.
- Booking restrictions: Awards must be booked 24 hours in advance of travel. Advance booking of two hours is required if the award is wholly on United. Effective June 15, 2011, there may be a fee for award tickets booked less than 21 days to departure. Learn more about award fees.
- En route stopovers: No stopovers are permitted on awards wholly within a geographic region. Awards between regions allow one stopover. ’Round-The-World awards allow a maximum of five stopovers.
- Open jaw: Legal open jaws (open jaw length shorter than flown flight segment length) are permitted
- Blackout periods: As defined by individual carriers. Blackout dates do not apply to Saver Awards on United.
- Routings: Awards are for roundtrip travel. One-way travel is not permitted. Backhauls (backtracking routings) are not permitted, except as required by routing restrictions. Side trips are not permitted on a single award. ’Round-The-World routing is defined as one Pacific and one Atlantic crossing; you must use legal routings as defined in pricing rules and continue travel in the same direction. Involuntary re-routing permitted on Star Alliance carriers only. If award travel crosses a geographic area to reach another region, member is subject to the higher of the two award levels. Most direct routing applies.
- Waitlisting: Permitted only on United. Not permitted on other Star Alliance airlines.
- Name change: Not permitted.
- Children: No discount is available for children or infants.
- Changes after ticketing: Permitted before departure if travel is within the same region(s). Also permitted for non-United segments booked as E-Tickets that are changed to United-operated. All changes are subject to applicable fees. Learn more about award fees.
- Changes during travel: Permitted for United segments that were booked as E-Tickets. Subject to applicable fees. Learn more about award fees. No changes to Star Alliance Award tickets once travel begins, except for involuntary reroutings (changes resulting from flight delays or cancellations).
- Ticket validity: Awards are valid for one year from the date of issue.
More important facts about awards
- Award travel must be on a United or partner flight routing exclusively between valid cities or continents described in the United and partner awards charts, with no connections or stopovers on additional continents (or cities, where appropriate) unless otherwise noted.
- Travel on code share flights operated by other airlines is excluded.
- All flight awards are valid for roundtrip travel. If you choose to use an award for one-way travel, no residual credit will be issued for unused segments
- Countries served by United and the Star Alliance network are subject to change. Some countries listed in the award chart may not be available for award travel and other countries may become available at a later date. Check with United reservations for the latest information on award availability.
- † One stopover en route to your final destination or one open jaw is permitted for a flight award on United between the continental U.S. and Hawaii or between the U.S. and the Caribbean, Asia, Australia, Central America, South America, Middle East or Europe. No stopovers are permitted within a geographic region.
† Stopover en route and open jaw award bookings must be obtained by calling United. These bookings are also subject to the booking fee, see award fees for details.
