Residents of Washington, D.C., Maryland and Virginia who enroll in Mileage Plus and GroceryMiles, a joint program with United and Safeway, can now earn a $25 discount travel certificate from United. The United discount travel certificate may be applied to United, United Express or Ted operated flights within the 50 United States, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands or Canada. In addition, GroceryMiles members will earn Mileage Plus miles each time their cumulative qualifying grocery purchases reach $250.

Customers can join the GroceryMiles program at participating Safeway stores or online at http://www.grocerymiles.com/dc. To qualify for the $25 United discount travel certificate, enrollment must occur before June 10. Minimum fare, booking class and other restrictions may apply.

In case you are experiencing a deja vu, residents of this area have always been able to earn miles in the GroceryMiles program — they just haven’t had access to the $25 discount travel certificate from United. Just like US Airways battling Southwest in Philly, United is also pulling out all stops in advance of the imminent launch of yet another low-cost carrier in the Washington D.C. area.