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Editorial Disclosure
Most travelers probably head to United.com or the airline’s mobile app to book their flights.
But that’s no longer the most rewarding way to buy a United ticket.
If you want to squeeze more value out of every United purchase, there’s a better place to start.
Related: The free way to earn valuable travel points — no premium credit card required
Earn extra Bilt points for United bookings
The next time you book a United flight, skip the airline’s site and start with the newly enhanced Bilt Travel portal.
If you’re not familiar, Bilt is best known for letting renters earn points on rent payments. But the program has expanded well beyond that. Today, Bilt offers free rewards on everyday spending (no credit card required) and a full-fledged travel booking platform.
When you book through Bilt Travel, you’ll earn an extra Bilt point per dollar on top of whatever your credit card already earns.
There’s no cap, and Bilt points are highly flexible. You can redeem them through the Bilt portal or transfer them to airline and hotel partners, including United MileagePlus.
Better yet, anyone can use Bilt Travel. You don’t need the Bilt Mastercard, and Bilt membership itself is free.
If you’re not already a member, click this link to sign up for a free Bilt Rewards account in just a few minutes.
This turns every airline purchase into a double-dip opportunity: book through Bilt, earn your usual credit card points, and stack Bilt points on top.
And when it comes to United, the setup is especially compelling.
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Sign up for a free Bilt Rewards account, and start earning toward your next vacation.
Which United flights qualify?
When you search for United flights on Bilt Travel, you’ll see a new “direct book” label next to many results. These are the fares you’ll want to focus on.
Bilt now uses industry-standard NDC (New Distribution Capability) technology, which allows eligible tickets to be issued directly by United rather than through a third-party agency. According to Bilt, about 92% of United fares already support direct booking, with more expected to roll out over time.
The significant advantage: if you need to change or cancel your flight, you’ll deal directly with United, not a middleman.
Plus, because it’s a direct booking, the transaction will code on your credit card as United Airlines, meaning that if you’re using a card that earns bonus points on direct airline purchases, like the American Express Platinum Card® or the Chase Sapphire Reserve®, you’ll still earn your bonus points via the issuer (at 5x and 4x rates, respectively.)
Cobranded United MileagePlus credit cards also earn bonus miles on United flights booked directly using Bilt Travel.
(This assumes you paid cash for your ticket. If you redeemed some Bilt points, then Bilt will be the merchant that appears on your statement.)
Parting thoughts
This is a rare win-win in the points-and-miles world. You get a direct United booking and extra points for doing it.
So for your next United flight, start with Bilt Travel. It’s one of those deals that feels almost too good to be true.
Hopefully, Bilt will add more “direct book” fares on other airlines, because I’m about to start all my bookings on the Bilt Travel portal.
Sign up for a free Bilt Rewards account, and start earning toward your next vacation.
Subscribe to the newsletter
Get the front-row look at the evolving world of travel, loyalty, tech and lifestyle — delivered directly to your inbox.
What about booking on the chase reserve portal where you get 8x points?
It’s not a direct booking, which is a non-starter for me. Makes changes or cancelling your flight a massive pain.