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United is running two award sales at the moment:
- 20% off domestic awards
- Up to 25% off awards to Asia (announced here— note that the promo code doesn’t activate until August 11)
20% Off Domestic Awards
Here are (what look to be) the conditions for the unannounced domestic sale.
- Register here
- Economy Saver only
- Roundtrip only (open jaw itineraries within the same region also count)
- Must book by 11:59 p.m. CT on August 23, 2016
- 14-day advance purchase is required
- Good for travel August 23, 2016 – December 15, 2016
- Blackout dates:
- November 22 – 23 and November 26 – 28, 2016
Example Itineraries
This means that awards that are normally 10,000 United miles each way (for flight distances equal to or less than 700 miles) are reduced to 8,000 United miles each way.
Awards that are normally 12,500 miles each way are just 10,000 miles each way.
You can also get the discount on just the outbound leg if the return leg is after the sale period ends. For example:
The reverse situation also works, if you wanted to travel before the sale period starts on August 23, as long as the return leg is during the sale period.
Up to 25% Off Awards to Asia
View from the Wing also claims that starting tomorrow, you can get up to 25% off United awards to North Asia (instead of 70,000 roundtrip, cost is reduced to 52,224 roundtrip) and South Asia (instead of 80,000 roundtrip, cost is reduced to 62,224 roundtrip). Here are the conditions:
- Register here
- Economy Saver only
- Roundtrip only
- United-operated non-stop between the US and China or Hong Kong required for the transpacific segment
- Must book by August 22, 2016
- Good for travel August 29, 2016 – April 30, 2017
- Blackout dates: December 9, 2016 through February 3, 2017
- Advanced purchase necessary (how much is not defined)
- Only good for North Asia and South Asia, so by United region definitions that excludes Japan which is in its own region
Check this link tomorrow (promo code is not active until then) to see more details.
Bottom Line
Got United miles to burn? Book economy roundtrip awards for travel through the rest of the year at 20% off within the United States, Alaska, and Canada. If you don’t mind economy for the long journey to North or South Asia, then you can get up to 25% off roundtrip awards good for travel through April of next year. Just make sure to book before the end of this month– cut off booking date for domestic sale is August 23, and for the sale to Asia it’s August 22.
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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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