United Airlines vacation packages bundle your flight with hotels and sometimes rental cars or activities. The appeal is obvious: book everything in one place, potentially save some money, and have one confirmation number to track instead of five.
How the Packages Actually Work
You start on United’s vacation site (not the main united.com—it’s a separate portal) and search by destination. Pick your dates, choose a hotel from their inventory, add a car if you need one, and checkout. Your MileagePlus number links automatically, so you’ll earn miles on the whole package, not just the flight.
The hotel selection isn’t as wide as booking sites like Expedia or Hotels.com, but it’s decent for major destinations. You’ll find the big chains plus some local options. Pricing updates dynamically, so what you see today might change tomorrow.
Do You Actually Save Money?
Sometimes. I’ve compared United packages against booking separately, and the savings range from genuinely good (15-20% off) to basically nothing. It depends heavily on the destination and timing.
The packages work best for popular vacation spots where United has negotiated hotel rates—Hawaii, Cancun, Caribbean islands, that sort of thing. For off-the-beaten-path destinations, you’ll probably do better booking everything separately.
One thing to watch: the “compare” prices they show are often inflated. Don’t trust their savings calculations—do your own math by checking the flight and hotel separately before you commit.
Payment and Flexibility
You can often put down a deposit and pay the rest later, which is nice for planning trips months out. Cancellation policies vary by hotel and fare type, so read the fine print. Some packages are fully refundable up to a certain date; others lock you in the moment you book.
Changes are possible but can get complicated when you’ve bundled everything together. If you need to swap hotels or move dates, call their vacation line directly—the website doesn’t handle modifications well.
Using Miles for Packages
United lets you use miles to cover part of your package cost. The redemption value isn’t amazing—you’ll get better value using miles for premium cabin flights—but it’s an option if you’re sitting on a pile of points and want to knock down the price.
Worth It or Not?
United packages make sense when you’re going somewhere they fly frequently and you want the convenience of one-stop booking. They don’t make sense when you need flexibility, want boutique hotels they don’t carry, or can find better deals by shopping around.
My approach: check the United package price, then spend five minutes pricing it out separately. If United’s within $50-100 and saves you hassle, go for it. If you can save real money elsewhere, do that instead.
