The Rewards Master

There are many great shopping portals and phone apps that provide extra rewards for people willing to put in the time to learn and use them. Most airlines have shopping portals that shoppers can use to earn additional air miles, and several credit card providers have portals where rebates can be exchanged for retail gift cards. Ratuken and similar sites provide cash refunds for products purchased through their portal, and apps like Fetch allow users to upload receipts from almost every purchase to accumulate reward points that can be exchanged for gift cards. All such apps and portals are super-powered for the reward hunter because the rewards they provide are in addition to the points or cash-back shoppers earn with their credit cards.

Yet, in my experience, one program stands out above the rest of the pack: the United Airlines MileagePlus X app. United may not be the airline of choice for every flyer. Delta often has better customer service, American makes it easier to obtain status (even without flying), and Southwest provides more for the infrequent traveler (ie. free checked bags). But NOBODY ELSE has anything to compete with MileagePlus X. It is, simply put, the greatest multiplier of airline miles available to that average consumer, and if used correctly, can award tens of thousands of United miles per year.

The MileagePlus X app has several features that provide users with ways to earn United miles including access to MileagePlus Dining, the MileagePlus Shopping portal, and an app store with dozens of downloadable apps that earn United miles. But the real earning power of MileagePlus X is the Gift Card exchange, where hundreds of retailers, from restaurants like Applebees to big-box stores like Walmart, give users the ability to instantly purchase digital gift cards from the app. Each merchant offers a set number of miles per dollar spend, usually from 0.5 to 5 miles per dollar, that are deposited into the user’s United account almost instantly when a gift card is purchased. A digital gift card that can be used in-store or online is sent directly to the user’s phone and the app tells you exactly how many miles you earned for the purchase. The whole process takes about two minutes. Except for the occasionally bewildered waitresses and store clerks who have never seen electronic gift cards before, the process is generally quick and seamless.

The amount of potential United miles is unbelievable. Many restaurants (the category I use the most) offer a staggering 5 miles per dollar spent. Therefore, someone who dines out and spends $500 a month could earn a whopping 30,000 United miles in addition to what they earn from their credit card. With United one-way saver flights often costing 12,500 miles each way, the app can provide more than a free round-trip for the same dining dollars users were already spending.

MileagePlus X is especially super-powered when combined with other reward-earning tools; particularly credit cards and restaurant rewards. Most of the restaurant chains included in the program have their own rewards programs that can be combined with MileagePlus X and your credit card rewards for some nearly unbelievable values. I have found many of the programs, including Steak and Shake, Applebees, and TGI Fridays, to provide outstanding rewards.

For example, one of the best I’ve found is O’Charleys Bar and Grill. Their reward program focuses on visits rather than spending and gives a $7 reward credit after three visits. My local O’Charleys has a Monday special on their app for a chicken nacho plate for $5. I ordered the nachos three Mondays in a row on the app and paid the bill with a MileagePlus X gift card I purchased with my Citi Prestige MasterCard. With tax and a .75 tip, the bill was $6.21 each week for a total of $18.63. The return for my purchases was (I valued points based on The Points Guy’s recent valuations):

Citi Thank-You Points (5 points per dollar for dining valued at 1.8 cents each) –  $1.67

United miles through the app (5 miles per dollar valued at 1.21 cents each) – $1.13

O’Charleys reward (for three visits/orders) – $7.00

Total Return on $18.63 of spending – $9.80

This constitutes a total return of almost 53%.

Now, to be fair, this example is an extreme case, but several other restaurants also result in great rewards value. The Citi Prestige card is no longer available to new applicants, but several other cards offer great dining rewards, including the Chase Sapphire Preferred card (3x points on dining. Click on the link below for more information on the Chase Sapphire Preferred or to apply for the card.

MileagePlus X is not limited to restaurants. It has a wide variety of retailers in the program, including American Eagle, Walmart, Lowes, and Home Depot. Most of the retailers don’t offer the same rewards rate as the restaurants (although some clothing retailers do); usually providing 0.5-2.0 miles per dollar. However, large purchases can still be very lucrative. When I recently remodeled a rental house to sell, I purchased all the supplies at Lowes and Home Depot with the app and earned thousands of free United miles in addition to my credit card points.

Overall, MileagePlus X is probably my most used points and miles app. It is excellent and has produced tens of thousands of United miles for me through the years. I recommend everyone in the points and miles game, whether you are a United flyer or not, use this app whenever you can. Free miles are free miles!