Hope this helps. THEN, United wait lists but does not honor the Round Trip, or Return Leg, and Keeps the Miles and Fees, unless I demand them by Request Online United.com Fare Class Upgrade Refund Process, THEN either return the FEES OR the Miles, not both for the Un-Upgraded Segment…This ONLY if I request, which used to be an Automated Refund Process. You may want to call closer to your departure date if your upgrade has not cleared and make sure your request is in order. Any and all options, reviews, comments and analyses are the responsibility of the author(s) and not any Advertiser or credit card issuer. When you request the upgrade, the miles will be deducted from your United MileagePlus frequent flier account and your credit card will be charged the co-pay amount. You state one doesn’t need an existing reservation to see the options available. Full Disclosure: We may receive financial compensation when you click on links and are approved for credit card products from our advertising partners. There are no complimentary upgrades when traveling on an international ticket. What a great story, Giovanni. Was it a buy up offer? From the date received please allow 20 business days to receive a cash refund. United will automatically request a complimentary elite upgrade for eligible routes, and your position on the upgrade waitlist does not interfere with your ability to request other types of upgrades. The information provided is for informational purposes only and should not be considered financial, tax or legal advice. United Airlines staff travel information for your next non-rev flight. Services and entitlements in the event of flight disruptions. I purchased a Lufthansa package to Munich from LAX via American Express. For example, is it a domestic or international ticket, do you have elite status with United, do you want to purchase an upgrade, or do you want to upgrade with miles? Scoring an upgrade is complicated, and not just because there are so many factors involved in the process. Hello Kiernan. There are plenty of ways to satisfy your wanderlust without leaving the house: scrolling through Instagram feeds, reading books about far-flung destinations and – one of our personal favorites – Netflix. My question is does the number of seats in a fare class change between now and flight departure? Then select the MileagePlus Upgrade Awards option from the drop-down box under fare preferences. You may be able to upgrade with just miles, or there may be a co-pay if you do not have Premier Elite status. Notes on: baggage, dress code, listing, upgrade, refunds, infants, included flights, excluded flights, listing phone number, email info, refunds email, website Unfortunately, the only response from UA has been a generic form email advising that the aircraft can only fit so many people, etc. In order to qualify for free checked bags using the United credit card, do you have to pay for the tickets using the card, or just possess a card at the time you fly? My question and what I’m watching my account for is “what kind of points or earnings toward status might there be from this?” I am not seeing anything yet after 2 days. The airline's coronavirus refund policies for travelers whose flights are canceled by the airline are the stingiest of the big four U.S. airlines and appear to skirt the DOT guidelines. "Your flight UA366 from Hartford to Denver is canceled due to the unprecedented circumstances currently affecting travel,'' it said. The best way to see if there are seats available for an upgrade is to search for tickets using United’s expert mode. All other tickets will be prioritized for upgrades based on the criteria stated in the article which include Premier status, fare class, and time of upgrade request. The DOT said in a statement to USA TODAY that the department was aware of complaints regarding airlines’ refund practices and was reviewing the issue. Then I upgraded to first class a day before the flight for more cash. Select the option to go to your profile, then select search preferences. In addition, as an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases. If the refund does not post within one billing cycle, please contact your credit card company for information. United offers the option to purchase premium cabin upgrades when seats are available. For example, there may be a longer wait list on one flight over the other. Before you can even think about scoring a better seat on your next United-operated flight, you need to find seats that the carrier has designated for upgrades. Hi! It’s also because the system doesn’t always work as planned. For a flight this long, we’d LOVE to have Polaris Business, and I’ve got more than enough miles for the upgrade (but not a business award ticket) thanks to my Chase Explorer Card, and even with the co-pay it’s reasonable. To complete the E-Ticket refund request please complete the refund request form. Also, codeshare flights are not eligible. I’m trying to see which flight I can apply RPU for and I know looking at how many “R” fares are available is the indicator for instant upgrade. A link has been sent to your friend's email address. Provide dates, times, flight numbers and reservation numbers, McGee said. I just logged in and tried to duplicate what you just described using Chicago to Frankfurt to include Lufthansa operated flights and all of the premium cabin award options showed up. btgm. Ok so on United there is no option to simply pay for an upgrade? I would also look at the seat map for each flight to see which one might be more empty or call and ask which flight might have a better chance of the GPU clearing. Visit our Standby FAQ page for more information. The bottom line to securing any complimentary upgrades with United is that Premier Elite status. Hello! Hello Anfernee. For more information on upgrades: https://www.united.com/web/en-US/content/mileageplus/awards/upgrade/default.aspx. Thank you! You will remain on the waitlist until 3 hours before departure, then the gate agents take over to clear any requested upgrades if seats become available. 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Hi Peter, thanks for the question. United Airlines | MileagePlus - Refund for Paid Upgrade? Customers that are on the wait list are confirmed automatically in order based on status first, then fare class, then Chase United MileagePlus Club cardholders, corporate preferred travelers, then date/time requested. According to United’s website, you won’t earn any miles for the upgrades. Second, try a different browser and third, if this doesn’t work, call United at 1-800-864-8331 and asked to be transferred to their web support or email their web tech support at [email protected]. I’m following your examples/screenshots but I don’t see that MUA option on the advanced search menu. The Business or First Class always takes me to Miles +$$. Unfortunately you cannot upgrade an award ticket. Here is my concern: what if no upgrade is available from PVG to SFO, but there *is* an upgrade available for SFO-PDX. Hello, and thank you for the great article. Another great travel perk is free checked bags. There are multiple types of upgrades, a confusing maze of fare classes, priority hierarchy, and assorted rules for different planes and routes to sort through. Hi Sean, sounds like you have a lot of travel planned. Hi Chris. It is possible to upgrade your flight using United MileagePlus® frequent flyer miles either while you’re purchasing a ticket or on an existing reservation, but it is not always the best value. For more information on our advertisers, see here. I was very happy that I didnt have to wait for it to clear as others were on the upgrade list, and the entire business cabin ended up being full (39 seats) by day of departure. You’ll also be sitting closer to the front of the plane because the Economy Plus section is located in front of the main Economy section of the plane. Enjoy the trip. Please see our Advertiser Disclosure for more details! and this might fall into one of the acceptable categories where it’s possible. "I was pretty bulldozed into it,'' he said. TIA. United's policies are complicated and hard to find on the airline's website or get clear answers about from the airline.Its cancellation assistant bot offers no help on this front. United 1K members can purchase a Y, B, or M fare for an immediate upgrade. Yes, “I” is discounted business and should be a total of 25,000 inter-Europe. Especially with a long layover and the fact that it is a 10-hour flight. Level Contributor . Upgraded Points, LLC uses reasonable efforts to maintain accurate information on the site — and prior to applying for any credit card offers found on UpgradedPoints.com, all visitors should review other features of such credit cards including but not limited to interest rates, annual fees and transaction fees, and should determine the suitability of such credit cards considering their own individual financial position. Also, in what cases does a W fare benefit from the higher cost? With 2015 winding down and many of … Our policies are transparent and clearly spelled out for our customers, laying out steps to take if their plans change,'' Scott said, mentioning the airline's coronavirus travel waivers. The agent cited European Union aviation laws, which are generally more liberal than U.S. consumer protections, that say passengers are not entitled to compensation if it was caused by "extraordinary circumstances which could not have been avoided. If you’ve signed up for day-of-travel notifications and receive an upgrade, we’ll send you a text message or email asking you to refresh your boarding pass on the United app to view your new seat assignment and wait to board. I can consider costs up to this ~2300, but not that enthusiastic about going higher. It’s also great to hear that your persistence paid off. That upon Redeeming Miles for Upgrade of Fare Class, they only honor ONE SEGMENT, and Return Segment is Waitlisted, in the greater majority of flights. Hot Tip: Each flight will have different availability for upgrade potential, so check each flight individually. Edited: 4 years ago. Customer service representatives have been overwhelmed by the crisis. Email needed if you'd like comment updates. While you can purchase a ticket with a partner airline and upgrade using United miles (based on availability), you may have to purchase a higher fare class that subsequently makes the transaction a poor value. PN is only for Global Services not GS + 1K. You are correct in that a higher fare class ticket will increase your chances for an upgrade but there is no guarantee it will happen. We have a lot of refund requests so it’s taking longer than usual. Thanks for the article! © 2021 USA TODAY, a division of Gannett Satellite Information Network, LLC. Williams said he called the help line for business-class customers last week to check on the status of his flight. If I’m on an Aeroplan (Air Canada mileage flight) economy X fare, can I upgrade to business/first class with my Aeroplan miles, or would i have to have some United Miles in order to be able to complete the upgrade? My Experience With the United Airlines Waitlist Trick (and How I Narrowly Avoided Disaster!) He was finally promised a refund. Trying to figure out how to proceed. You’ll want to make sure it is a good value option versus purchasing any available discounted business class. Here’s how to find out how much an upgrade will cost using miles and whether using the miles and co-pay option is worth it. 4.) Was it done at the gate? I hope this helps. I purchased a K class flight on Swiss airlines (MIA-ZRH) then I upgraded to Business class. We’ll also cover the benefits of having a United MileagePlus® credit card with some bottom line ways to make that upgrade happen. MileagePlus members can request upgrades on United partner Star Alliance airlines from economy to business or first class (on 2 class planes) and business class to first class depending on the partner airline’s seat availability. Platinum members receive 40 PlusPoints that can be used for a variety of upgrades —including upgrades to United Premium Plus or United Polaris business class on international long-haul flights, which previously weren’t part of the upgrade benefits for Platinum status. If you are not signed in, expert mode will not be available. Thanks! The good news is, you don’t have to be a United Premier elite member to upgrade an economy ticket to business class using miles and a co-pay. © 2021 Upgraded Points™, LLC. Click here to see a list of advertisers that we work with. Disclaimer: Any comments listed below are not from the bank advertiser, nor have they been reviewed or approved by them. Under search preferences, you’ll find the expert mode option. 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