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If you fly United — or even if you're just thinking about it — this episode is your starting point for understanding their MileagePlus® program from the ground up. I'm covering how dynamic pricing and saver awards work, the full United credit card lineup and what cardholder pricing actually means for your bookings now, ways to stack your earnings with the MileagePlus X app, and one of my favorite United features that no other major airline offers: miles pooling for families and friends.

This is part one of a two-part series. Next time, I'll show you how to book United flights through partner programs like Avianca LifeMiles®, Air Canada Aeroplan®, and Turkish Miles & Smiles® — which is especially helpful if you have Amex®, Capital One®, or Citi® points. All the links and resources I mention are in the show notes below!

ACTION STEPS

• Download the MileagePlus X (MPX) app and spend a few minutes browsing the stores and earn rates to decide if the e-gift card strategy makes sense for you.
• Link your Lyft® and United MileagePlus® accounts if you have an upcoming trip — or wait until you know you'll have two Lyft rides within 30 days to earn the 1,000 bonus miles. https://promo.united.com/offers/lyft 
• Set up a family miles pool now if you have family members with small United balances, even before you need it — so the 72-hour waiting period is already behind you when you're ready to book.

RESOURCES

• How to maximize Instacart Benefits: https://katiestraveltricks.com/new-chase-instacart-benefits-how-to-maximize/ 
• Seats.aero and PointsYeah.com (for setting up award alerts after booking a United flight)
• United.com miles pooling setup page: https://www.united.com/en/us/mileageplus/miles-pooling 
• MileagePlus Shopping portal: https://shopping.mileageplus.com/ 
• MileagePlus Shopping browser extension: https://shopping.mileageplus.com/button/ 
• MileagePlus Dining program: https://d

New Here? 

Hi, I’m Katie from Katie’s Travel Tricks! I am here to help you learn the secrets that my family has been using for over a decade, using everyday expenses and welcome offers to supercharge your points earning. When you learn to do this, you can cover entire vacations every year.

Our family has been to Hawaii, Asia, the Caribbean, Europe — and more — all thanks to strategically earning and redeeming points. We've done this on a limited travel budget and now want to help you do it, too.

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Advertiser Disclosure: Some of the card links and other products that appear on this podcast are from companies which Katie's Travel Tricks will earn an affiliate commission. Katie's Travel Tricks is part of an affiliate sales network and receives compensation for sending traffic to partner sites, such as CreditCards.com. The content in this podcast is accurate as of the posting date. Some of the offers mentioned may no longer be available. Editorial Disclosure: Opinions expressed here are the author's alone...