How to Save Money on United Airlines Flights

Are you thinking of booking a flight on United Airlines and wondering “how can I save money on this flight?”

If so, you’re a lot like me.

I try to save money on every purchase I make. This might give you visions of extreme couponing, where people dumpster dive for coupons and spend countless hours each week trying to pay as little as possible. But that’s not what I do.

I take time into consideration, as well as potential for savings. Travel, especially flights, usually consists of larger purchases. That means saving money on those purchases can result in considerable savings (without hundreds of hours of effort).

United Airlines flights are an area where I’ve been able to save thousands of dollars over the past few years. The reason why I’ve used United Airlines so much is partially because of how many places they fly to. Another reason, though, is the number of opportunities to earn miles through their rewards program that can be redeemed for flights.

I’ll go over two specific ways to save money on United Airlines flights. The first will be if you don’t have much time and need to book your flight relatively soon. The second, and more lucrative approach, will only work if your trip is further in the future.

 

If You are in a Time Crunch

 
Because of the sheer volume of flights that United Airlines flies, you should look early and often for what days/times have the cheapest flights. While airlines try to fully book flights, there will always be some routes that are more difficult to fill than other routes.

Assuming you have some flexibility around what day, or even week or month, that you leave, you should look at a number of dates and see if there is a specific day of the week or flight time that is cheaper than other flights.

This may be common sense, but I don’t think most people actually put in the effort and check different flights. You also will want to check flight prices at different times of the week. For example, many experts say that searching Tuesday afternoon or evening is when you will find the cheapest prices.

Also ask yourself how crappy of a flight are you willing to take? This may pertain more to booking reward points, but sometimes if you are willing to put up with a long layover you will be rewarded with a cheaper flight (or a flight that requires less miles).

Speaking of miles, let’s talk about the way to really save money: gaining United MileagePlus® Miles.

 

Get United Miles

 
When most people think of getting frequent flier miles they think of someone who travels for work, which allows them to rack up a bunch of miles over time. This certainly happens, but it’s not the only way to get miles.

Airlines want you to have their credit card, and it’s a win-win for everyone involved. If you get an airline credit card it typically comes with a sign-up bonus.

The thing about miles, though, is you need more of a lead time. Typically to get the sign-up bonus you will need to put a certain amount of spend on your credit card within a two, three, or four month time frame. The amount of money you need to put on the card and the specific time frame vary by credit card.

If you fly United Airlines, or would be up for flying United Airlines if you could redeem miles for flights, you should really consider getting the United Explorer Card. Currently you can get 40,000 United miles when you spend $2,000 within the first 3 months of card opening. Note that there is an annual fee of $95 that is waived for the first year.

The benefits of getting the United Explorer Card aren’t just the sign-up bonus, though. Despite the annual fee, my wife and I have both kept our United Explorer cards open for years because of the ongoing benefits. One of those perks is your first bag is checked for free for both you and a guest. And that’s not a one-time benefit, that’s whenever you book a flight and pay with your United Explorer Card.

What I love about the United MileagePlus program is that Chase Ultimate Rewards points transfer 1:1. That means if you get points from cards like the Chase Sapphire Preferred and Chase Sapphire Reserve, you can transfer whatever points you get to MileagePlus Miles.

I’ve been very happy with my United Explorer Card and flying United Airlines, not just because of the perks that come with it but also the wide network that United and it’s partners fly to. I know that more likely than not United or one of its partners fly to the destinations I’m considering.