Four common misconceptions that keep premium travelers from getting the maximum opportunity, whether flying to or from Asia.
This story may sound like it’s meant for road warriors. That’s not the case. The insights and strategies offered are relevant to you if you fall into any of the following categories:
- Frequent or non-frequent traveler (whether you fly a lot or a little doesn’t matter)
- United Elite or non-United (whether you want to earn elite status credit or have never heard of elite status credit)
- United Mileage Bank Members or non-members (you need not have a single United mile to use these methods)
- Premium Traveler (either Business or First Class or have to maximize your time)
- Leisure Traveler who has flexibility
- Upgrade Experts and novice upgraders (whether you’ve been an FCF member for 17 years or joined yesterday)
- Flying from the U.S. to Asia or from Asia to the U.S.
It’s hard to free ourselves of Travel-World Dogma, the accumulation of assumptions, ideas, and beliefs that pile up in our minds like stuff in an attic. They congeal into frameworks that end up affecting our approach to air travel.
[aside headline="Valuing Miles" alignment="alignright" width="half" headline_size="default"]presupposes that you are traveling because you have the miles—as opposed to using miles because you travel. Or, you generate at such a dirt-cheap price in mass, which a number of people do, which will require personalization of the formula.
For those who can and do spend endless amounts of time earning every 500- and 1,000-mile bonus, it gets tricky
to figure out the value of your time. This piece is for people who place a high value on their time in general, yet the data can be used for any situation’s decision process.[/aside]
FCF’s goal with this series of articles on The Upgrade Mindset (see July issue on United to Europe and ) is to expose and undo these frameworks. In this issue we’re going to examine, using hard data, the question, “Are United MileagePlus miles better used for free tickets or upgrades when flying to and from Asia?”
I can’t possibly cover every travel scenario, but I can put the ammo in your upgrade arsenal that will give your miles the greatest firepower.
Here are the most common misconceptions people have when using United miles on United flights to and from Asia.
Misconception #1:
The Myth: The best way to use miles is for a free award ticket.
The Truth: Very often wrong! When it comes to upgrading with miles to Asia, most people see the co-pay ($1,200) and run for the Free Ticket Hills. This is usually the wrong move.
Side-by-Side: Upgrades vs. Free Tickets
As you can see from the chart below, an upgrade to Business Class often costs less than a free Business Class award ticket, once you put a dollar value on your miles.
Sample Cost of Business Class Using Miles—Chicago-Beijing: Upgrade Award vs. Free Award
The Upgrade Mindset Lesson
The Real Lesson: Try everything. A primary tenet of The Upgrade Mindset is to have as few preconceptions as possible! Moreover, what was true yesterday may not be true today. What your friend told you may not apply to your personal situation. What many pop-media outlets advocate is so often ill-informed.
One thing is for sure when traveling on United to and from Asia: It’s well worth paying more miles (15,000 to 40,000) for First Class, as I’ve always maintained that the difference between Business and First Class is similar to the difference between coach and Business, generally speaking.
Misconception #2:
The Myth: The odds of getting a free Business Class award ticket are the same as or better than an upgrade award on United.
The Truth: Usually wrong! On most routes, United releases many more mileage upgrades than it does free mileage awards for Business Class.
As you can see from the sample route in the chart below, using miles for an upgrade based on two travelers gives you up to 1,400% more mileage seat inventory.
Number of Days with Business Class Availability: Chicago-Beijing
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Misconception #3:
The Myth: The odds of getting a free First Class award ticket are the same as, or better than, an upgrade award on United.
The Truth: Usually wrong! On most routes, United releases many more mileage upgrades than it does free awards for First Class.
As you can see from the sample route in the chart below, using miles for an upgrade based on two travelers gives you up to 1,700% more days and, in general, triple the options.
Number of Days with First Class Availability: Chicago-Hong Kong
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Consider Using Mileage Upgrades If You Are:
- An Elite Status Seeker: Someone who needs to earn elite credit. If you are a United elite, Upgrade Awards are really the only way to go.
- A Business Traveler: When company or clients are paying for the base fare in economy, use United miles to upgrade.
- Short on Miles: Costing roughly half the miles, upgrades stretch your mileage bank. If you can’t get enough miles for a free award ticket, upgrades can go a long way to solve that problem and keep you in the mileage game longer. Yet don’t forget how to manufacture miles.
- Convenience Oriented: With up to 1,700% more inventory available, mileage upgrades can offer more access to non-stops and to more convenient schedules. While United Partner Awards theoretically open up space with more airlines—and they do open up the options for free-ticket seekers—the space is still nonetheless much more tightly controlled (often requiring many more stops).
That said: Partner Awards have their place, especially for non-elites and for free First Class seats on partners (like Lufthansa and All Nippon in United’s case) when fares are otherwise very high and for those who are more flexible, especially those who can fly on a moment’s notice (see FCF’s February issue for more on the Upgrade Two-Step).
What’s the biggest complaint about mileage awards? Availability. What’s the obvious Availability-Increaser at relatively the same cost? In two words: Upgrade Awards.
Misconception #4:
The Myth: You must have a United mileage account and a lot of miles to take advantage of mileage upgrade opportunities.
The Truth: Wrong! You do not need to be a MileagePlus member, today—or even know anything about the program or anything about mileage program strategies—to save on Business and First Class travel to Asia.
Anyone can get United miles fast and easy by transferring points from Chase Ultimate Rewards, or by buying up to 100,000 miles annually—directly from United—in mere minutes.
Need more than 100,000 miles?
No problem: Open up multiple United accounts (it takes less than five minutes per account) in the names of friends, family members, or why not even your hairdresser? Yes—even your hairdresser, because you can use the miles you purchase, with your credit card, for their account (through United’s “Give Miles” program), for your flights. Repeat: Your credit card—their miles—your flight. You’re manufacturing miles!