The MileagePlus X app changes over time regarding what it offers with different stores and restaurants. I want to share a brief article that I’ll probably update occasionally as they change the redemptions with what I think are currently the best values available through MileagePlus X.
The first category that we’re going to look at is restaurants. There are two types of restaurants listed on the app. Sometimes there’s a bit of bleed over because some are listed in the fast-food category and others in the restaurant section. Some are listed in both places. Some are my go-to favorites all the time. In the fast food category, Steak and Shake offers incredible value when you put it together with its own rewards program and your credit card. Also, O’Charley’s is an excellent value if you use it right and don’t make massive purchases.
Additional restaurants offering pretty good rewards include Texas Roadhouse, which provides four points per dollar. I chose this one because some other restaurants offer five, but they’re not national chains; they’re more regional and located only in certain parts of the country. There’s a Texas Roadhouse in most communities, and Texas Roadhouse is probably not the best steakhouse in the world, but it’s undoubtedly good most of the time. Their bread is outstanding. You can get four United miles per dollar spent, and if you put that together with an excellent credit card with a multiplier for dining that’s high, you can get more. I use the Citi Prestige card and would link to it, but it’s no longer available for new applicants. It’s important to note that some people will go to their very best dining card, which is usually, for most card enthusiasts, the American Express Gold card. I’ve had the American Express Gold card in the past, and trying to use it with MileagePlus X often didn’t give me outsized value. With Citi and Chase, restaurant categories in MileagePlus X will code as restaurants. With the Gold card, at least when I did it before, it coded as general spending, and I only got one membership reward point per dollar. That’s just not enough. Suppose you put that together with other great cards like, for instance, the Chase Sapphire Reserve or Preferred. In that case, you’ll get three ultimate reward points per dollar through the MileagePlus X app. Some Capital One cards and some other Citi cards give excellent returns. Texas Roadhouse has an in-house rewards program, and if you sign up for that, you’ll be able to triple-dip those three together.
The same is true of a second restaurant I want to discuss, Landry’s Seafood. There are Landry’s in a lot of larger cities and tourist destinations. It’s an upscale seafood restaurant, and I’ve found it pretty good. The only time I ever eat there is in the Houston airport because my Citi Prestige card offers the priority pass version that allows restaurants. It’s near the gates for some of our flights, and we’ll go there and get $26 apiece for my wife and me. If you were going to go in and pay for your meal, you’d get 5 United miles per dollar through the MileagePlus X app plus your credit card rewards. Both of these restaurant options have excellent multipliers right now.
The next category I want to look at is fast food. You’re not going to find things like McDonald’s on the app (although Burger King just recently came onto the portal, and so did Subway), but Taco Bell, McDonald’s, Wendy’s, and other popular chains are omitted. Two options are good: McAlister’s and Moe’s Southwest Grill. They’re both part of a Mix-it-up combo, a gift card that applies to any brand within the corporate structure. They offer four miles per dollar on the app in addition to the miles that you earn with your credit card. The other restaurant I found interesting is Panda Express. If you enjoy quick Chinese food, they offer 4 points per dollar. Both of these are good redemptions for fast food options.
The next category that is good right now is the entertainment category. I always go to the movies and get extra United miles in addition to my credit card points. Movies don’t code as a restaurant, so you’ve got to choose the right card. I usually use the Blue Business Plus or the Capital One Venture X, which gives me two miles per dollar on general spending. Most movie theatres, including AMC, Regal, and Cinemark, are included on MileagePlus X. Regal is less rewarding than the others. AMC offers 3 points per dollar, and Cinemark provides 4.
The last merchants I will mention today are in the miscellaneous category. The app includes many different shops and retail organizations. Some have good redemptions, some don’t, some are everywhere, some are not, but these two are in almost every location in the United States. The first is JCPenney. I only shop a little at JCPenney, but if I need something, socks or whatever, it is an excellent option to get outsized value because JCPenney offers 5 United miles per dollar through the MileagePlus X app in addition to your credit card miles. Another option that, at first, seems like a lousy redemption is Home Depot. Home Depot gives one United mile for each dollar spent through the app. Often purchases at big-box stores are large and can cost hundreds of dollars. One point per dollar can add up when you get that in addition to your credit card rewards.
The MileagePlus X app is outstanding. I have used it for no less than five or six years now, and I have racked up hundreds of thousands of extra miles in addition to my credit cards and other means like restaurant rewards. If you’re going to use the app, try to find places that give you the absolute most bang for your buck. The ones I’ve mentioned here will provide you with some of the best value. If you search the app, you can find other great deals, so download the MileagePlus X app, connect it to your United account, and ensure you use the right card in the right place. I promise there is no downside. It takes a few extra seconds, but you’ll get outsized value.
The Rewards Master 