(Reposting as March 9th is the last day to buy and/or enter)
United runs a huge operation out of Newark, and I’m always price checking their flights against those at LaGuardia and JFK, because honestly, it’s not THAT hard to get to, especially when you take the train. I’ve used United for flights to Burlington, VT and Manchester, NH most recently, and while the planes aren’t huge (I think my wingspan and that of a Commutair Q200 are roughly the same 😉 ), it’s a fast way to get home when the train won’t do.
A United Express Q200 landing at Manchester-Boston Regional Airport. Image courtesy of Jay Bowie.
(READ MORE: The cheapest and best way to get from Manhattan to Newark Airport)
Forgive the long introduction, as I wanted to set the stage for United’s newest MileagePlus promotion, where they are offering up to 75% extra points when you purchase points. Let’s take a look at what that means in terms of purchase cost.
You can take advantage of this offer through March 9, 2018, and can access the promotion here. If you buy points between now and then, you’ll also be entered into United’s sweepstakes for a chance to win 1,000,000 miles. That’s not a reason to buy points, but if you won, it would be a nice perk!
In order to get the maximum number of bonus points, I would need to purchase 85,000 United miles at minimum, netting me 148,750 miles for ~$3,198. That’s like spending 2.1 cents per point, not a superb deal. Unless I needed to top off my account, I would not speculatively buy points at this level. As a reminder, United lets you buy 150,000 points a year (inclusive of bonus points), so be careful with this promotion if you’ve already purchased points this year.
My recommendation would be to avoid this opportunity unless you need to top up your balance in order to make a redemption. If you do need to get those few extra points, it makes sense to buy at least 5,000 points, as that’s when the bonus point earning kicks in. If you do plan to take advantage of this offer, the link can be found here.
Note: the above affiliate links support this blog and our bloggers. If you choose to use these links, thank you!
This site is part of an affiliate sales network and receives compensation for sending traffic to partner sites, such as thepointsguy.com. This may impact how and where links appear on this site. Responses are not provided or commissioned by the bank advertiser. Some or all of the card offers that appear on the website are from advertisers and that compensation may impact on how and where card products appear on the site. Any opinions expressed in this post are my own, and have not been reviewed, approved, or endorsed by my advertising partners and I do not include all card companies, or all available card offers. Terms apply to American Express benefits and offers and other offers and benefits listed on this page. Enrollment may be required for select American Express benefits and offers. Visit americanexpress.com to learn more. Other links on this page may also pay me a commission - as always, thanks for your support if you use them
User Generated Content Disclosure: Points With a Crew encourages constructive discussions, comments, and questions. Responses are not provided by or commissioned by any bank advertisers. These responses have not been reviewed, approved, or endorsed by the bank advertiser. It is not the responsibility of the bank advertiser to respond to comments.
Dan Miller travels with his wife and 6 (SIX!) children. He loves to help families travel for free / cheap, especially larger families. If you are looking for help, drop him an email at 
If my Amex Gokd partner is United, would I get my $200 yearly credit if I bought miles?