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Our pick for use with the United dining program: United℠ Explorer Card
40,000-mile
Signup bonus after spending $2,000 in first 3 months
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The United dining program could be a great option if you’re a United Airlines frequent-flyer and are looking to earn extra miles. You’ll find some of the highest rewards rates out there with this program.
The program lets you earn United Airlines miles on dining at over 10,000 participating locations. Depending on your membership level, you can earn up to 5x miles on your entire transaction, including tax and tip.
That’s up to 10,000 additional miles if you spend $2,000 annually on dining at participating locations. A one-way saver award within continental US on United Airlines can be redeemed for 10,000 miles. This is a solid reward, considering you can earn roundtrip flight within the US just by dining outside.
There are three membership tiers within the United dining program. To get the highest value per dollar, you need VIP membership.
| Membership level | VIP member | Select member | Member |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles you earn per dollar | 5 miles | 3 miles | 0.5 miles |
| Requirements to reach membership level | Subscribe your email to get promotions from the program and make 11 transactions at participating locations in a calendar year. | Subscribe your email to get promotional materials. | Sign up for the program without subscribing for promotional emails. |
Find out how to earn additional United Airlines miles and how to redeem United Airlines miles for best value.
To sign up for the United dining program, you need a United MileagePlus membership, which is free. Here’s how it works:
Can I have more than one card linked to a dining program? Yes, you can have multiple credit or debit cards linked to your United dining program. This can be helpful if you happen to use the wrong card to pay at the restaurant. However, you can’t have the same card linked to another dining program at the same time. For example, you can link your Chase Sapphire Preferred card to the United dining program, but you can’t link it to AAdvantage dining program at the same time.
All three United Airlines cards let you earn 2x miles at restaurants. That’s on top of the 5x miles you earn as a VIP member within the United dining program. When you redeem miles for United Airlines flights, these 7x miles actually come as a 10.5% back on average.
To get the best value, though, consider the Chase Sapphire Reserve® card where you earn 3x points on dining. You can transfer your points in a 1:1 ratio to United miles. With the 3x miles as a VIP member, that’s 8x miles earned or an average value of 12% back.
The United dining program comes with an intro bonus of up to 2,500 miles, which you can earn within the first 30 days of program membership. The bonus is divided into two parts:
More than 10,000 restaurants, clubs and bars participate in the United dining program. Below are some of the more popular options based on the number of reviews:
Go to the MileagePlus Dining program website and enter the city at the search bar at the top of the page. If you want to find out whether the place you frequently visit is listed there, search by its name.
The United dining program can be a great way to earn additional miles on your dining purchases. Especially if you often fly United and you dine out. With frequent visits to participating locations, you can earn up to 5x miles. This is on top of what you already earn with your credit card.
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