A welcome bonus of 90,000 United MileagePlus miles - achievable through current Chase and United co-branded credit card offers once you hit the minimum spend - goes further than most people realise. Award-search tools like Point.me, Seats.aero and Points Path are turning up some genuinely juicy redemptions, and the writers at The Points Guy have mapped out ten of the best.

The standout deals are all in business class. One-way United Polaris seats to or from Europe have been going for as low as 68,000 miles, against cash fares north of $4,700 - a value of nearly 7 cents per mile. Longer hauls can be even better: Newark to Johannesburg in a lie-flat seat for roughly 15 hours has appeared at 68,000-80,000 miles plus a tiny $5.60 in taxes, versus a cash fare around $5,184. Business class from Tokyo to the US, Singapore to San Francisco on United's brand-new Polaris seat, and Sydney to the West Coast have all surfaced in the 85,000-90,000-mile range.

London is a slightly different calculation. Seats from Heathrow sometimes open at 68,000 miles, but UK taxes and surcharges stack up to more than $432 each way, which blunts the savings even though cash fares top $2,700.

Not every great redemption involves a flat bed. A family of three can fly coast to coast in economy round-trip for just 76,200 miles total at 12,700 miles each way - cardholders pay 15% less than everyone else. And Hawaii is arguably the friendliest use of a big stash: Newark to Honolulu round-trip has been found at 42,400 miles per person, meaning you and a partner could both fly for 84,800 miles - essentially one credit card bonus - against a cash price over $2,600.

There are quirks worth knowing. Holding a United credit card or elite status unlocks lower award pricing on many routes (66% off that Europe business-class redemption, for example) plus extra award space. And if flights aren't your thing, United's MileagePlus Exclusives let you bid miles on experiences like Broadway shows or a flag football game with the New York Giants.

Who should care: anyone sitting on a points stash, or tempted by a big sign-up bonus and willing to be flexible on dates. The rule of thumb from the people who do this for a living - always compare the award price against the cash fare, check several dates, and check whether cardholder pricing applies before you hit book.