70,000+ United bonus miles with credit card strategy (Continental, too)
If you’re new to earning United miles with a credit card, you can build up your United Mileage Plus account balance quickly with bonus mile offers that can earn you 70,000+ miles. It starts with applying for both the United Explorer and Chase Sapphire Preferred credit cards. But first, here’s some background…
You can apply for multiple cards to get the bonus mile offers. Chase, the bank behind all United Airlines credit cards, is generally okay with considering applications that happen about one month or more apart, so you can apply for multiple bonus mile offers each year. Just note you can only get one bonus offer per individual card (i.e. only one United Explorer bonus in your history). There are no explicit limits on the number of cards you can hold with them, but you may sometimes be asked to reduce the credit line on one card to support a new one. If you are initially denied, their ‘reconsideration hotline’ can work with you to shift lines around. That number is 888-245-0625.
The Chase Sapphire Preferred is among the best for everyday spending to earn United miles. A lot of people don’t know it, but the Chase Sapphire Preferred earns United miles. It offers 2x points on all travel and dining purchases, including things like taxis and parking — something no United card currently being marketed does. It earns ‘Ultimate Rewards’ points which you can instantly transfer 1:1 into anyone’s United or Continental mileage account at any time with no fee. No other United credit card currently accepting new applications has higher day to day earning power because of the 2x bonus, so keep this at the front of your wallet.
Here’s our strategy for racking up 70,000+ miles quickly….without paying an annual fee….
- Apply for the United Explorer (30-50,000 miles). This credit card offers 25,000 miles after your first purchase, another 5,000 for adding someone else as an additional cardholder. If you spend $25,000 in any one year, you earn another 10,000 miles. Note that Chase has been floating a 50,000 mile offer for the credit card that you might be eligible for. After getting approved for the smaller offer, you can send them a secure message from your account login at Chase.com to request the higher 50,000 miles bonus. Just make sure you do it within 90 days of approval.
- Get the Chase Sapphire Preferred (40,000 miles). Wait about a month after getting the United card, then apply for the Chase Sapphire Preferred. The sign on bonus here is 40,000 points after spending $3,000 in the first 3 months. This card transfers miles 1:1 into United accounts instantly, and earns 2x points on all dining and travel purchases (even things like cab rides and parking fees). You’ll want to use this card for your everyday spending to maximize the ability to earn United miles.
That’s 70,000 - 90,000 United miles over a few months. Both cards waive their annual fees the first year.
The Sapphire Preferred is the better one all around for earning via spending — the 2x bonus on dining/travel can’t be beat. But if you’re not an elite flyer, you’ll probably want to keep the United Explorer for the free checked bag and priority boarding it offers. 2 flights a year with a checked bag more than pay for the annual fee.
To double your rewards, consider having your spouse apply for the credit cards as well if he/she does a fair amount of independent spending.
For aggressive bonus mile seekers…especially those with businesses, after doing the above consider…
- Apply for the Ink Bold from Chase (50,000 miles). This is a credit card designed for small business owners and like the Sapphire Preferred earns Ultimate Rewards points you can transfer to United. However, most small business owners are not incorporated and have little/no revenue . So, many people with ‘micro’ businesses (read: very, very part time if at all) apply for business credit cards. Some even do it before having a business up and running. Your personal credit history is what is used to determine eligibility for the card, so this is an option to earn more miles after finishing the above. The spending threshold here is high — $10,000 within the first 3 months of opening the account.
- Apply for a United Explorer business credit card (25-50,000 miles). The rule on ‘one bonus per credit card’ doesn’t apply to having a bonus from both the consumer and business version of cards. So, you can apply for the business version of the United Explorer even if you have the consumer card. And again, you can send a message to Chase via your Chase.com login to request a bump up to a higher 50,000 mile intro offer that has been floating around.
So, you have the potential to earn almost 200,000 United miles over the course of a year if you apply for all cards — the Chase Sapphire Preferred, United Explorer, the Ink Bold from Chase, and the United Explorer for business.
And you’ll end up with card’s you’ll want to keep. The Chase Sapphire Preferred should be ‘go to’ for a lot of spending, and the United Explorer’s bag fee savings are likely to add up.
Also note if you have an older United card like the United Select Visa, you can retain that card and its features — they won’t cancel that account out if you apply online.
When I inquired recently you advised I get the Sapphire Preferred first as I expressed interest in both cards. Do you maintain I stick to that order of attack? (I am eligible for the higher offer from United per following your hyperlink btw.)
Additionally, what are the most efficient ways to attain the $25,000 spending requirement? If I follow your suggested schedule I will have between the end of February and December to do this (if I remember correctly I’d read that the “year” really just means through the first calendar-year-end of ownership. Hope I’m wrong!).
@Rusty- Yes, would recommend getting the Sapphire Preferred first. For the United card, to get to $25,000 per year some things that can help include using the card to buy gift cards, using Amazon Payments to send family up to $1,000 per month, which can be resent back to you, and making sure you get all your ongoing bill set to autopay on the card.
Interesting post. I picked up the Cont OnePass card back in August when they emailed me it for 50K, then just recently applied & approved for the SapphirePref card for another 50K. I have a legitimate (according to IRS) small business (really more of a hobby), so I think I’ll try to add the Ink Bold card sometime in 1st Q of 2012 for another 50K. Getting 150,000 in points for just 3 cards seems pretty amazing to me!
My wife still has the old United Select Visa, which seems to have better 2X and 3X earnings than any of the current cards, even the Sapphire Preferred. Do we need to do anything to keep this card? I’d hate for it to be converted to lesser earnings….
Thanks
@tgienger – Good work. You don’t need to do anything to keep that United Select Visa — just don’t let your wife apply for an Explorer card. They are grandfathering the old Select for any existing cardholders.
But if you really want to rack up points, consider having your wife apply for the Sapphire Preferred as well. You can combine Sapphire points across accounts, or just deposit them in a common Mileage Plus account.
Also, we heard Chase may be changing the offer on the Ink Bold next week; hopefully it’s not reduced, but stay tuned.