United Airlines has announced a new miles pooling feature, enabling you to pool your miles with friends and family. It has become the first major U.S. airline to do so.
Miles pooling
United has 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.
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. 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.
said Luc Bondar, Chief Operating Officer of MileagePlus.
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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. United says that its miles pooling feature will make it easier for families to travel together. Even the youngest family members can contribute as there’s no minimum age to become a MileagePlus member.
How does it work?
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. 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.
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.
Featured image by United
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