Chase, Starwood/Marriott, and United members all can score.
Deep, rich history and incomprehensible architectural feats. Daredevil adventure spots and sophisticated culture. Dramatic landscapes and some of the best food in the world.
Peru has it all.
But did you know that this South American country, almost twice the size of Texas, boasts eye-popping world records that are bound to surprise? Five reasons to visit:
Archaeology: Peru boasts iconic ancient ruins you can check off your bucket list, from the “lost city” of Machu Picchu to the mysterious geoglyphs in the Nazca Desert.
Adventure: Peru has astonishing adventures. You can ride the second-highest sand dune in the world, 3,860-foot-high Cerro Blanco, and surf the longest left-breaking wave in the world at 2.5 miles. You can hike in the second-deepest canyon in the world (nearly twice as deep as the Grand Canyon), the 11,600-foot-deep Cotahuasi Canyon. You can climb a mountain that literally looks like a rainbow. You can explore the Amazon on land, by boat, by canopy walkway, and by zipline. And you can paraglide from cliffs—even in downtown Lima.
Culture: Peru is rich in cultural offerings, from its 3,000 different festivals to its beautiful colonial cities, such as Cusco, and its sophisticated capital, Lima, with cutting-edge shops and museums.
Scenery: Peru is one of the most bio-diverse countries in the world, with about 90 different microclimates. You can see snow-capped mountains and floating grass islands, endless beaches and plunging canyons, coastal deserts and an Amazonian rainforest, which covers 60% of the land.
Animals: Peru has the second-largest number of bird species on the planet, at 1,800. And yes, there are llamas and alpacas and vicuñas. But you can also swim with pink dolphins in the Amazon and see penguins in the Paracas National Reserve.
Ready to go? Here’s how, using United upgrades.
Oftentimes, it’s smart to forget about free mileage awards, because they don’t earn elite credit and are much more difficult to find anyway. Instead, consider using miles to upgrade because availability is much greater, and the ticket earns miles and elite credit, to boot.
The savings can be as much as 75%.
United’s Upgrade Program to Peru
To upgrade to Business Class to Peru, United requires 25,000 miles plus a co-pay of $125 each way on the lowest upgradeable economy fares (S, T, K, L, and G). When Business Class fares are high, using miles for an upgrade can offer a great return.
How to Save 75% on High-Fare Routes
Say you’re traveling Houston to Lima, often an expensive Business Class route, even when booked way in advance. The lowest United economy fare is currently $614, while Business Class is $3,473 ($2,859 more). So, even with the $250 co-pay (round-trip) on top of the coach fare, you can save $2,609 (75%) off the published fare by using 50,000 miles.
See chart below for our upgrade award availability survey.
United.com screenshots showing fare difference between economy and Business Class plus upgrade math:
Bridge Route Connections Can Save Up to 63%
Smart travelers use the long-haul Business Class flight as a “bridge,” which means getting the premium seat on the international leg and using economy to reach the gateway(s), if you have to (and you often don’t).
From the U.S., that means you should consider buying an economy through-fare ticket that includes the entire itinerary on one ticket. Then use miles just to upgrade from the gateway to your international destination, as the worst case. If upgrade space is available on the domestic/short segments, grab them, as the cost is the same.
Example: On Chicago-Lima, the lowest through-fare ticket (connecting via Houston) costs $620 in economy versus $2,358 in Business Class. Even with the $250 co-pay to upgrade the Houston-Lima leg (and depending on space, also the Chicago-Houston leg), you save $1,488 (63%) off the published fare by using miles.
Use our survey below to get an idea of upgrade availability on the long-haul segment—what you want to plan around.
What to Do When an Upgrade Is Only Available One Way?
United lets you combine economy and Business Class fares, so you can upgrade the flight segment that has upgrade space and book the one that doesn’t in Business Class. On Houston-Lima the combined coach-Business Class fare is $2,169 including the $125 one-way co-pay, while round-trip Business Class is $3,473. So, you can still save $1,304 (38%) by using miles one way.
Traveling Onward in Peru, but not on United?
It’s easy if you stick to United’s partners and book the entire trip on one ticket, either coach or Business Class. Just upgrade the United transpacific segments. Book the routing in coach based on the availability of Business Class upgrades.
For example, from Lima, use Avianca for flights to other destinations in Peru, such as Arequipa, Cusco, and Trujillo. Makes things very convenient.
How to Book Mileage Upgrades on United
Determine availability date-clusters online using our survey below.
- Confirm that the flights/dates you want are available for the upgrade using miles by requesting upgrade award space on the “All search options” page.
- Make sure you have the miles required in your account.
- Click on the “Upgrade type” search in the middle of the page.
- In the “Fare preferences” section, select the “Buy Economy and upgrade” option to search for upgrade space in Business Class. Your search result will not only show fares and flight schedules, but also the flights offering an upgrade and the cost.
- Click on “Details” to find out if the upgrade space is available.
- Select your flights and book your ticket.
This can all be done online. (For detailed screenshots of the steps go here.) If you want to book over the phone, call 1-800-421-4655.
By the way, many of these tactics also work for anyone who can’t find a low Business Class fare, and for those who don’t even have many United miles.
How Anyone Can Play This Upgrade Game
Don’t have any or enough United miles? No problem. Just buy United miles when they go on sale (recent opportunity here), or transfer Marriott points to redeem points with Marriott’s Travel Packages (for more information go here), or transfer points from Chase to United.
Other Recent Upgrade Reports
Just look at these similar examples with American and United. In the past 11 months, FCF has written eight special reports for oneworld (American) and Star Alliance (United) members looking to deploy miles to achieve or maintain elite status while flying up front.
In December we focused on American to Europe, in January to Asia on American, in February to South America on American, in March on American’s Transcon, in April to Hawaii on American, in May to Asia on United, in June to South America on United, in July to Europe on United, and in August to the South Pacific on United, and this month to the Caribbean on American.
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