United Airlines Mileage Calculator

United Airlines Mileage Calculator

Use this calculator to estimate the redeemable award miles, Premier Qualifying Miles (PQM), Premier Qualifying Segments (PQS), and Premier Qualifying Dollars (PQD) you could earn on a United Airlines flight. Mileage earning rates depend on several factors, including the flight distance, your ticket's fare class, and your MileagePlus elite status level.

function calculateUnitedMiles() { var flightDistance = parseFloat(document.getElementById('flightDistance').value); var fareClass = document.getElementById('fareClass').value; var unitedStatus = document.getElementById('unitedStatus').value; var baseFare = parseFloat(document.getElementById('baseFare').value); if (isNaN(flightDistance) || flightDistance <= 0) { document.getElementById('result').innerHTML = 'Please enter a valid flight distance.'; return; } if (isNaN(baseFare) || baseFare < 0) { document.getElementById('result').innerHTML = 'Please enter a valid base fare.'; return; } var awardMileEarningRate = 0; var pqmEarningRate = 0; var pqsEarningRate = 1; // Usually 1 PQS per segment // Fare Class Earning Rates (simplified for example) switch (fareClass) { case 'basic_economy': awardMileEarningRate = 0; // Basic Economy typically earns no award miles pqmEarningRate = 0; // Basic Economy typically earns no PQM pqsEarningRate = 0; // Basic Economy typically earns no PQS break; case 'discount_economy': awardMileEarningRate = 0.50; // 50% of distance pqmEarningRate = 1.00; // 100% of distance break; case 'standard_economy': awardMileEarningRate = 1.00; // 100% of distance pqmEarningRate = 1.00; // 100% of distance break; case 'premium_economy': awardMileEarningRate = 1.50; // 150% of distance pqmEarningRate = 1.50; // 150% of distance break; case 'business': awardMileEarningRate = 2.00; // 200% of distance pqmEarningRate = 2.00; // 200% of distance break; case 'first': awardMileEarningRate = 2.00; // 200% of distance pqmEarningRate = 2.00; // 200% of distance break; } var eliteBonusMultiplier = 0; // Elite Status Bonus Multipliers (for Award Miles only) switch (unitedStatus) { case 'general_member': eliteBonusMultiplier = 0; // No bonus break; case 'premier_silver': eliteBonusMultiplier = 0.40; // 40% bonus break; case 'premier_gold': eliteBonusMultiplier = 0.60; // 60% bonus break; case 'premier_platinum': eliteBonusMultiplier = 0.80; // 80% bonus break; case 'premier_1k': eliteBonusMultiplier = 1.20; // 120% bonus break; case 'global_services': eliteBonusMultiplier = 1.20; // 120% bonus (often higher, but 1K is a good benchmark) break; } // Calculate Award Miles var baseAwardMiles = flightDistance * awardMileEarningRate; var eliteBonusMiles = baseAwardMiles * eliteBonusMultiplier; var totalAwardMiles = baseAwardMiles + eliteBonusMiles; // Calculate Premier Qualifying Miles (PQM) var premierQualifyingMiles = flightDistance * pqmEarningRate; // Calculate Premier Qualifying Segments (PQS) var premierQualifyingSegments = pqsEarningRate; // Assuming 1 segment for this calculation // Calculate Premier Qualifying Dollars (PQD) // PQD is generally the base fare of the ticket, excluding taxes and fees. var premierQualifyingDollars = baseFare; var resultHtml = '

Estimated Earnings:

'; resultHtml += 'Total Award Miles: ' + Math.round(totalAwardMiles).toLocaleString() + ' miles'; resultHtml += 'Premier Qualifying Miles (PQM): ' + Math.round(premierQualifyingMiles).toLocaleString() + ' PQM'; resultHtml += 'Premier Qualifying Segments (PQS): ' + premierQualifyingSegments.toLocaleString() + ' PQS'; resultHtml += 'Premier Qualifying Dollars (PQD): $' + premierQualifyingDollars.toLocaleString() + ' PQD'; document.getElementById('result').innerHTML = resultHtml; } .united-mileage-calculator-container { font-family: 'Segoe UI', Tahoma, Geneva, Verdana, sans-serif; background-color: #f9f9f9; border: 1px solid #ddd; border-radius: 8px; padding: 25px; max-width: 600px; margin: 20px auto; box-shadow: 0 4px 12px rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.08); color: #333; } .united-mileage-calculator-container h2 { color: #0057a3; /* United Blue */ text-align: center; margin-bottom: 20px; font-size: 26px; } .united-mileage-calculator-container p { font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.6; margin-bottom: 15px; } .calculator-form .form-group { margin-bottom: 18px; } .calculator-form label { display: block; margin-bottom: 8px; font-weight: bold; color: #555; font-size: 15px; } .calculator-form input[type="number"], .calculator-form select { width: calc(100% – 22px); padding: 12px; border: 1px solid #ccc; border-radius: 5px; font-size: 16px; box-sizing: border-box; background-color: #fff; transition: border-color 0.3s ease; } .calculator-form input[type="number"]:focus, .calculator-form select:focus { border-color: #007bff; outline: none; box-shadow: 0 0 0 2px rgba(0, 123, 255, 0.25); } .calculator-form button { background-color: #e0162b; /* United Red */ color: white; padding: 14px 25px; border: none; border-radius: 5px; cursor: pointer; font-size: 18px; font-weight: bold; display: block; width: 100%; margin-top: 25px; transition: background-color 0.3s ease, transform 0.2s ease; } .calculator-form button:hover { background-color: #c21225; transform: translateY(-2px); } .calculator-result { margin-top: 30px; padding: 20px; background-color: #eaf6ff; /* Light blue background for results */ border: 1px solid #b3d9ff; border-radius: 8px; font-size: 16px; color: #004085; } .calculator-result h3 { color: #0057a3; margin-top: 0; margin-bottom: 15px; font-size: 22px; text-align: center; } .calculator-result p { margin-bottom: 10px; font-size: 17px; } .calculator-result p strong { color: #003366; }

Understanding United MileagePlus Earnings

United Airlines' MileagePlus program allows travelers to earn miles that can be redeemed for flights, upgrades, and other travel benefits. The number of miles you earn on a flight isn't just a simple calculation of distance; it's influenced by several key factors:

1. Flight Distance

For many fare classes, the base for earning Premier Qualifying Miles (PQM) is the actual distance flown. For redeemable award miles, while historically distance-based, United has largely shifted to a revenue-based earning model for award miles for flights on United and United Express. However, for partner airlines and certain fare classes, distance still plays a role. Our calculator focuses on the traditional distance-based model for PQM and a hybrid for award miles, where fare class multipliers are applied to distance.

2. Fare Class (Booking Code)

The fare class of your ticket (represented by a letter like Y, B, M, E, U, H, Q, V, W, S, L, K, G, T, N for Economy, or J, C, D, Z, P for Business, F, A for First) significantly impacts your earning rate. More expensive, flexible tickets in premium cabins generally earn a higher percentage of miles, sometimes even more than 100% of the flight distance, while basic economy tickets often earn no miles at all.

3. MileagePlus Elite Status

Your elite status level with United MileagePlus (Premier Silver, Gold, Platinum, 1K, Global Services) provides a bonus on the redeemable award miles you earn. This bonus is applied on top of the base miles earned from your fare class. For example, a Premier 1K member earns 120% more award miles than a general member on the same flight.

• General Member: No bonus
• Premier Silver: 40% bonus
• Premier Gold: 60% bonus
• Premier Platinum: 80% bonus
• Premier 1K: 120% bonus
• Global Services: 120% bonus (or higher, depending on specific rules)

4. Base Fare (for Premier Qualifying Dollars – PQD)

Premier Qualifying Dollars (PQD) are a revenue-based metric crucial for achieving elite status. PQD are earned based on the base fare of your ticket, excluding taxes, fees, and surcharges. This means the actual cost of your ticket (before government-imposed charges) directly translates into PQD, regardless of flight distance or fare class.

Types of Miles and Points You Earn:

• Award Miles: These are the redeemable miles you can use for free flights, upgrades, and other rewards. For flights on United and United Express, these are primarily earned based on the ticket price and your elite status. For flights on most partner airlines, they are still earned based on distance and fare class. Our calculator uses a distance-based approach with fare class multipliers for simplicity and broader applicability.
• Premier Qualifying Miles (PQM): PQM are earned based on the flight distance and your fare class. They are one of the metrics used to qualify for MileagePlus elite status. Higher fare classes and premium cabins often earn more than 100% of the flight distance as PQM.
• Premier Qualifying Segments (PQS): PQS are earned for each flight segment flown. Typically, one segment equals one PQS, regardless of distance, though some fare classes (like Basic Economy) may not earn PQS. PQS are another metric for elite status qualification.
• Premier Qualifying Dollars (PQD): PQD are earned based on the base fare of your ticket (excluding taxes and fees). These are a mandatory component for achieving Premier status.

How to Use the Calculator:

1. Flight Distance: Enter the approximate distance of your flight in miles. You can often find this information using online flight distance tools.
2. Fare Class: Select the fare class that matches your ticket. This is usually a single letter found on your booking confirmation or e-ticket.
3. MileagePlus Status: Choose your current United MileagePlus elite status level.
4. Base Fare: Input the base fare of your ticket in USD. This is the cost of the ticket before any government taxes and fees are added.
5. Click "Calculate Miles" to see your estimated earnings.

Example Calculation:

Let's say you're a Premier Gold member flying 2,500 miles on a Standard Economy ticket (fare class 'S') with a base fare of $400.

• Flight Distance: 2,500 miles
• Fare Class: Standard Economy (100% Award Miles, 100% PQM)
• MileagePlus Status: Premier Gold (60% Award Miles bonus)
• Base Fare: $400

Award Miles:

• Base Award Miles: 2,500 miles * 1.00 (Standard Economy) = 2,500 miles
• Elite Bonus: 2,500 miles * 0.60 (Premier Gold) = 1,500 miles
• Total Award Miles: 2,500 + 1,500 = 4,000 miles

Premier Qualifying Miles (PQM):

• PQM: 2,500 miles * 1.00 (Standard Economy) = 2,500 PQM

Premier Qualifying Segments (PQS):

• PQS: 1 PQS (for one flight segment)

Premier Qualifying Dollars (PQD):

• PQD: $400 PQD (equal to the base fare)

This calculator provides an estimate. Always refer to United's official MileagePlus terms and conditions for the most accurate and up-to-date earning rules, as they can change.