All-New Ultimate Guide to United Airlines Miles: Part 7 – Converting Flexible Points to United Airlines Miles

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Transfer Flexible Points to United Airlines

United Airlines miles are a valuable way to travel the world, allowing you to book United Airlines award flights and fly on Star Alliance partner airlines like Air Canada and Lufthansa.

But even if you don’t fly United Airlines or have one of their credit cards, you can still earn lots of United Airlines miles by moving points from other programs.

It’s easy to earn United Airlines miles with flexible points, like Chase Ultimate Rewards points, or hotel points like Starwood and Marriott / Ritz-Carlton).

I’ll show you step-by-step how to transfer Chase Ultimate Rewards points and Starwood, Marriott, or Ritz-Carlton points to United Airlines.

All-New Ultimate Guide to United Airlines Miles Series Index

• Part 1 – Introduction
• Part 2 – Step-By-Step Guide to Opening an Account
• Part 3 – Navigating the Award Chart
• Part 4 – How to Search for and Book Award Seats Online
• Part 5 – How to Unlock More Available Award Seats
• Part 6 – Make the Most of the Excursionist Perk (Free One-Way!)
• Part 7 – Converting Flexible Points to United Airlines Miles
  
• Part 8 – Pitfalls of the Program

Transfer Chase Ultimate Rewards Points to United Airlines

Link:   Step-by-Step Video Guide to Transferring Chase Ultimate Rewards Points

If you collect Chase Ultimate Rewards points from cards like the Chase Sapphire Preferred Card, Chase Sapphire Reserve, or Chase Ink Business Preferred, you can move points to United Airlines at a 1:1 ratio.  And transfers are usually instant!

Here’s how to do it.

Step 1.   Login to Chase Ultimate Rewards

Link:   Chase Ultimate Rewards

First, login to Chase Ultimate Rewards.  Your username and password are the same that you use to log-in to see your online statements.

If you haven’t set-up an online account, click “Not enrolled? Sign up now.” to register.

Step 2.   Link Accounts

First click on “Transfer to Travel Partners.”  This is located in the upper-right banner.

Next, navigate to “United MileagePlus®” and click “Transfer Points” to link your United Airlines account.

Then, select the name on the United Airlines account.  You can only select your name or the name of one authorized card holder at the same address on your Chase account.  If you’re transferring points from a business card (like the Chase Ink Business Preferred), you can only transfer points to yourself or a company owner who is also an authorized user.

Finally, enter your United Airlines account number.  This information will be saved for future transfers.

Step 3.   Transfer Your Chase Ultimate Rewards Points

Enter the number of points you want to transfer to United Airlines in 1,000-point increments and click “Continue.”  The minimum number of points you can transfer is 1,000.  Typically, Chase Ultimate Rewards points transfer instantly to United Airlines.

Remember, once you transfer Chase Ultimate Rewards points, you will NOT be able to get them back.  So transfer only the points you need.

Transfer Starwood Points to United Airlines

While you can transfer Starwood points to United Airlines, the ratio is unfavorable at 2:1.

However, with the impending Starwood-Marriott hotels merger, you can transfer Starwood points to Marriott / Ritz-Carlton points at a 1:3 ratio.  This means for every 10,000 Starwood points you transfer, you’ll get 30,000 Marriott / Ritz-Carlton Rewards points.  And Marriott / Ritz-Carlton points transfer to United Airlines at a better ratio.

It’s easy to instantly transfer Starwood points to Marriott / Ritz-Carlton points.

Step 1.   Link Starwood and Marriott Accounts

Link:   Starwood-Marriott Account Link

First, you need to link your Starwood account with your Marriott / Ritz-Carlton account.  If you have a Ritz-Carlton account instead of a Marriott account, don’t worry!  You’ll follow the same process (they’re essentially the same rewards program but with different marketing and branding).

Visit the Starwood-Marriott account link website.  Next, login to your Starwood account.

After logging-in, you’ll see an option to link your Marriott or Ritz-Carlton account.  Select the appropriate option to start the linking process.

Next, you’ll be prompted to login to your Marriott or Ritz-Carlton Rewards account.  Finally, after logging-in, click “Finish Linking” to confirm the link.

Step 2.   Transfer Starwood Points to Marriott / Ritz-Carlton

Link:   Starwood Points Transfer

Once your accounts are linked, visit the points transfer page.  Click on “Transfer Starpoints to Marriott Rewards.”

Next, click “Transfer Starpoints to Rewards Points” to begin the transfer.

A pop-up box will appear, where you will enter the number of Starwood points you wish to transfer.  You can transfer a minimum of 1,000 Starwood points, which turns into 3,000 Marriott / Ritz-Carlton points, in multiples of 1,000 Starwood points.  After entering the number of Starwood points you want to transfer, click “Transfer Starpoints Now.”

Finally, confirm the details of your transfer and click “Complete Transfer” and the transfer will happen instantly.

Transfer Marriott / Ritz-Carlton Points to United Airlines

Marriott has a partnership with United Airlines, which gives you a 20% discount when transferring points.  Transfers start at 8,000 Marriott / Ritz-Carlton points for 2,000 United Airlines miles, up to 50,000 United Airlines miles for 112,000 Marriott / Ritz-Carlton points.

Step 1.   Start the Transfer Process

Link:   Marriott / Ritz-Carlton Airline Transfer Page

First, visit the Marriott / Ritz-Carlton airline transfer page.  Next, click “Order” beside the value of points you wish to transfer.  You’ll be prompted to login to your account.

Step 2.   Set Up the Transfer

A pop-up window will appear.  Follow these instructions to complete the transfer:

• Under “Airline / Other Program” select “United Airlines“
• Under “Frequent Flyer / Other Program Number” enter your United Airlines account number
• Click “Continue“

Next, review your transfer details and click “Submit” to finalize the transfer.  Remember that once you initiate the transfer, it’s irreversible!  The points will be deposited into your United Airlines account within a week.

If you have at least 200,000 Marriott / Ritz-Carlton Rewards points, you might consider a Hotel + Air Package, which gives you United Airlines miles and a 1-week stay at a Marriott hotel.

Bottom Line

You don’t need to fly United Airlines or have a United Airlines credit card to earn United Airlines miles!

It’s easy to earn United Airlines miles by transferring flexible points from Chase Ultimate Rewards.  Or move points from Starwood to Marriott / Ritz-Carlton, then to United Airlines.  You’ll get a better ratio that way instead of transferring points directly from Starwood.

Next, I’ll share a few pitfalls to keep in mind with the United Airlines frequent flyer program, and how to avoid them!