There’s good news for United Airlines loyalists: Your next Lyft ride could earn you United MileagePlus miles.
The Chicago-based airline and ride-hailing service announced a new partnership Wednesday that will allow members of United’s loyalty program to boost their mileage balance when hailing a ride.
How many miles you’ll earn depends on the type of trip.
If it’s a standard ride from your home to a restaurant for dinner, you’d earn just 1 mile per dollar spent.
However, MileagePlus members can earn bonus miles on rides to and from the airport and when booking a ride for work through their company profile.
Earning United miles with Lyft
Here’s how the earning rates break down:
- 4 miles per dollar spent on prescheduled rides to and from the airport
- 3 miles per dollar spent on Extra Comfort, Lyft Black, Black SUV and nonscheduled rides to and from the airport
- 2 miles per dollar spent on standard, Priority Pickup and XL rides when using your company business profile through Lyft
- 1 mile per dollar spent on other standard, Priority Pickup and XL rides
Mileage redemptions are coming, too
It’s not just earning, either.
Starting in early 2026, United expects to start allowing MileagePlus members to redeem miles on Lyft rides. The carrier is also planning a deeper tech tie-up with Lyft that’ll deliver flight alerts and ride reminders to passengers when they’re riding with Lyft and flying with United — similar to what Delta Air Lines is doing with its partner Uber.
“This collaboration is the first step toward creating a truly seamless travel experience for our members — from the moment they leave home to when they arrive at their destination,” United MileagePlus CEO Richard Nunn said in a statement announcing the news.
Lyft rides: Should you link to MileagePlus or Atmos Rewards?
Should you link your United and Lyft accounts?
It depends on what points and miles you’d prefer to earn and what type of rides you tend to take.
Remember: Lyft is also a partner with Atmos Rewards, the joint loyalty program for Alaska Airlines and Hawaiian Airlines — so you essentially have to choose whether you’d rather accrue United miles or Atmos Rewards points on your Lyft rides.
There are a few points to consider.
Atmos Rewards benefits
Based on TPG’s November 2025 valuations, Atmos Rewards points are worth 1.55 cents apiece — about 10% better than United’s miles (1.4 cents each).
Plus, Atmos Rewards offers some very enticing redemption options, both on Alaska Airlines and Hawaiian Airlines flights and on partners like American Airlines.
Finally, if you link your Lyft account to Atmos Rewards, you’ll earn more on everyday rides than you would on standard: Lyft members who link to Atmos Rewards can earn 2 points per dollar spent on standard, XL and Priority Pickup trips.
Read more: I’ve never flown Alaska Airlines before — here’s why I want its new premium credit card
United MileagePlus benefits
That said, United offers one of the world’s largest and most popular airline networks and loyalty programs, and it has many loyalists who would prefer to earn MileagePlus miles over any other loyalty currency.
If you’re all-in on United, that’s clearly the direction you’ll want to go with Lyft.
Additionally, if you regularly preschedule your ride to and from the airport, you can earn more United miles (4 per dollar spent) than you would via a linked Atmos Rewards account.
Read more: How to get maximum value from the United MileagePlus program
What about Hilton?
Of course, we’d be remiss not to mention that Lyft also has a hotel loyalty partner in Hilton Honors, which awards members 3 points per dollar spent on all eligible Lyft rides. However, TPG values Hilton Honors points at a mere 0.5 cents apiece, per its November 2025 valuations.
How to link your Lyft and United accounts
United flyers can link their MileagePlus account to their Lyft profile at united.com/lyft.
According to Lyft, new riders can receive 1,000 bonus miles after signing up for Lyft, linking their MileagePlus account, selecting “United MileagePlus” as their rewards partner and completing two rides within 30 days.
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Editorial disclaimer: Opinions expressed here are the author’s alone, not those of any bank, credit card issuer, airline or hotel chain, and have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any of these entities.
