‘Tis the season for gifts – and that includes gift cards. Unfortunately, you may have received some gift card For those holidays you’re not too excited about. If that’s the case, we have some good news: You can replace those unwanted gift cards United MileagePlus Miles through United’s MileagePlus gift card exchange. This is how it works.
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Which gift cards are eligible for United Miles?
But MileagePlus Gift Card Exchange Landing PageBelow is a link to the “Gift Card Retailer List”. The list currently includes more than 30 retailers like Best Buy, Sears, Starbucks and Walmart.
However, note that some traders on this list may not actually be available for exchange on the website. There are also some merchants available for exchange that are not on the list, including The North Face and HP.
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Is it worth exchanging gift cards?
United has a chart listing “minimum award miles awarded,” which might trick you into thinking that some options offer miles at more than these rates. But we checked dozens of different merchants, and the mileage offer was the same for each.
Regardless of the chart, you’re not limited to $25, $50 and $100 gift cards. According to the homepage, you can exchange gift cards with a minimum balance of at least $15. However, some merchants have higher minimum balances, such as $50 at The North Face. If your balance is too low, a red box with the minimum will pop up when you click “Get Mileage Offer”.
Based on what we’ve gathered, the number of miles offered is the gift card value multiplied by 26.6, rounded up to the nearest 10 miles. This comes out to between 3.70 and 3.76 cents per mile, depending on how much you are trading for. For example:
- $15 gift card equivalent to 400 United miles (3.75 cents per mile)
- $20 gift card equal to 540 United miles (3.70 cents per mile)
- $25 gift card equivalent to 670 United miles (3.73 cents per mile)
- $30 gift card equal to 800 United miles (3.75 cents per mile)
- $40 gift card equal to 1,070 United miles (3.74 cents per mile)
- $50 gift card equal to 1,330 United miles (3.76 cents per mile)
- $100 gift card equal to 2,660 United miles (3.76 cents per mile)
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This rate is much higher than TPG’s December 2024 Evaluation That’s 1.35 cents per United mile, which means you’re not getting a good value from your gift card. Still, if you want miles instead of gift cards, this can be a useful way to unload them.
Besides, at least United are continuing to perform well. when united is not running Buy Miles PromotionYou can buy United miles at a rate of $35 per 1,000 United miles. After taxes and fees, it works out to 3.76 cents per mile.
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Gift Card Exchange Limits
To sell gift cards through the MileagePlus Gift Card Exchange, your MileagePlus account must be open for at least 90 days and have a positive balance on the account. This means that you cannot exchange your gift card for miles if you do not have any miles in your account.
But if your account is empty, don’t worry: There are several easy ways to earn United miles without flying, such as through MileagePlus shopping portal Or MileagePlus Dining Program,
Although the site may give you quotes for $10 gift cards at certain merchants, the terms and conditions state that “accepted gift cards must have a minimum balance on the card of $15 and are the maximum amount that can be charged.” It also appears that the exchange will only accept gift cards up to $100.
If you decide to sell a gift card through the MileagePlus gift card exchange, the miles should arrive in your United account within five business days.
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ground level
Although you’re not going to get the best value from exchanging a gift card for United Miles, it’s nice to have the option to exchange an unwanted gift card for something more useful. If you need United miles for an upcoming redemption, a MileagePlus gift card exchange may come in handy. Built Rewards points and chase the ultimate rewards points, and they have a qualifying gift card. If your only other option is to buy United miles, you may want to ditch the gift card — especially if it’s a card you won’t use anytime soon.
On the other hand, if United redemptions aren’t what you have in mind, it may be worth checking online for another gift card exchange program (such as cardcash) that may give you a better rate.
