How to Get Cheaper United Award Prices: XN, Savers

United MileagePlus is a key loyalty program within the factors and miles world, and it is not simply because United Airways is likely one of the largest U.S. airways. United is a switch accomplice of Chase Final Rewards®, Bilt Rewards and several other resort loyalty packages — making it straightforward to rack up United miles. Plus, United’s redemption charges can supply compelling worth, significantly on United flights.
Nonetheless, not all MileagePlus members are handled the identical in terms of award pricing. The MileagePlus program offers expanded award availability to each Premier elite standing holders and eligible United co-branded bank card holders.
Using this expanded award area could make the distinction between reserving the most affordable United awards and doubtlessly much-higher (and fewer precious) award charges. Let’s check out the methods you may get expanded award availability and discover among the least expensive United routes.
Who will get expanded award availability
United provides expanded award availability to 2 sorts of MileagePlus members: cardholders of eligible United MileagePlus playing cards and United Premier elite standing members.
United co-branded bank card holders
For many vacationers, holding an eligible United co-branded bank card goes to be the simplest strategy to get entry to expanded award availability.
United does not publish a listing of the MileagePlus co-branded bank cards that include this perk. Nonetheless, a Chase consultant confirmed to BaghdadTime that every one United co-branded playing cards with annual charges have expanded award availability.
Listed below are the United playing cards with expanded award availability:
Sadly, cardholders of the $0-annual-fee United Gateway℠ Card aren’t eligible to get expanded award availability.
United Premier elites
All United Premier elite members are eligible for the expanded United award availability. And, so far as we are able to inform, the provision and award charges are the identical whether or not you are an entry-level Silver elite or a top-tier 1K elite member.
Word that you simply would possibly be capable to get United Premier elite standing even when you have not flown United shortly. Marriott Bonvoy Titanium Elite and Ambassador Elite members can register to get United Premier Silver elite standing by Marriott’s partnership with United.
How expanded award availability works
Gaining access to expanded award availability could make an enormous distinction within the variety of miles you’d pay for a similar award flights. Let’s check out a few examples.
Household journey to Hawaii
Say you reside in Houston and need to take a household journey to Honolulu over Thanksgiving. United provides a nonstop flight from George Bush Intercontinental Airport to Honolulu. Nonetheless, United can cost some steep costs to fly on this route. Once we priced it out, United was charging MileagePlus members 41,500 miles per individual to fly most days of Thanksgiving week.

Nonetheless, United Premier elites and co-branded cardholders can guide awards on this route for simply 22,500 miles per individual most days of Thanksgiving week. And that pricing is not only for the eligible MileagePlus member.
United applies the identical award pricing to all vacationers. On this case, every day had availability for at the very least 4 passengers at this diminished fee.

At this pricing, getting United expanded award availability saves you 19,000 United miles per passenger on simply this one-way flight. For a household of 4, that is a financial savings of 76,000 miles — a technique.
BaghdadTime’s baseline worth for United miles is 1 cent per mile, that means you are saving at the very least $760 price of miles simply by being an eligible United co-branded cardholder or Premier elite.
Nonstop flight to Paris
Who does not love flying nonstop to their vacation spot? Airways know that and might value nonstop flights accordingly. That is one time when having expanded award availability can actually turn out to be useful.
For instance, let’s think about a visit for 2 from San Francisco to Paris. Nonstop award availability is difficult to seek out on this route — particularly throughout peak summer season journey season. In truth, after we searched, not a single date had saver award availability in June 2022. Each single date was priced at 70,000 miles per individual a technique.

Nonetheless, United cardholders and Premier elites can guide nonstop awards on this route for simply 60,000 spherical journey. That is lower than the variety of miles common members must pay for only a one-way award.

The identical precise San Francisco to Paris flights that eligible members can guide for 60,000 miles spherical journey prices a common United MileagePlus member 137,300 miles spherical journey.
The way to discover United expanded award availability
Discovering the most affordable United awards is about so simple as it will get. All that you must do to see this further award availability is log into your United MileagePlus account when performing an award search.
Nerdy tip: Gaining access to expanded award availability does not assure that there will likely be saver award availability. So, simply since you do not discover cheaper awards on a specific flight does not imply that there is a difficulty.
So long as you’ve got Premier elite standing or an eligible United co-branded bank card tied to your MileagePlus account, it’s best to get entry to the most affordable United awards obtainable everytime you seek for awards on United’s web site.
If you wish to get technical in your award search, you’ll be able to allow “professional mode” on United’s web site. This may help you see if there’s expanded award availability for a specific flight and see what number of seats can be found at this fee.
To allow, go into your United account preferences and open the “Particular preferences & lodging” part. Go to the underside of the part and verify the field to “Allow professional mode.” Then, choose the save button immediately beneath it.

This performance provides you with extra visibility into the variety of further award seats which might be obtainable to flyers for any given flight.
United economic system XN vs. United economic system X codes
When you allow professional mode, carry out a standard/money flight search — award searches do not work — and develop the small print for the flight you are eyeing.
Right here, search for the “XN” fare code to see what number of tickets can be found to these with expanded award availability. The “X” fare class signifies what number of saver-level awards can be found to all MileagePlus members.
Nerdy tip: What’s United economic system XN? United economic system XN refers back to the variety of expanded award seats, if any, which might be obtainable on a flight for members with entry to expanded award availability.
For instance, let’s take a look at the San Francisco to Paris flight we thought-about earlier. As we noticed when looking out award charges, this flight provides zero saver-level awards to common members. Nonetheless, these with expanded award availability may guide as much as eight awards at saver-level costs.

If you wish to get the most affordable United award flights …
The simplest strategy to get the most affordable United award charges is by being a cardholder of an eligible United co-branded bank card. One typically under-appreciated perk of those playing cards is that this expanded award availability on United flights.
Whilst you aren’t assured award area, this perk could be extremely useful for reserving low-cost United awards. In some circumstances, expanded award availability can imply you pay lower than half of the award fee provided to common MileagePlus members. That is a perk that may rapidly justify paying an annual payment on a United bank card.
Superior factors and miles nerds may also think about enabling United professional mode of their MileagePlus account in order that they’ll view XN and X award availability forward of reserving.
The way to maximize your rewards
You desire a journey bank card that prioritizes what’s vital to you. Listed below are our picks for the finest journey bank cards of 2022, together with these finest for: