United is releasing new award discounts every day this week

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United Airlines is running an award sale that allows United MileagePlus members to score flights to a different destination every day until Friday.

The airline is kicking things off with economy award fares to Australia that start at 45,000 miles (plus taxes and fees) each way. The award redemption will drop to 40,000 miles (plus taxes and fees) if you have a United Chase card.

Remember that nonstop flights from the U.S. to Australia take upward of 15 hours; the travel time will be even longer if you need to connect. Some travelers may feel this is too long to sit in an economy seat.

That said, if you're happy to fly economy, this isn't a terrible deal — United redemptions to Australia usually cost around 80,000 miles. We do, however, anticipate that you may see even better deals to different destinations released throughout the week.

Today's deal basics

Airline: United Airlines

Routes: Los Angeles and San Francisco to Sydney or Melbourne, Australia; Houston to Sydney; additional options with stops from most other U.S. airports

How to book: Directly through United's website

Book by: Aug. 5, 2024

Travel dates: Aug. 5, 2024, to March 31, 2025

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With this deal, United MileagePlus members will find flights from the U.S. to Australia for 45,000 miles (plus taxes and fees). Those with a United credit card can save even more, with options starting from 40,000 miles (plus taxes and fees).

Availability is widespread across most routes except travel between Dec. 19, 2024, and Jan. 9, 2025.

Sample flights

United flies the following nonstop routes from the U.S. to Australia:

• Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) to Melbourne Airport (MEL) in Australia
• LAX to Sydney Airport (SYD)
• San Francisco International Airport (SFO) to MEL
• SFO to SYD
• Houston's George Bush Intercontinental Airport (IAH) to SYD

We're seeing good availability across each of these routes throughout the year.

Flights originating or changing at LAX and SFO are the most widely available, while IAH flights are somewhat more limited until November.

It's also possible to fly from other U.S. airports with a connecting flight at LAX, SFO or IAH for the same number of miles.

Maximize your purchase

For this particular award sale, you can get the best award fares if you're a United Chase cardholder. United has several cobranded cards with Chase to choose from. Here are some of our favorites:

• United℠ Explorer Card: Earns 2 miles per dollar spent on dining, hotel stays and United purchases, plus 1 mile per dollar spent on all other purchases
• United Club℠ Infinite Card: Earns 4 miles per dollar spent on United purchases, 2 miles per dollar spent on all other travel and dining purchases and 1 mile per dollar spent on all other purchases
• United Quest℠ Card: Earns 3 miles per dollar spent on United purchases; 2 miles per dollar spent on dining, select streaming services and other travel purchases; and 1 mile per dollar spent on all other purchases

If you don't hold a United Chase credit card, you could also maximize your points earning by using another credit card that earns bonus points on airfare purchases, such as:

• Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card: 2 points per dollar spent on travel
• American Express® Gold Card: 3 points per dollar spent on airfare when booked directly with the airline or through amextravel.com
• The Platinum Card® from American Express: 5 points per dollar spent on airfare when booked directly with the airline or through American Express Travel (on up to $500,000 of these purchases per calendar year, then 1 point per dollar)
• Chase Sapphire Reserve®: 3 points per dollar spent on travel

Bottom line

United is releasing award fare deals this week for United MileagePlus members, with additional discounts available to United Chase cardmembers. The carrier has kicked things off with discounted economy award fares to Australia that start at 40,000 miles for United Chase cardmembers or 45,000 miles for United MileagePlus members without a United credit card. Keep an eye on this page for further deals throughout the week.

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