Who can and should use miles to upgrade on United (a Chase Ultimate Rewards Partner)? Here are 10 United upgrader tryouts: Will you make the team?
Remember that Stevie Wonder song, “I Just Called to Say I Love You”? I’m considering recording a new version titled, “I Just Called to Say I Love Mileage Upgrades on United.” Catchy, huh?
We are huge fans of using miles to upgrade from coach to Business on United, RATHER THAN using miles to get free award seats.
This is because the value of upgrading is often so much better than using miles for free award seats, for a variety of reasons.
So, exactly what kind of traveler should use their hard-earned miles or Chase points to upgrade on United, and who shouldn’t?
The Who’s Who of Miles Upgraders
#1 Sam the Seat Snarer
One of the biggest reasons to use miles to upgrade rather than for a free award ticket is simply that United makes substantially more seats and days available for upgrades than awards. Free mileage award tickets can be an availability nightmare on United to most parts of the world, rendering your miles useless, but that is often not the case with mileage upgrades. FCF’s daily alerts uncover United upgrade opportunities on a weekly basis.
#2 Cletus the Elitist Completist
In addition to better availability, using miles to upgrade earns miles and elite credit, which free mileage awards don’t. And we know how important it is to maintain your elite status, if this is you.
#3 Hector the Connector
Upgrading can often be better for connecting flights. With free mileage award tickets, when you can find the long-haul flight segment available in a premium class of service (perhaps via FCF’s multitude of Sweet Redeems alerts), you often can’t get to the long-haul flight segment’s departure city, or beyond its destination city, on the same free award ticket. That’s a passion killer.
With mileage upgrade awards, however, when you buy an economy class ticket from your departure city to your final destination, you can always find a fare all on one ticket.
Quick example: Say Hector lives in San Francisco and wants to fly to Brussels. He spots an FCF upgrade alert with availability on United from Chicago to Brussels, the long-haul segment (and the one that’s critical to get a comfortable seat). With a free mileage award ticket, he’d have to get lucky with upgrade availability on the San Francisco-Chicago segment, or buy a seperate ticket.
With a mileage upgrade award, however, because he’s simply buying an everyday economy class airfare from San Francisco to Brussels, Hector is much more likely to find upgrade award space on the San Francisco-Chicago segment. Worst-case scenario: He waitlists but is covered on the long-haul segment that he really cares about.
#4 Limited-Miles Neville
If you don’t have many miles with United, or points with Chase, upgrades are the way to go because they require fewer miles than an award ticket. In other words, the upgrade doesn’t drain your mile bank so drastically. That leaves more miles in the knapsack for your next trip.
Quick example: Say Neville lives in Newark and wants to fly to Shanghai. He spots an FCF upgrade alert with availability on United from Newark to Shanghai, which would require 60,000 miles round-trip (plus $1,200 co-pay) to upgrade from an economy ticket to Business Class. The lowest saver award requires 140,000 miles round-trip, but can run easily as high as 350,000+ miles—80,000 to 290,000 fewer miles when using miles for an upgrade.
#5 Bucket List Bonnie
Some destinations—maybe even dream destinations (g’day Australia)—very rarely have low-cost free award space. And, the Business Class fares are typically $6,000 to $8,000. With mileage upgrades, however, you can buy a much lower-cost economy ticket and use 60,000 miles and pay a $1,200 co-pay round-trip to upgrade to Business Class.
Quick example: Let’s say Bonnie is traveling Los Angeles to Sydney in April. The lowest United upgradeable economy fare is currently $913, while Business Class is $6,298. So, even with the round-trip $1,200 co-pay (plus 60,000 miles), her upgraded economy-to-Business Class ticket only comes to $2,113 total (plus 60,000 miles). So, Bonnie can save $4,185 (66%) off the published fare by using miles.
In many cases, mileage upgrades get you where free awards can’t. Time to go Down Under and see those koalas.
#6 The Brady Bunch
Finding a bunch of seats available when traveling as a family for free award travel—all for the same flight and date—is harder than settling a sibling dispute over who gets the last cookie. However, getting a deal for the whole family is 100 to 1,000 times easier—based on our research, literally—with mileage upgrades because United releases many more upgrade seats.
#7 Last-Minute Loretta
Last-minute Business Class fares can be high, but economy fares for the same route are often still low at the last minute, so an upgrade can offer great savings.
Quick example: Let’s say Loretta can only book a week in advance and she’s traveling from Newark to Rome. The lowest United upgradeable economy fare is currently $1,183, (7-day advance fare for early October) while Business Class is $8,275. Even with the round-trip $1,100 co-pay (plus 40,000 miles), Loretta is only paying $2,283 total (plus 40,000 miles) for her upgraded economy-to-Business Class ticket. In other words, she can save $5,992 (72%) off the published Business Class fare by using miles to upgrade from economy.
#8 One-Way Waylon
Like last-minute tickets, one-way Business Class fares are usually very high, but the economy fare can still be low, so an upgrade in this case can also offer sweet savings.
Quick example: Let’s say Waylon needs a one-way ticket New York/Newark to London for some reason, often an expensive Business Class route, even when booked way in advance. The lowest United upgradeable economy fare is currently $1,304, while Business Class is $6,704. So, even with the one-way $475 co-pay (plus 20,000 miles), Waylon is only paying $1,779 total (plus 20,000 miles), saving $4,925, or 73% off the published fare by upgrading with miles.
#9 Strictly Business Ben
Business travelers are typically Monday-to-Friday flyers. But often their companies won’t pay for Business Class seats, so upgrades are their best option.
Quick example: Let’s say Ben is traveling on business to São Paulo from Washington, DC. It’s a last-minute trip, staying two nights. As is typical of many companies, Ben’s business travel policy only allows economy travel. United’s unrestricted economy fare, B class, is $3,432 round-trip, while Business Class is $8,994. (No wonder the company won’t pay for Business.) How can Ben get around this to fly in comfort to São Paulo? Say it with me: “using miles to upgrade.” In this case, 50,000 miles are required to upgrade to Business Class, but he’s also earning about 16,000 miles when he upgrades, which he wouldn’t with a free award ticket. So, in essence, he’s only using a total of 34,000 miles for the upgrade.
#10 Advance-Booker Betty
It also pays to upgrade if you’re an advance booker.
Quick example: Betty is traveling from San Francisco to Hong Kong in February 2020 for her twin sister Hetty’s wedding. United’s lowest economy fare is currently starting at just $596 round-trip, while Business Class is $6,039. Even with the $1,200 co-pay round-trip (and 60,000 miles), Betty can pay just $1,796 (plus 60,000 miles) to fly in Business Class, saving $4,243 (or 70%) off the published fare by using miles.
When NOT to Use Miles For an Upgrade on United
This is easy: It’s when published Business Class fares are low. For example, let’s say you’re traveling from Newark to Lisbon one-way. This is a route where Business Class fares are low for one-way travel—only $1,411 one-way. The lowest United upgradeable economy fare is currently $653 one-way. Add the one-way $550 co-pay (plus 20,000 miles) for a total of $1,203. That’s only a savings of $203, and you would have to use 20,000 miles.That’s not good value nor good use of your miles for an upgrade.
HOW ANYONE CAN PLAY THIS UPGRADE GAME
Don’t have any or enough United miles? You can get more miles quickly and easily with United by just buying them. The best time to buy is when they are on sale; a recent sale had them at 2.03 cents per mile, and September, as low as 1.88 cents per mile.
For example, let’s say you’re traveling Houston to Rio de Janeiro in June 2020. United’s lowest upgradeable economy fare is currently starting at $1,524 round-trip, while Business Class is $8,388. Even with the $900 co-pay round-trip, you pay $2,424 plus 50,000 miles, which you can buy now for $1,128 to fly in Business Class, saving $4,836 (or 58%) off the published fare by using miles.
If you don’t want to buy miles, know that you can transfer Marriott or Chase points to United.
HOW TO BOOK MILEAGE UPGRADES ON UNITED
Get a sense of availability date-clusters online (perhaps using one of FCF’s Upgrade alerts; see a list of recent ones below).
Select the “Advance search (Multi-city and upgrades)” option form on United’s home page. Then under the header “Fare preferences” for “Cabin” click on “Economy/Premium Economy“ and for “Type of fare” click on “Lowest available fares,” and for “Upgrade type” use the drop down and click on “MilagePlus Upgrade Awards (MUA)” and select “Upgrade to Premium Economy or Business.” See below:
When your search results are displayed, it will not only show fares and flight schedules, it will also show what flights offer an upgrade, and what the cost is for the upgrade (in co-pay and/or miles).
five RECENT FCF SWEET REDEEMS UPGRADE ALERTS TO HELP YOU USE YOUR UNITED MILES FOR AN UPGRADE ON UNITED
Save Up to 70% on United to Shanghai and Tokyo, 4+ Seats with Chase Points or United Miles
Great Availability of United Upgrades from the Midwest to Brussels and London (4+ Seats)
United Upgrades Now Available from the Midwest to Brazil, 4+ Seats (Save 26% to 73%)