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Lyft and United Airlines are expanding their partnership and adding a new feature that allows customers to pay for Lyft rides using United MileagePlus miles. This is now an option, but not one I’d recommend using.
The collaboration, which launched in November 2025, already allows riders to earn miles on Lyft trips. Starting today (April 29th), users in the United States and Puerto Rico can redeem their MileagePlus miles directly within the Lyft app to cover the cost of rides.
MileagePlus members who link their accounts in the Lyft app can earn:
- 4x miles on pre-scheduled rides to and from the airport
- 3x miles on premium rides such as Extra Comfort, Lyft Black, and Black SUV (as well as non-scheduled airport trips)
- 2x miles on business-profile Standard, Priority Pickup, and XL rides
- 1x miles on all other Standard, Priority Pickup, and XL rides
New Lyft users can also earn a 1,000-mile bonus after linking their MileagePlus account and completing two rides within 30 days.
With the new feature, riders can use MileagePlus miles to pay for Lyft trips, with redemptions starting at just 1 mile and covering up to $250 per ride. Unfortunately, the value of miles is not fixed and is determined by United. This means the redemption rates may vary and it’s unknown how this will be calculated. Riders should also note that miles cannot be used for tips or add-ons.
If a rider does not have enough miles to cover the full fare, they can use their entire mileage balance and pay the remainder with a credit card. But if they do have enough miles, they must either pay entirely with miles or not use them at all (partial redemptions are not allowed in that case).
Uber partners with Delta Air Lines (and dropped Lyft to do so). The Lyft partnership continues to evolve with additional features rolling out (including automated flight alerts and ride reminders within the Lyft app for MileagePlus members).
Anthony’s Take: The move reflects a broader trend of airlines integrating loyalty programs into everyday travel experiences and gives customers more ways to earn and use miles beyond flights (even when that’s not the best use of miles).
(Image Credits: United Airlines, Lyft, and Thought Catalog via Unsplash.)
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Advertiser & Editorial Disclosure: The Bulkhead Seat earns an affiliate commission for anyone approved through the links above This compensation may impact how and where links appear on this site. We work to provide the best publicly available offers to our readers. We frequently update them, but this site does not include all available offers. Opinions, reviews, analyses & recommendations are the author’s alone, and have not been reviewed, endorsed, or approved by any of these entities.
