United becomes first major U.S. airline to allow members of its loyalty program, MileagePlus®, to pool their miles with family and friends into a joint account.
Just in time for summer travel planning, United today launched MileagePlus miles pooling – a new way for MileagePlus members to contribute and combine their miles into a joint account. Available on United.com, groups of up to five members can now share and redeem miles in one linked account. United allows any MileagePlus member – whether relatives or close friends – to be in a pool with other members. United is the first and only major U.S. airline to offer this feature.
“We’re always looking for new ways to provide the most value to all of our loyalty members and are proud to be the first major U.S. airline to allow our members to pool their miles with their loved ones and friends,” said Luc Bondar, Chief Operating Officer of MileagePlus. “MileagePlus miles pooling further reinforces United’s position as the leader in family and group travel and gives our members more flexibility to use their miles while making it easier to connect to the destinations and moments that matter most, with the people that matter most.”
As 81% of parents report intent to travel with their children in the next year and nearly 60% report concern about travel affordability, according to a 2023 U.S. Family Travel Survey conducted by the Family Travel Association, the introduction of MileagePlus miles pooling aims to make travel even easier for families or groups looking to get away; even the youngest family members can contribute as there’s no minimum age to become a MileagePlus member.
MileagePlus miles pooling is now available to all MileagePlus members by logging in to their account on United.com. For those not already MileagePlus members, the program is free to join here.
How MileagePlus miles pooling works
Any MileagePlus member over 18 years old can become the pool leader and create a pool for free when logged in to their account on United.com.
- Pool leaders can invite up to four of their family, friends, or close travel companions of any age to join the pool if they have an active MileagePlus account. There is no minimum age to join MileagePlus.
- When logged in to their MileagePlus account on United.com, members will be instructed on how to contribute miles to the group pool as well as how to redeem pooled miles for award flights on United and United Express*.
- There are no limits to the number of miles that may be contributed to an active miles pool.
- Pooled miles can be used when booking a ticket on United.com or in the United mobile app.
For example, if a group of friends is planning an upcoming summer getaway and each friend has their own individual MileagePlus accounts with their respective number of miles, they can combine all, or a select amount of their personal miles into one central ‘pool’ that can be used to purchase flights and offset the cost of ticket prices.
Contributing miles to a MileagePlus miles pool will not affect an individual member’s Premier® status. Only members who travel on a ticket using pooled miles will earn any eligible Premier qualifying points (PQP), not the member who contributed them. Members cannot pool PQP, Premier qualifying flights (PQF), PlusPoints, or TravelBank cash.
The MileagePlus program provides the most ways to earn and use miles of any other U.S. airline. Members earn miles that never expire with every flight purchased, through spending on the United Family of Cards from Chase, by making purchases on MileagePlus ShoppingSM and more. Members can opt to fully cover a trip with their MileagePlus miles or use a combination of money and miles to save on the out-of-pocket cost of their next flight**.
*For full terms, restrictions, and conditions, see here.
**MileagePlus miles pooling is excluded from money and miles at this time.
