My UA Points Journey Started Here
So yesterday I’m staring at my United app like always, feeling poor cause flight prices are insane. Then I spot this “UA Rewards” thing blinking at me. Figured, hey why not? Might score a free snack or something. Grabbed my coffee, opened the app wide awake this time, no sleepy scrolling.
Signup Was Actually Simple
First thing – gotta join the program. Clicked the “Join Now” button staring right at me. Filled out basic junk: name, email, MileagePlus number (obviously). Got a stupidly obvious “Welcome!” email literally 10 seconds later. One point down already just for signing up? Okay, easy win. Already felt like I was gaming the system.
Connect Your Cards Immediately
Next step – add payment stuff. Went into the “Account” tab faster than my dog chasing a squirrel. Saw the “Add Payment Methods” section. Dug out my worn leather wallet – scanned my two Visa cards & debit card right there in the app. Camera worked for once! Got a sweet “Payment Method Added” popup for each. Kept checking my email like it was Christmas morning – 3 more “Congrats! Points added!” emails trickled in. Boom, 250 points richer already? Legit shocked.
Make Dumb Searches = Points
Here’s where it gets weird but free points are free points. Found the “Shop UA Rewards” button. Followed the popup like a lemming: clicked the “Earn by Searching” tile. Typed absolute nonsense like “purple rain boots” and “why do birds sing” into the search bar. Searched 10 times just mashing keys basically. Refreshed my account page… 50 more points magically appeared. Felt like cheating but hey, rules are rules.
Buy Something (Anything)
Okay time to spend a bit to hit big points. Went back to the “Shop UA Rewards” portal. Picked the “Fashion” section cause why not. Bought the ugliest clearance t-shirt I could find – cost me $7.99 plus shipping. My wallet cried but my point balance screamed with joy.
- Added shirt to cart: got a 1-point notification
- Used saved debit card: got 2 points
- Clicked “Purchase”: BAM! 150 points slapped my account instantly
Checked email – got the “You’ve earned points!” alert before I even closed the app. Total haul? 1,254 points in maybe 20 minutes scrolling while brushing my teeth.
The Ugly Truth Though…
But lemme tell you something – those points aren’t gold like they pretend. Truth time: I almost got scammed buying a “free flight”. My 1,200 points? Couldn’t even get me a flight to the next state over. They want like 15,000 points minimum for anything useful. Also those “bonuses” disappear fast. Saw a flashy promo yesterday – gone today. Emails spam you nonstop about “Act fast!” deals that vanish quicker than my motivation on Monday.
Felt cool earning points quickly sure, but redeeming them? Different story. Ended up using everything I earned just for a $5 discount on inflight Wi-Fi last week. How hard is that? My buddy Dave earned like 5,000 points last quarter buying work gear – still waiting for his “reward flight”. His dashboard shows “Pending” for two months. Absolute joke.
Finished my morning coffee wondering why I bothered. Then realized – maybe those points ain’t worthless entirely. At least scored that ugly tee on sale.
