Get a 25% bonus for transferring hotel points to United Mileage Plus – worth it?

United Airlines has taken a leaf out of the British Airways promotions book and is currently offering a 25% bonus on all hotel and car hire points transfers.

There is a bit of small print to follow:

You must transfer at least 5,000 miles-worth of points (this does not have to be in one transfer)

You must register for the promotion

Bonus miles will be credited later and may not appear until 31st January

It is not entirely clear if the hotel or car hire points need to arrive at your United account by November 30th or if the transfer only needs to be initiated by then.  The rules speak of ‘conversion transactions which are completed’ by November 30th, so possibly the former.

The maximum bonus you can earn is 20,000 miles

The partners for this promotion are Marriott, Hilton, Starwood, IHG Rewards Club, Club Carlson, Hyatt Gold Passport, Choice Privileges, Wyndham Rewards, Golden Circle and Hertz Gold Plus Rewards.

You should note that United is unique in having a poor 2:1 conversion rate from Starwood, which it uses to protect the competitive position of its own Amex card.

I did a recent analysis on whether it was worth transferring hotel points into Avios.  In that case, the most convincing case was for converting Starwood points.  Given that Starwood has a very poor rate to United, however, it is difficult to get excited about any of these offers.

That said, there are not that many ways to earn United miles in the UK – although they do have a UK credit card – so if your account needs topping up then this is a better deal than usual.

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How to earn Star Alliance miles from UK credit cards (April 2025)

None of the Star Alliance airlines currently have a UK credit card.

There is, however, still a way to earn Star Alliance miles from a UK credit card. 

The route is via Marriott Bonvoy. Marriott Bonvoy hotel loyalty points convert to over 40 airlines at the rate of 3:1.

The best way to earn Marriott Bonvoy points is via the official Marriott Bonvoy American Express card. It comes with 20,000 points for signing up and 2 points for every £1 you spend. At 2 Bonvoy points per £1, you are earning (at 3:1) 0.66 airline miles per £1 spent on the card.

There is a preferential conversion rate to United Airlines – which is a Star Alliance member – of 2 : 1 if you convert 60,000 Bonvoy points at once.

The Star Alliance members which are Marriott Bonvoy transfer partners are: Aegean, Air Canada, Air China, Air New Zealand, ANA, Asiana Airlines, Avianca, Copa Airlines, Singapore Airlines, TAP Air Portugal, Thai Airways, Turkish Airlines and United Airlines.

You can apply here.

Marriott Bonvoy American Express

20,000 points for signing up and 15 elite night credits each year Read our full review