Want 500 quick and easy United Airlines miles? Then sign up for MyPoints, an online affiliate company. That’s it. Just sign up for free and stay a member for 30 days and the miles will be yours.

What Is MyPoints?

MyPoints is an internet affiliate network that gives you points for interacting with various companies online. While it is best known for the frequent emails that they send, which are usually worth five points each if you click on them, you can also earn points by taking surveys, watching videos or shopping through them. Note: Although shopping is the fastest way to earn points, you will almost always get better value if you go through one of the numerous cash-back shopping sites that are out there. There are, however, frequent partner offers with Walmart where the value of the points that you receive is greater than the cost of the product that you have to purchase.

The sign-up bonus, however, is always worth taking advantage of. MyPoints used to be owned by United Airlines partner UAL Corporation, and still maintains a relationship with them. 500 points may not be a lot, but they’re free and the form will take you all of about two minutes to fill out. If nothing else, earning a few points extends the expiration on your MileagePlus account.

Using Points

One of the downsides to MyPoints is that there are limitations on what they can be redeemed for, with United miles and gift cards generally being your only options. Fortunately, there is a wide assortment of gift cards, one of which is PayPal. The prices for redemptions are somewhat steep and vary based on the popularity of the item. If you are redeeming for PayPal, for instance, a $50 gift card will cost you 8,950 points, while Macy’s will only cost you 6,800 for $50. Redeeming for miles is particularly weak, placing the redemption value among the lowest of your choices in the program.

The Bottom Line

MyPoints is a free and easy program to join, even if it places a low value on your participation. You’ll never become a millionaire from it, but it’s worth joining for the 500 United miles alone. Terms and conditions are minimal and give you the opportunity to earn even more bonus points.