Big news, cruise fans: There’s a new, limited-time offer to earn airline miles when booking a cruise — enough miles for MileagePlus award travel to many parts of the world from the rewards you’ll get from just a single sailing.
Cruise-selling site United Cruises has a new offer out that could get you up to 100,000 United MileagePlus miles for taking a single voyage with one of the many cruise lines it sells.
And you can accumulate even more miles if you book more than one sailing during the offer period.
Keep reading to learn more about the United Cruises program and why it’s a great choice for earning airline miles when booking a cruise vacation — especially right now.
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What is United Cruises?
United Cruises is a booking portal that allows you to earn MileagePlus miles when booking a cruise. The amount of miles you’ll earn depends on a few factors (that I’ll get into in a moment), but it’s safe to say that booking a cruise vacation through United Cruises is the way to go if you’re a United loyalist.
However, even occasional flyers can benefit from the miles that they’ll rack up in the program.
United Cruises offers access to sailings operated by just about every cruise line you can think of, including such popular brands as Norwegian Cruise Line as well as various luxury and river cruise lines. When you book a cruise with United Cruises, you get everything that the line offers plus up to 75% savings on cruises and a best price guarantee.
Related: How to book a sailing through United Cruises
Here’s how you can earn MileagePlus miles through United Cruises.
Earn miles with United Cruises
MileagePlus members can always earn up to 25,000 United miles when booking a cruise through United Cruises, but United credit cardholders can earn additional miles — as much as 45,000 — based on the type of stateroom booked. The higher the category, the greater the number of miles.
Here’s a breakdown of how many miles you can earn per dollar spent on specific types of cruise staterooms:
Stateroom category
MileagePlus member
MileagePlus cardmember
Interior or oceanview
2 miles per dollar.
4 miles per dollar.
Balcony or suite
4 miles per dollar.
7 miles per dollar.
Not only can you earn miles when booking your cruise through United Cruises, but you can also use miles to pay for a cruise.
Related: The best sweet spots you can book with United MileagePlus
Earn even more miles with Norwegian Cruise Line
The current offer is particularly appealing if you’re eyeing a journey with Norwegian Cruise Line, as booking a Norwegian sailing right now brings the chance for even more miles.
This month, United Cruises is partnering with Norwegian Cruise Line to offer up to 25,000 bonus miles on sailings over four nights in length on top of the miles you’d already be earning when you book your cruise through United Cruises. That means earning up to 70,000 miles for United cardmembers.
Depending on how you redeem those miles, you could fly in a premium cabin to Europe or within the U.S., or even book a multi-city ticket thanks to the Excursionist Perk.
A dining room onboard the Norwegian Prima. GENE SLOAN/THE POINTS GUY
But the bonuses don’t end there.
If you book a stateroom through United Cruises on Norwegian’s newest cruise ship, Norwegian Prima, MileagePlus members can earn even more — up to 55,000 bonus miles on top of the miles you would already earn. That’s up to 70,000 total miles for United MileagePlus members and up to 100,000 miles for those with a United cobranded credit card.
TPG values MileagePlus miles at 1.21 cents apiece, so if you max out this offer on Norwegian Prima, you’re taking home over $1,200 worth of rewards.
Here’s a table that breaks down just how many bonus miles you could earn when you book a Norwegian Cruise Line cruise through United Cruises:
Stateroom type
All Norwegian Cruise Line cruises (except Prima)
Norwegian Prima
Interior
5,000 bonus miles.
10,000 bonus miles.
Oceanview
10,000 bonus miles.
20,000 bonus miles.
Balcony
15,000 bonus miles.
30,000 bonus miles.
Suite
25,000 bonus miles.
55,000 bonus miles.
Related: The ultimate guide to Norwegian Cruise Line ships and itineraries
A solid haul of bonus miles isn’t all you get when you book a Norwegian Cruise Line itinerary through United Cruises — you’ll get every perk that you’d normally get when you book directly with the cruise line.
Additional cruise perks
The Epic Plunge on Norwegian Cruise Line’s Norwegian Epic. NORWEGIAN CRUISE LINE
Sailing on Norwegian Cruise Line typically comes with several perks, including 40% off second guests and all of the following Free at Sea deals:
Free unlimited open bar ($99 per person, per day value).
Free specialty dining (up to $119 value).
Free shore excursions ($50 per port value).
Free Wi-Fi package (up to $200 in value).
3rd and 4th stateroom guests sail free on select sailings.
And lastly, you’re in great hands with United Cruises’ dedicated travel experts available 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
Ready to book? Click here to find a Norwegian Cruise Line sailing through United Cruises.
Bottom line
Beginning this month, you can earn up to 100,000 United MileagePlus miles when you book a cruise through United Cruises. MileagePlus members and United cardholders can always earn up to 25,000 and 45,000 miles, respectively, but you can earn even more when you sail on Norwegian Cruise Line.
For a limited time, MileagePlus members can earn up to an additional 25,000 United miles when booking a sailing on Norwegian Cruise Line and up to an additional 55,000 United miles when you sail on Norwegian Prima, the line’s newest ship — and that’s on top of the miles you’ll already earn when you book with United Cruises.
Depending on the category and cruise ship, that translates to up to 70,000 miles for general members — or up to 100,000 miles for United credit cardholders.
Don’t miss out on this incredible opportunity to earn extra miles on your next cruise vacation. Book a Norwegian Cruise Line itinerary through United Cruises today.
Additional reporting by Gene Sloan.
Featured photo courtesy of Norwegian Cruise Line.