United Business Class To Germany, Up To 9 Seats

If you’re looking for business class flights to Europe through next April, this could be a great option for you out of Chicago and Washington, DC. You can find up nine award seats on these routes plus a smattering of dates from other routes as well.


Now, let’s get into it!

United Polaris business class seat, front view

Straight To The Points



Routes:

  • EWR - BER

  • EWR, DEN, IAD, IAH, ORD, SFO - FRA

  • EWR, IAD, ORD, SFO - MUC


Most of the space is to/from IAD and ORD.


Operating airline: United
Class of service: Business class (Polaris)
Dates: December 2024 - April 2025
Seats available: 2 (up to 9)
Cabin layout: 1-2-1 (777-300 and 787-10); 1-1-1 (767)
Book with (per person, one-way): 

  • *Air Canada Aeroplan: 

    • EWR - FRA, BER: 60,000 points

    • DEN, IAD, IAH, ORD, SFO - FRA: 70,000 points

    • DEN, EWR, IAD, ORD, SFO - MUC: 70,000 points

  • *ANA Mileage Club: 100,000 miles (round-trip only)

  • *Asiana Club: 40,000 miles

  • *avianca lifemiles: 69,000 miles

  • *EVA Infinity MileageLands: 65,000 miles

  • *Lufthansa Miles & More: 56,000 miles

  • *Singapore KrisFlyer: 81,000 miles

  • *Turkish Miles&Smiles: 90,000 miles

  • *United MileagePlus: 80,000 miles


*No Surcharges


Taxes/fees (per person): 

  • From IAD: ~$5.60

  • From AMS: ~$114


Aeroplan and LifeMiles have partner booking fees.


Bank transfer partners: 

  • Air Canada: Amex, Bilt, Capital One, Chase, Marriott

  • Asiana Club: Marriott

  • lifemiles: Amex, Bilt, Capital One, Citi, Marriott

    • 15% Amex transfer bonus

  • EVA: Capital One, Citi

  • Singapore: Amex, Capital One, Chase, Citi, Marriott

  • Turkish: Bilt, Capital One, Citi, Marriott

  • United: Bilt, Chase, Marriott


Current Airline Transfer Bonuses
Best Card Offers


Let me know if you book!

United Polaris business class cabin

Available Dates

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*Bookable with points

United Polaris business class seat, rear view

Flight Experience


A quick look at the flight schedule shows that United is operating their Boeing 767, 777, 787-10 on these routes. On the  777 and 787-10, you’ll find a 1-2-1 cabin layout while the 767 has a 1-1-1 layout. The seats are the same regardless.

When departing from the US, I generally suggest eating at the Polaris Lounge and skipping meal service on the flight. Polaris Lounges typically have much better food and a solid selection of drinks.

Best Ways To Book


Aeroplan: Best East Coast Option, Solid Overall

Aeroplan is your best bet between Newark (EWR) and Berlin (BER) or Frankfurt (FRA) at only 60,000 points one-way. Other routes are 70,000 points which is only 1,000 more points than required by lifemiles. However, Aeroplan is easier to work with if there are any issues.


If you have the Chase Aeroplan Card, you can also get a 10% transfer bonus when you transfer 50,000+ Chase Ultimate Rewards points. With the bonus, you’ll only need to transfer 55,000 or 64,000 points depending on the route.


If you connect from the west coast and within Europe, the total flight distance could bump the award rate up to 90,000 Aeroplan points.

You can also include a stopover for 5,000 additional miles. Use GCmap to calculate your total flight distance and double-check Aeroplan's award chart.


ANA: Great Round-trip Option, Slow Amex Transfers

At 100,000 miles round-trip, ANA Mileage Club is your best round-trip option. However, Amex is your only transfer option and transfers can take a few days.

Connections won't increase the award rate but could increase the taxes/fees if you connect in Europe on a Star Alliance partner that has surcharges.

Lifemiles: Solid Award Rate

Lifemiles’s rate of 69,000 miles one-way is slightly better than Aeroplan’s, but cancellation fees are steep and their call center can be difficult.


However, with Amex’s 15% transfer bonus, you’d only need 60,000 points from anywhere in the U.S. and/or if you connect within Europe. Unless you’re booking one Newark to Berlin or Frankfurt, this will be your best one-way option with Amex points.


Additionally, it’s your best option if you only have Citi points.


If you redeem a ton of lifemiles each year, it might be worth getting a lifemiles+ subscription to get a 10% rebate on Star Alliance redemptions.

How To Search

  1. From United's homepage, select Advanced search

  2. Choose to show price in miles

  3. Select Roundtrip or One-way

  4. Enter the origin & destination

  5. Select Nonstop only (if you don't need a connection)

  6. Select the number of passengers

  7. Select your dates or choose Flexible dates and choose a month

  8. Select Business

  9. Run the search


Search with the program you want to use to book before you transfer points.


Happy booking!