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Credit card sign up bonuses and buying cash flights tend to be the major opportunities to earn big chunks of rewards. But being a true miles and points enthusiast means taking advantage of even the little opportunities when you can, that only take a minute or two to sign up for/participate in and over time add up to big savings. Every penny–or mile–counts.

Here are two ways you can easily boost your balances this week. While Lufthansa miles expire no matter what 36 months after you earn them, the bonus United miles are also useful if you’re looking for a way to refresh the lifespan of your miles that are on the verge of expiration.

  1. Download Lufthansa’s Miles & More application and log in to earn 500 bonus Lufthansa miles
  2. If you have a United credit card (like the MileagePlus Explorer card issued by Chase) you will get a 500 United mile bonus for making a purchase for the first time through the  MileagePlus X application.

Lufthansa Miles & More

Now through September 30, downloading and logging into Lufthansa’s Miles & More app here will earn you 500 bonus miles. You can download the Miles & More app on your iPhone or your Android device.

While Lufthansa does collect fuel surcharges on their awards, they are the only mileage currency that gives you access to Lufthansa First Class more than 15 days before departure. They also have pretty good mileage prices to Europe from the USA.

Sadly nothing (aside from spending on a Miles & More credit card that’s three or more months old) extends the life of Lufthansa miles–you just have to redeem them before they reach their expiration age of 36 months.

United MileagePlus

Through October 31, United cardholders who have never made a purchase through United’s MileagePlus X app will earn 500 bonus once they do so.

What’s the MileagePlus X app?

It’s kind of like a shopping portal for United MileagePlus members–so you’ll earn an assigned number of United miles per dollar spent at specific online retailers and in stores. Except it’s different than most shopping portals in that you essentially buy a gift card from the retailer to use on your purchase once you know how much you want to spend.

MileagePlus members with United co-branded credit cards will also earn an additional 25% bonus when using the MileagePlus X app (and it’s not necessary to put purchases on your United card to trigger that bonus).

Bonus miles earned through the app can be stacked on bonus miles earned through another shopping portal and any category bonus miles you earn through your credit card.

Earning miles through this promotion and through the MileagePlus X app do count towards extending the life of your United miles.

Bottom Line

Don’t forsake the little opportunities! They add up.

Important links:

Hat tips to One Mile at a Time and Rapid Travel Chai

Earn 60,000 bonus points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening.

Just getting started in the world of points and miles? The Chase Sapphire Preferred is the best card for you to start with.

With a bonus of 60,000 points after $4,000 spend in the first 3 months, 5x points on travel booked through the Chase Travel Portal and 3x points on restaurants, streaming services, and online groceries (excluding Target, Walmart, and wholesale clubs), this card truly cannot be beat for getting started!


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