United Airlines Launches MileagePlus Debit Rewards Card That Earns Miles For Spending And Saving

United Airlines has announced a new MileagePlus® Debit Rewards Card that offers cardmembers additional ways to earn miles through spending and saving – designed to make flying the world's largest airline* even more rewarding.

As part of the launch, for a limited time, new MileagePlus® Debit Rewards cardmembers can earn a 10,000-mile bonus after approval and making qualifying purchases.** Powered by Galileo, SoFi's Tech Platform, the new Visa debit card combines the convenience of debit payments with the benefits of MileagePlus. Miles may be earned on dining, retail, groceries and more, with additional miles earned on United purchases such as flights, bags, onboard snacks, and more.

"We're constantly looking for new ways to add value and optionality for our members, and a debit card is a natural next step," said Bob Daly, United's Managing Director of Global Co-Brand Cards. "The United MileagePlus Debit Rewards Card offers customers an additional way to earn miles whether they're spending on United flights and everyday purchases or saving and making plans for the future."

"We're proud to partner with United to bring this innovative debit rewards card to market," said Bill Kennedy, Interim CEO and CFO of Galileo Financial Technologies. "It's a great example of how leading brands can use Galileo's modern platform to move quickly, meet customer demand, and create differentiated loyalty experiences."

Benefits for Cardmembers

For travelers looking to earn through saving and spending, the United MileagePlus Debit Rewards Card gives them the flexibility to do both.

Limited-time Launch Offer: Earn 10,000 bonus miles when you open an account and spend $500 within the first four months of card membership.**

Everyday Earning: Earn one mile per $1 spent on United purchases and earn one mile per $2 spent on all other eligible purchases - designed specifically for MileagePlus members who value travel rewards.**

2,500-Mile Annual Bonus: Earn 2,500 bonus miles each calendar year after you spend $10,000 with your debit card.**

Waived Monthly Fee: No monthly fee for average daily account balances of $2,000 or more. A $4 monthly fee will apply for accounts with balances under $2,000.**

Built-In Card Controls: Conveniently lock or unlock your card and set spending limits.

Easily Track Miles: Watch your rewards grow with every eligible purchase.

Earn Miles by Saving: MileagePlus members can earn additional miles based on qualifying account balances, reinforcing this card's role as an extension of the MileagePlus loyalty program rather than just a traditional debit account. See below for a full breakdown of the annual miles that can be earned based on a cardmember's average daily account balance.**

Average Daily Balance

Annualized Bonus Miles (You earn 1/12 each month)

Monthly Fee
N/A $4

$2,000 to $2,499 N/A WAIVED

$2,500 to $4,999.99 2,500 WAIVED

$5,000 to $9,999.99 5,000 WAIVED

$10,000 to $24,999.99 15,000 WAIVED

$25,000 to $49,999.99 30,000 WAIVED

$50,000+ 70,000 WAIVED

MileagePlus Program Benefits

MileagePlus is free to join and was rated the world's best airline loyalty program.*** It offers benefits including miles that never expire, no blackout dates, ticket purchasing with miles or a combination of miles and cash, no change fees on flight award tickets, miles pooling allowing travelers to combine their miles in a joint account and more.

Additional Details on Card Benefits and Terms

Designed for MileagePlus members who prefer the control and ease of a debit card without sacrificing travel rewards – the United MileagePlus Debit Rewards Card is available to eligible program members and doesn't require a credit check so applying will not impact your credit score.

This new payment product reflects United's ongoing commitment to loyalty innovation that brings value to every member, and was developed in collaboration with Galileo Financial Technologies, SoFi's Technology Platform. The card is issued by Sunrise Banks, N.A. and is backed by Visa as the payments network. Funds are FDIC insured up to $250,0000 through Sunrise Banks, N.A. Member FDIC

For more information on the card and its benefits, including how to open an account, visit UnitedDebitRewards.com.

*As measured by available seat miles

**Terms apply - for more details see here: https://www.uniteddebitrewards.com/

***Study conducted by Good Travel Management

Travelore Tips: How To Earn More Frequent Flier Miles

Airlines have made frequent-flier miles more valuable than ever. But they’re becoming increasingly harder to earn. This is how you hack the system.

Many domestic airlines have quietly made a drastic change to their frequent flier programs. They're now more likely to award points based on how much you spend—not how far you fly. That means your typical economy-class ticket earns fewer miles than it used to, especially for long-distance travel.

So what's the new secret to racking up hundreds of miles? Sign up for credit cards that maximize your reward points. Here’s how to get the most out of your spending. 

Upgrade Your Rewards Card

Travel rewards credit cards earn points for every purchase you make. Those points act as currency that you can redeem for hotel stays, flights, and cash credit. But which offer the best deals? Check Card Hub, a one-stop resource that compares annual fees and other member details, to find a card that fits your needs.

Just signing up for a card usually nets you a hefty introductory bonus. Among the best is the Citi AAdvantage Platinum Select MasterCard, which lands you 50,000 miles (or a round-trip flight to Europe or South America) if you spend $3,000 within three months. Capital One Venture Rewards and Chase Sapphire Preferred each give you 40,000 points once you've charged $3,000 in purchases. With Capital One, that’s worth $400 in travel credit; Chase gives you a $500 travel allowance. So 40,000 points equals $400 or $500 (in travel rewards) depending on which company you go with. 

Loyalty Has Its Rewards

If you live near an airline’s hub, get a card that earns points with that carrier. You get more miles per dollar if you pay for the airline's flight with its propietary card. Say you have United’s MileagePlus Explorer card and charge a $450 United ticket on that card. You’ll earn 900 miles. Book the same flight on Delta with that card, and you’ll only receive 450 miles.

Spend Wisely

After the introductory bonus, your purchases earn points per dollar spent. Capital One bestows the miles liberally, giving you two points per dollar no matter what you buy. But Chase distinguishes between travel and dining (two points per dollar) and everything else (one point per dollar).

To eek out maximum mileage, check to see if you can buy what you want through your credit card’s shopping portal (it’s an online store found on an airline’s website), which generally yields a bigger reward than buying direct from the retailer.

Most airline and reward credit cards make deals with certain stores to give shoppers multiple miles for every dollar spent, rather than the 1:1 you typically earn. On Delta’s Sky Miles Shopping site, you can buy from brands such as Backcountry.com (three miles per dollar), Mountain Hardwear (three miles per dollar) and Nike (six miles per dollar). Electronics, sporting gear, pet supplies, newspaper subscriptions—you can purchase almost everything on your list through shopping portals. Sign up for the Wall Street Journal through Southwest’s Rapid Rewards shopping site, and you get 1,400 reward points.

Be sure to browse the portal’s site for any holiday promotions. For example, from November 1 through November 23, Rapid Rewards Shopping is giving away 300 bonus points for every $175 you spend (up to 1,200 points max).

Contributed by Kelly Bastone

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