Estate planning as a MileagePlus account holder

United MileagePlus is a major airline loyalty program with miles earned through flights, credit cards, hotel and car rental partners, and a wide range of transfer partners. MileagePlus miles never expire, and members can redeem miles for flights, upgrades, hotel stays, car rentals, merchandise, and experiences.

When a MileagePlus account holder dies, their miles may be transferred to a designated person at United Airlines's sole discretion. A transfer is not guaranteed, and satisfactory documentation is required before processing any request.

MileagePlus provides a pooling or family sharing option for miles. MileagePlus launched free miles pooling in March 2024, becoming the first major U.S. airline to allow members to combine miles into a shared pool. Up to 5 MileagePlus members can join one pool at no cost. The pool leader must be a MileagePlus member age 18 or older and invites up to 4 others (related or not) who have an active MileagePlus account. In June 2026, United expanded pooling so that pooled miles can now be redeemed on United and United Express flights and across more than 40 airline partners (including Star Alliance carriers such as Lufthansa, ANA, and Singapore Airlines, plus select non-alliance partners), with a few route-specific limits (for example, Hawaiian Airlines pooled redemptions are limited to interisland flights). Each member can only belong to one pool at a time, and once contributed, miles cannot be withdrawn. Separately, members can buy or transfer miles to other MileagePlus members through the Buy or Transfer Miles program, which charges roughly $15 per 1,000 miles ($7.50 per 500 miles) plus a $30 processing fee per transaction.

What happens at death

MileagePlus miles do not constitute property of the member. Per the MileagePlus program rules: "In the event of the death or divorce of a Member, United may, in its sole discretion, credit all or a portion of such Member's accrued mileage to authorized persons upon receipt of documentation satisfactory to United and payment of applicable fees." Transfer at death is not guaranteed and depends entirely on United's discretion and the documentation provided.

Frequently asked questions