United and Vrbo Have a Lucrative Bonus Miles Deal — How to Make Sure You Receive Yours

What to do if you are missing your miles.

By Michael Cappetta Michael Cappetta

Michael Cappetta is a travel writer with over 10 years of experience in journalism and television news. Travel + Leisure Editorial Guidelines Published on November 8, 2024

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Maximizing points by taking advantage of promotions across platforms is a popular way to lower the cost of travel. And some of the bonus loyalty points offers can be particularly lucrative. For example, United Airlines offers three loyalty points for every $1 spent on the Vrbo site, which offers bookings at short-term vacation rental homes. 

While these offers can be a good deal, some travelers have reported difficulty in receiving the bonus points in their account. Several people have taken to social media sharing their challenge of finding points in their account. 

“I’ve had a terrible time chasing after some. United keeps telling me to contact VRBO, VRBO has no idea what I am talking about, getting nowhere,” one user shared in a post on Reddit. 

Travel + Leisure reached out to United Airlines for guidance on how travelers can ensure they are properly credited for stays on the Vrbo booking website. 

“Members should make sure to book via our co-branded landing page as found on united.com or through our direct marketing channels (make sure you see the MileagePlus logo in the top corner),” a United spokesperson shared with T+L. 

United also encourages customers to make sure their MileagePlus number is properly added to the reservation during the checkout process, and states the miles may take six to eight weeks to deposit in a loyalty member account. 

In instances when the points don’t properly post to a users account, they can email mileageplus@united.com with the information about their stay to receive the credit. 

While hotels and airlines automatically post loyalty points and credits to a members account, accidents can happen and points may go missing. This can happen because a loyalty account is not properly attached to a reservation, or due to a technical error. 

The process to get points and credits added for regular stays and reservations can be as simple as visiting a company’s website, for example members of the Marriott Bonvoy program can request credit for missing stays on their website. Hilton’s Hilton Honors program has a similar website, as does American Airlines’ Advantage loyalty program.