TPG values United miles at 1.3 cents each. That’s about an average valuation for a major U.S. airline mileage currency. When United switched to more dynamic award prices, some awards got more expensive while others during less popular periods got less expensive. Overall, this made the miles a bit less valuable, especially for those who like to use miles during peak travel periods or to fly in the fancy seats up front.
However, there are still tremendous award values to be had with United miles. For example, we recently locked in awards from Houston (IAH) to Orange County (SNA) for 7,000 miles each way and lie-flat seats to Hawaii for 60,000 miles each. Even in the good seats, partner award flights are still priced at relatively fixed amounts, so you can fly to Europe, Asia, Australia, and beyond in first or business class on partners for pretty static numbers of United miles.
For inspiration, here are some of the best ways to use United miles.