13 Ways United MileagePlus Loyalists Can Upgrade to Europe for Free, Less than Free, or Very Little

June 2017
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Just use Elastic Plastic points. Read on for savings on flights with Air Canada, Austrian, Brussels Airlines, LOT Polish Airlines, Lufthansa, Scandinavian Airlines, Singapore Airlines, SWISS, TAP Portugal, Turkish Airlines, and United—for Business and First Class deals.

I know what you’re thinking: What does “less than free?” mean.

Free is an absolute, the ground level (yet, better than bargain basement), the rainbow pot of gold, and typically the end of the road for the savvy premium flyer.

After all, what’s better than free?

Well, one thing we do here at FCF is propound a mindset, a way of thinking, that doesn’t turn off into the usual rest-stops offered by publications covering premium travel.

Just think about a similar concept: zero. It, too, seems to be the bottom. But the temperature can drop to minus zero and “absolute zero” equals -459.67 degrees Fahrenheit (-273.15 Celsius).

So, there’s a lot of space below zero just as there is a big bargain basement beneath free, which amounts to less than free, if you know how to get to it.

In terms of premium air travel, a “less than free upgrade” means booking Business Class tickets for less than what others pay for economy, and First Class less than what others pay for Business.

This report focuses on cheap, free, and less than free upgrade opportunities with Star Alliance airlines using what FCF calls “elastic points.” That just means using credit card points that give you access to numerous loyalty programs. The ultra-elastic card (46 partners) is the Starwood Preferred Guest Card (see here for more).

Just look at the chart below, which details the baseline cost for the lowest mileage-saver cost on United: 60,000 miles in coach and 115,000 miles in Business Class round-trip to Europe, or 60,000 to 115,000 miles earned on your United co-branded credit card. In most cases, you can upgrade for free, little more than free, and occasionally less than free—for travel to Europe with Air Canada, Austrian, Brussels Airlines, LOT Polish Airlines, Lufthansa, Scandinavian Airlines, Singapore Airlines, SWISS, TAP Portugal, Turkish Airlines, and United.

Six Ways to Upgrade Your Europe Experience for Little More than Coach on Star Alliance Airlines

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Seven Ways to Upgrade Your Europe Flight Experience to First Class on Star Alliance Airlines for Less-than-Free or Little More than Business

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Go here for Nine Ways Delta SkyMiles Travelers Can Upgrade to Europe for Free, or Little More Than Coach, using Elastic Plastic Credit Card points. 

[["<strong>To \/ From<\/strong>","<strong>Loyalty Program<\/strong>","<strong>Business Class Mileage Award Cost<\/strong>","<strong>Get Miles Via Partner<br> \"Elastic Plastic\" Credit Cards<\/strong><\/span>","<strong>Net Cost After \"Elastic Plastic\" Points Transfer <\/strong>","<strong>SO HERE'S<br> THE DEAL:<\/strong>"],["U.S. \/ Europe","Asiana","80,000","<span style=\"color: #009966;\"><strong>SPG<\/strong><\/span>","65,000","<span style=\"color: #009966;\"><strong>Almost free upgrade: <br><\/strong><\/span>just 5,000 miles more than coach"],["#rowspan#","All Nippon","88,000","#rowspan#","73,000","Cheap upgrade: <br>13,000 miles more than coach"],["#rowspan#","#rowspan#","#rowspan#","<span style=\"color: #009966;\"><strong>AMEX<\/strong><\/span>","88,000","Cheap upgrade:<br> 28,000 miles more than coach"],["#rowspan#","<a href=\"https:\/\/www.miles-and-more.com\/online\/portal\/mam\/rowr\/general_information?nodeid=1280955393&l=en&NOSSO=true\">Miles & More<\/a> (Austrian Airlines, Brussels Airlines, LOT Polish Airlines, Lufthansa, SWISS)","105,000","<span style=\"color: #009966;\"><strong>SPG<\/strong><\/span>","85,000","Cheap upgrade:<br> 25,000 miles more than coach"],["#rowspan#","Air Canada","110,000 to 115,000","#rowspan#","90,000 to 95,000","Cheap upgrade: <br>30,000 to 35,000 miles more than coach"],["New York, Washington, DC - Brussel","Etihad Airways (flying Brussels Airlines)","88,000","#rowspan#","73,000","Cheap upgrade: <br>13,000 miles more than coach"]]
<small>AMEX = American Express Rewards, SPG = Starwood.</small>
[["<strong>To \/ From<\/strong>","<strong>Loyalty Program<\/strong>","<strong>First Class Mileage Award Cost<\/strong>","<strong>Get Miles Via Partner \"Elastic Plastic\" Credit Cards<\/strong><\/span>","<strong>Net Cost After \"Elastic Plastic\" Points Transfer<\/strong>","<strong>SO HERE'S <br>THE DEAL:<\/strong>"],["<strong>U.S. \/ Europe<\/strong>","Asiana","100,000","<span style=\"color: #009966;\"><b>SPG<\/b><\/span>","80,000","<span style=\"color: #009966;\"><strong>Less than free upgrade: <br><\/strong><\/span>35,000 miles less than Business Class "],["#rowspan#","All Nippon","165,000","#rowspan#","135,000","Cheap upgrade: <br>20,000 miles more than Business Class "],["#rowspan#","Miles & More (flying Lufthansa)","170,000","#rowspan#","140,000","Cheap upgrade: <br>25,000 miles more than Business Class "],["#rowspan#","Air Canada","140,000 to 160,000","#rowspan#","115,000 to 130,000","<span style=\"color: #009966;\"><strong>Free upgrade: <\/strong><\/span><br>First Class for the price of Business Class on some routes, and 15,000 miles more than Business Class on others"],["#rowspan#","LifeMiles","174,000","#rowspan#","140,000","Cheap upgrade: <br>25,000 miles more than Business Class "],["#rowspan#","Singapore","160,000","#rowspan#","130,000","Cheap upgrade: <br>15,000 miles more than Business Class "],["New York - Frankfurt","#rowspan#","152,000","#rowspan#","122,000","<span style=\"color: #009966;\"><strong>Almost free upgrade: <\/strong><\/span><br>just 7,000 miles more than Business Class"]]
<small>SPG = Starwood.</small>