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Frequently asked questions

 

General questions

Miles on a Mission is one of the many ways United is supporting the communities where we live, work and fly, but even better, it’s where you have the chance to do good with your miles. Through Miles on a Mission, you can donate your miles to one of our partner charities or a campaign created by a charity to raise miles for a trip.
 

 

Campaign application questions

No, only charitable organizations can apply to create a campaign.

Organizations must be registered as a charitable organization with a cause or activity that is legal under all applicable federal, state, provincial, territorial, local laws and regulations. A charity will be considered ineligible if any of the following apply:

  • Less than 50% of the charity’s budget goes toward funding programs
  • Charity discriminates or limits membership based on race, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, beliefs, class or cultural considerations.
  • Charity type is one of the following: fraternities, sororities, social clubs, private foundations, deferred giving trusts, political, lobbying, advocacy or labor organizations, or alumni associations
  • Faith-based charities may be eligible for a campaign for activities that meet the following criteria: the activities serve a secular purpose, do not provide faith-based instruction or education, and do not encourage or require constituents to learn about or adhere to the charity’s faith-based beliefs.
Yes, your organization can apply for a campaign as long as it’s registered with GlobalGiving. Please visit globalgiving.org for more details on how to register with GlobalGiving.
Once your application has been submitted, please allow two to four weeks for us to review it and reach out to you.
After you submit an application to create a campaign, you’ll receive an email to set up your charity’s MileagePlus account. You’ll only need this account if your charity is approved and your campaign is successful.
Our partner charities are invitation-only and not open for application. You can learn more about how your organization can hold a Miles on a Mission campaign here. 
Applications for campaigns are accepted on a quarterly basis, and we won’t accept more applications once we’ve reached our maximum amount. Please visit our campaign page to learn more about when the next application period opens.

 

Donor questions

Partner charities are the official charity partners chosen by United. MileagePlus members can donate their miles directly to these charities to support their work. Campaigns are created by charities that are raising miles for trips. MileagePlus members can pledge their miles to support a charity’s campaign, and if it reaches its goal, all the miles donated will go toward sending the charity on its trip.
If the campaign doesn’t reach its goal, we’ll refund your miles to you no more than 5 business days after the campaign closes.
Yes, you can donate to as many charities and campaigns as you like, as long as you have enough miles in your account.
You can donate a minimum of 100 miles.
No, United won't match the miles that you donate to a charity or campaign, unless otherwise stated.

 

Campaign questions

Yes, the minimum goal for a campaign is 50,000 miles.
No, charities don't have to pay to hold a campaign.
Each campaign lasts for up to 90 days.    If you reach your goal before that, your campaign will close early, but if you don't reach your goal - or receive a minimum of 50,000 miles - after90 days, your campaign will still colase and all donated miles will be refunded.  
If your campaign falls short of its goal, we'll contact you to let you know that the goal hasn't been reached and all of the miles pledged to your campaign will be refunded to the donors.
According to our program guidelines, miles should be used for the specific travel needs identified within your campaign. Campaigns should be for specific travel needs to fulfill on the mission of the organization or deliver on a specific travel need for a group such as: competing in youth sports competition, volunteer service trip, disaster response skilled volunteer service, humanitarian aid service.  Miles raised through campaigns are not to be used for fundraising or for general staff travel and cannot be auctioned off for fundraising.  If your charity uses your miles for a different purpose, we will close your organization’s MileagePlus account and your charity will not be eligible for future campaigns.