Award Booking Ins and Outs: United Airlines

United Airlines

General Rules

• Can you do a stopover on a one-way ticket? No
• Can you do a stopover on a roundtrip ticket? Yes
• Is a stopover allowed anywhere en route? Yes
• Is an open-jaw routing allowed? Yes
• Is a double open-jaw routing allowed? Yes
• Is a one-way award allowed? Yes
• Is a stopover and open-jaw allowed? Yes
• What is the maximum segments on a round-trip ticket? 9 successfully booked
• Can flights be changed after start of itinerary? Yes
• Are fuel surcharges imposed? No
• Award holds? Generally no, but there is a 24 hour hold if paying by Paypal. 
• Is there a phone booking fee? $25 per passenger

Routing Rules

No MPM (Maximum Permitted Mileage) rule.

• Is a US to Asia via Europe routing allowed? Yes, but limited to 3 connections each way.
• Is a US to India via Europe or other Asian regions routing allowed? Yes
• Is a US to Australia via Asia routing allowed? Yes
• Is a Domestic stopover on international awards allowed? Yes

Pros and Cons

Pros

• No surcharges on any flights
• Very generous routing rules
• Excellent website to search award space
• No fees on date changes
• Ability to stop anywhere and build in an additional leg after a round-trip (Example: IAD-LHR-IAD (stop) – SFO

Cons

• Brussels Airlines and LOT not searchable on website
• Very high cancellation fee.

Phone Number

1800-864-8331 (Hours: 24/7)

Transfer Partners

Chase UR 1:1 (Instant Transfer)
SPG 2:1