This is for Star Alliance (United) members looking to maintain elite status; those who can find cheap Business Class fares to Europe; and/or those who can’t find a low First Class fare to Europe.
Our Pitch: Use United miles to upgrade to First. Forget free mileage awards because you don’t earn elite miles or elite dollars.
The Upgrade Program
United’s MileagePlus program requires 20,000 miles one-way to upgrade, plus a $550 co-pay each way with the lowest upgradeable Business Class fares (P and Z). That’s kind of a high co-pay, but when First Class fares are high, upgrades can offer a great return and make this program a deal.
Save 52% on United’s First Class
Say you’re traveling to Brussels, Frankfurt, or Paris: These are often high First Class fare destinations. For example, the lowest Business Class fare to Frankfurt is currently $2,498 from Newark, while First Class is otherwise $5,060 more ($7,558)—so even with the $1,100 co-pay, by using miles you can save 52% off the published fare.
More examples when the Mileage Upgrade works well: The lowest Business Class fare from Los Angeles to Brussels is $4,164, while First Class is $4,505 more ($8,669). Chicago to Paris lowest Business Class fare is $3,124, while First Class is $3,100 more ($6,224).
When using miles is not a deal: United often offers low-cost First Class "fare-difference" upgrades to London. So if you’re going there, always check Business and First Class fares both to see if using miles is a deal. Go here for a recent fare alert on United, which offered First Class upgrades to London starting at $400 one-way, which made using miles on United a bad deal.
Upgrade Survey: Using Miles on United to Europe
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How to Get United Miles
Buy United miles when they go on sale (go here for recent alert details); or transfer Starwood points to Marriott (recent report here); or for those of you who are all about Chase Ultimate Rewards, remember you can also transfer those points to United.
Using EasyUp Business Class Fares to Upgrade to First Class
An EasyUp Business Class fare is one of the best deals you can get and we’ve reported on them since December 2012 (original report here); and subsequently and frequently we report about their opportunities on our Daily Alerts page. These types of deals come around all the time on United, one of the few airlines that allow upgrades to First with miles on its lowest Business Class fares.
One last detail: Aircraft with First Class cabins don't fly the same routes year-round. United, just like American, moves aircraft with First Class cabins to different regions throughout the year. For example, in spring and summer, United flies a B777 aircraft with a First Class cabin from Newark to Frankfurt, but not in the fall or winter.
So be sure to check the various routing options, to know which include aircraft with First Class, should you consider trying to upgrade from your great Business Class fare.