Status: checked against official sources; automated independent review
Part of United MileagePlus hub
GUIDE
How to handle MileagePlus award fees and charges
United MileagePlus award tickets are tickets booked with miles in United Airlines' MileagePlus programme, and they are not fee-free: the MileagePlus rules say an award ticket can carry departure taxes, inspection fees, passenger facility charges and other charges, and that a service charge may be imposed for each change or cancellation a member requests after the ticket is issued. [5] The person who travels on the award is responsible for paying the taxes and fees that apply to it. [5]
Facts checked: 18 October 2026
Key takeaways
- Award tickets, awards, certificates and seat upgrades may be subject to departure taxes, federal inspection fees, passenger facility charges and other fees, charges or taxes. [5]
- After an award ticket or other award is issued, a service charge may be imposed for each change or cancellation the member requests. [5]
- Miles for a cancelled or returned award are redeposited subject to a service charge, and some awards are not eligible for redeposit at all. [5]
- Award travel does not earn award miles or Premier qualifying credit, apart from what United expressly permits, including tickets bought with a combination of miles and money. [5]
- Taxes and fees related to award travel are the member's responsibility. [6]
What charges can a MileagePlus award ticket carry?
MileagePlus does not price an award at miles alone. Its rules say that award tickets, awards, certificates and seat upgrades may be subject to applicable departure taxes, federal inspection fees, passenger facility charges and other fees, charges or taxes, and that the person utilising the award is responsible for paying any of those items that apply. [5] United's Premier Status Match terms take the same position, placing taxes and fees related to award travel with the member. [6]
| Charge | When it can apply |
|---|---|
| Departure taxes, federal inspection fees, passenger facility charges and other fees, charges or taxes | On award tickets, awards, certificates and seat upgrades, payable by the person using them [5] |
| Service charge | For each change or cancellation the member requests after an award ticket or other award is issued [5] |
| Redeposit service charge | When a redeemed award is cancelled or returned and the miles are put back into the member's account [5] |
| Taxes, fees and tariffs of the operating carrier | Award tickets may be subject to the terms of the carrier on which travel is scheduled [5] |
Because an award can be flown by a partner carrier, the rules state that MileagePlus award tickets may be subject to the taxes, fees, tariffs, contract of carriage, ticket terms and re-accommodation policies of the carrier on which travel is scheduled. [5] United also reserves the right to increase the miles, the cash required, the applicable co-pays or the number of certificates needed for any award. [5]
An award ticket is not an earning ticket: the rules say award miles and Premier qualifying credits are not credited for award travel, including tickets purchased using a combination of miles and money, except as United expressly permits. [5]
Who pays the taxes and fees?
The person flying on the award is the one responsible for the taxes, fees and charges attached to it, rather than the account holder by default. [5] United's status match terms repeat the point in general form: taxes and fees related to award travel are the responsibility of the member. [6]
Members should also check which carrier's conditions govern their itinerary, since the rules apply the scheduled carrier's taxes, fees, tariffs, ticket terms and re-accommodation policies to MileagePlus award tickets. [5]
What happens to fees when you change or cancel?
Once an award ticket or other award has been issued, the rules allow a service charge to be imposed for each change or cancellation requested by the member. [5]
Getting the miles back is a separate step. When a redeemed award is subsequently cancelled or returned in accordance with the programme's applicable rules or the ticketed fare rules in force at that time (or, as applicable, the partner's rules), the award miles taken for it are redeposited into the member's account, subject to a service charge. [5] Some awards are not eligible for redeposit of miles and will state so. [5]
Account security matters here too: United's rules say United is not responsible for stolen security credentials or passwords and will not redeposit miles for redemptions made using the member's credentials or password. [5]
Do Premier benefits change airport charges?
Premier status can change what a member pays at the airport without changing the price of the award itself. United's rules list premium seating, fee waivers, additional baggage allowance and lounge access among the benefits tied to MileagePlus status. [5] Those benefits are based on the member's Premier status at the time of travel, not the status held when the air travel was purchased, booked or reserved. [5]
Premier has four published levels: Premier Silver, Premier Gold, Premier Platinum and Premier 1K. [7] To keep status-based benefits, the member must keep their MileagePlus account number on the reservation, and on any reservation created from the original one, for the whole of the original and future travel connected with it. [5] If a companion receives a benefit because of the member's status and that member is no longer travelling on the original reservation, the companion stops being eligible for it. [5]
Exceptions and limits
- Redeposit is not universal: some awards are excluded from having miles returned and will say so in their conditions. [5]
- Awards for travel are valid only to destinations served both when the award ticket is issued and when the flight departs, and neither United nor its partners are liable for schedule changes that cancel service to a destination. [5]
- If a member does not comply with the published award rules for air travel, United may at its discretion place them on a different flight, seat them in a lower class of service, or deny ticketing or boarding, without compensation. [5]
- United describes award amounts, structure, availability and criteria as modifiable and says awards may be withdrawn or restricted at any time. [5]
- United's rules state that accrued mileage, status and awards do not constitute property of the member and are not transferable except as the rules set out. [5]
Frequently asked questions
Do you have to pay taxes and fees on a United award ticket?
Yes. The MileagePlus rules say award tickets, awards, certificates and seat upgrades may be subject to departure taxes, federal inspection fees, passenger facility charges and other fees, charges or taxes, payable by the person using them. [5]
Can United charge a fee if you change or cancel an award ticket?
The rules allow a service charge to be imposed for each change or cancellation a member requests after an award ticket or other award has been issued. [5]
Do you get your miles back when you cancel a MileagePlus award?
Miles taken for a redeemed award are redeposited, subject to a service charge, when the award is cancelled or returned in line with the programme's applicable rules or the ticketed fare rules in force at the time. [5] Some awards are not eligible for redeposit and state that in their conditions. [5]
Do award tickets earn MileagePlus miles or Premier qualifying credit?
Not under the standard rules: award miles and Premier qualifying credits are not credited for award travel, including tickets bought with a combination of miles and money, except as United expressly permits. [5]
Does Premier status change baggage or other airport charges?
Status-based benefits such as additional baggage allowance and fee waivers follow the Premier status held on the day of travel rather than the status at booking, and require the MileagePlus number to stay on the reservation. [5]
Sources
Sources checked on 18 October 2026. It covers United Airlines' MileagePlus programme only; the fee rules of other airlines and hotel programmes, including Delta SkyMiles, American AAdvantage and Air Canada Aeroplan, are not covered here.
- United MileagePlus Rules, checked 18 October 2026
- MileagePlus Premier Status Match Challenge terms and conditions, checked 18 October 2026
- How to earn Premier status, checked 18 October 2026