‘Tis the season for gifts – and that includes gift cards. Unfortunately, you may get gift cards for the holidays that you don’t really enjoy. If so, we have good news: You can turn those unwanted gift cards into United MileagePlus miles by using United’s MileagePlus Gift Card Exchange. Here’s how it works.
Related: Which credit cards should you use to buy gift cards?
Which gift cards qualify for United miles?
On the MileagePlus Gift Card Exchange landing page, there is a “list of gift card sellers” link at the bottom. This list currently includes more than 30 retailers, such as Best Buy, Sears, Starbucks and Walmart.
However, be aware that some vendors on this list may not be available for exchange on the website. There are also some vendors available for exchange that are not listed, including The North Face and HP.
Related: Flights, credit cards and more: How to earn miles with the United MileagePlus program
Is it worth exchanging gift cards?
United has a chart that shows “Minimum award miles awarded,” which would lead you to believe that other options offer more miles than these amounts. But we checked a bunch of different dealers, and the mileage offers were the same at each one.
Off the chart, you’re not limited to $25, $50 and $100 gift cards. According to the homepage, you can redeem gift cards with a minimum balance of $15. However, there are higher minimum balances at some retailers, such as $50 at The North Face. If your balance is too low, a red box with a minimum will appear when you click “Get Mileage offer.”
From what we’ve gathered, the number of miles awarded is 26.6 times the value of the gift card, rounded to the nearest 10 miles. This comes out to between 3.70 and 3.76 cents per mile, depending on how much you trade. Example:
- $15 gift cards equal 400 United miles (3.75 cents per mile)
- $20 gift cards equal 540 United miles (3.70 cents per mile)
- $25 gift cards equal 670 United miles (3.73 cents per mile)
- $30 gift cards equal 800 United miles (3.75 cents per mile)
- $40 gift cards equal 1,070 United miles (3.74 cents per mile)
- $50 gift cards equal 1,330 United miles (3.76 cents per mile)
- $100 gift cards equal 2,660 United miles (3.76 cents per mile)
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This rate is significantly higher than TPG’s December 2024 rate of 1.35 cents per United mile, which means you’re not getting good value for your gift cards. However, if you’d rather have miles than a gift card, this can be a useful way to spend them.
And, at least United agrees. If United isn’t running a redemption promotion, you can buy United miles for $35 per 1,000 United miles. After taxes and fees, this comes out to 3.76 cents per mile.
Related: The best credit cards for buying points and miles
Limitations on gift card exchanges
To sell gift cards through the MileagePlus Gift Card Exchange, your MileagePlus account must be open for at least 90 days and have a positive account balance. This means that you cannot exchange your gift cards for miles if you do not have any miles in your account.
But if your account is empty, don’t worry: There are several easy ways to earn United miles without flying, such as through the MileagePlus shopping portal or the MileagePlus Dining program.
While the site may offer $10 off gift cards to other merchants, the terms and conditions state that “gift cards accepted must have a minimum balance of $15 on the card and may have a limit set.” And it appears that the exchange will only accept gift cards up to $100.
If you decide to sell a gift card through the MileagePlus Gift Card Exchange, the miles should arrive in your United account within five business days.
Related: How to use points and miles to give gifts with zero out-of-pocket costs
Bottom line
While you won’t get the best value by exchanging gift cards for United miles, it’s nice to have the option to exchange a gift card you don’t want for something useful. The MileagePlus Gift Card Exchange may come in handy if you need United miles for future redemptions, tap your Bilt Rewards points and Chase Ultimate Rewards points, and have a qualifying gift card. If your other option is to buy United miles, you might as well turn off the gift card — especially if it’s one you won’t be using anytime soon.
On the other hand, if you don’t mind the United redemption, you might want to check online for another gift card exchange program (like CardCash) that might offer you a better value.
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