‘Tis the season for items — and that features reward playing cards. Sadly, you’ll have acquired some gift cards for the vacations that you simply aren’t very enthusiastic about. If that is the case, now we have some excellent news: You possibly can flip these undesirable reward playing cards into United MileagePlus miles by means of United’s MileagePlus Reward Card Change. Here is the way it works.
Associated: What credit cards should you use to purchase gift cards?
Which reward playing cards are eligible for United miles?
On the MileagePlus Gift Card Exchange landing page, there is a hyperlink to a “Reward card retailer record” on the backside. This record at the moment contains over 30 retailers, corresponding to Finest Purchase, Sears, Starbucks and Walmart.
Nonetheless, observe that some retailers on this record might not truly be out there for trade on the web site. There are additionally some retailers out there for trade that are not on the record, together with The North Face and HP.
Associated: Flights, credit cards and more: How to earn miles with the United MileagePlus program
Is it price exchanging reward playing cards?
United has a chart itemizing the “Minimal award miles awarded,” which might make you suppose that some choices supply extra miles than these charges. However we checked dozens of various retailers, and the mileage supply was the identical for every one.
Regardless of the chart, you are not restricted to $25, $50 and $100 reward playing cards. In accordance with the homepage, you may trade reward playing cards with a minimum of a $15 minimal stability. Nonetheless, there are increased minimal balances for some retailers, like $50 at The North Face. In case your stability is simply too low, a crimson field with the minimal will pop up if you click on “Get Mileage supply.”
From what we have gathered, the variety of miles supplied is the reward card worth occasions 26.6, rounded as much as the closest 10 miles. This comes out to between 3.70 and three.76 cents per mile, relying on what number of you are buying and selling in. For instance:
- $15 reward playing cards equal 400 United miles (3.75 cents per mile)
- $20 reward playing cards equal 540 United miles (3.70 cents per mile)
- $25 reward playing cards equal 670 United miles (3.73 cents per mile)
- $30 reward playing cards equal 800 United miles (3.75 cents per mile)
- $40 reward playing cards equal 1,070 United miles (3.74 cents per mile)
- $50 reward playing cards equal 1,330 United miles (3.76 cents per mile)
- $100 reward playing cards equal 2,660 United miles (3.76 cents per mile)
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This fee is far increased than TPG’s December 2024 valuation of 1.35 cents per United mile, which means you are not getting good worth out of your reward playing cards. Nonetheless, if you happen to’d slightly have the miles than the reward card, this could possibly be a helpful option to offload them.
Additionally, a minimum of United is being constant. When United is not working a buy miles promotion, you should buy United miles at a fee of $35 per 1,000 United miles. After taxes and costs, this comes out to three.76 cents per mile.
Associated: The best credit cards for buying points and miles
Limitations to the Reward Card Change
To promote reward playing cards by means of the MileagePlus Reward Card Change, your MileagePlus account will need to have been open for a minimum of 90 days and have a constructive account stability. This implies you may’t trade your reward playing cards for miles if there aren’t any miles in your account.
But when your account is empty, don’t be concerned: There are a number of straightforward methods to earn United miles with out flying, corresponding to by means of the MileagePlus shopping portal or the MileagePlus Dining program.
Though the positioning might provide you with a quote for $10 reward playing cards at some retailers, the phrases and circumstances state that “reward playing cards accepted will need to have a $15 minimal stability on the cardboard and should have a most imposed.” It additionally seems that the trade will solely settle for reward playing cards as much as $100.
In the event you resolve to promote a present card by means of the MileagePlus Reward Card Change, the miles ought to arrive in your United account inside 5 enterprise days.
Associated: How to use points and miles to give gifts with zero out-of-pocket cost
Backside line
When you’re not going to get the most effective worth from exchanging reward playing cards for United miles, it is good to have the choice to swap an undesirable reward card for one thing extra helpful. The MileagePlus Reward Card Change may turn out to be useful if you happen to want United miles for an upcoming redemption, have tapped out your Bilt Rewards Factors and Chase Ultimate Rewards factors, and are holding a qualifying reward card. In case your solely different choice is to purchase United miles, you may as properly liquidate the reward card — particularly if it is one you would not use quickly anyway.
Alternatively, if you do not have a United redemption in thoughts, it is likely to be price checking on-line for an additional reward card trade program (corresponding to CardCash) which will provide you with a greater fee.
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