A couple of years ago, United introduced the ability to pool your MileagePlus miles between up to five friends or family members and then use those pooled miles to book awards. Unfortunately, it limited the awards you could book with those pooled miles to flights operated by United or United Express. Until recently, that is.
As reported by Travel on Points, United MileagePlus at some point loosened things up considerably and now allows mileage pools to book flights on “select partners,” a list that includes the vast majority of United’s partner airlines.
The News
- United MileagePlus now allows members to use their pooled miles for awards with the following partners:
- In addition, the following requirements also apply to mileage pools:
- The MileagePlus member who initiates the pool (the pool leader) must be 18+.
- A maximum of five people can be in a pool (including the pool leader).
- All members can contribute miles to the pool.
- Only the pool leader can redeem the pooled miles unless they authorize pool members to redeem them.
- You can only participate in one pool at a time.
- If you leave a pool, you lose access to the miles you contributed.
- United cardholders will receive their award discount when they book with pool miles.
- Direct Link to the United MileagePlus pooling page
Quick Thoughts
United has done a good job designing its miles-pooling feature to provide flexibility for the vast majority of its members while limiting the upside for mileage brokers. The biggest downside previously was the inability to use miles for partner awards. Now that the limitation has been almost completely removed, mileage pooling will be even more attractive for family and friends who are MileagePlus members.
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This is such a welcomed change. Rarely is having to use your UA miles on their metal the best use. This provides so much more flexibility.
That’s great news – I had already pooled some orphaned miles had 46K I think we have 13-17K left after using on a booking.
They only drawback from combing with P2 or P# is in order to book a pooled award (prior) is you couldn’t mix pooled and unpooled (you had to XFR more into the pool (IIRC takes 24hrs).
That said it may make sense to just move them all (family] into the pool, although with reluctance due to ever changing rules and lack of ability to if needed/desired to XFR to Bonvoy/etc. Not that I would but I do desire flexibility and options.
I am curious I never thought about it but can you use the Quest 10K Award discount on pooled Award bookings? Another possible reason not to combine.
The issue I have with pooled miles is that more often than I not I can’t use pooled miles on flights where I want to, all of them have been domestic direct with UA. Very frustrating…