Star Alliance - Beware the paid upgrade (no miles for you)

This may be a "duh" for the more experienced *A FF, but it sure was a surprise for me. Prior to a recent business trip, Lufthansa called me to offer me a paid upgrade of my Q fare to Business on a BOS-MUC flight for $500. Sounded like a good idea, getting a lie-flat (if at an angle) seat for the night leg. (Turns out that thing is pretty hard to lie on, but that's a different issue.)

When the flight didn't get credited with miles on my UA FF account, I inquired with them. Turns out, the $500 not only bought me a hard seat but also an I fare, which doesn't qualify for any miles.

If I had known that, I would have stayed in my exit row seat and probably even had slept better.

Yes, I should have checked the rules first, but who thinks about this at the time?

Their reaction sounds very strange to me.

AFAIK FTers have had two different experiences with cash-upgrades (depending on which airline operated the flight and which FFP they credited the flight to):

1) getting the miles for the original booking class (Q)
2) getting the miles for business class (often happens this way when you cash-upgrade at the gate and you are given a new boarding pass)

As $500 also seems to be the going rate for cash-upgrades at the gate/check-in (and therefore this was no "very special offer"), I would definitely insist on at least getting the miles for Y.

Agree with the previous poster. The upgrade should at least give you the miles of the original fare and maybe even miles for business class.
So something seems wrong here.

Thank you for the encouragement! I had just resigned to being had by the airlines' policies. On a positive note, I just received this in an email from UA:
It appears your referenced LH flight was submitted for credit using the incorrect class of service. The flight has recently been denied for credit to your account due to invalid class of service. Now that we have the correct class of service, I will resubmit your request.
I will keep you posted.

A fellow traveler sitting next to me in an airport bar: Once you accept that you're cargo, it's really not that bad.

Thank you for the encouragement! I had just resigned to being had by the airlines' policies. On a positive note, I just received this in an email from UA:
It appears your referenced LH flight was submitted for credit using the incorrect class of service. The flight has recently been denied for credit to your account due to invalid class of service. Now that we have the correct class of service, I will resubmit your request.
I will keep you posted.

As frustrating as it could become (though the response from UA is promising), I would keep pushing this. You should absolutely receive mileage credit for the class of service you purchased. That is the rule. If you keep at it, eventually someone should realize you are right and get you the credit you earned.

This may be a "duh" for the more experienced *A FF, but it sure was a surprise for me. Prior to a recent business trip, Lufthansa called me to offer me a paid upgrade of my Q fare to Business on a BOS-MUC flight for $500. Sounded like a good idea, getting a lie-flat (if at an angle) seat for the night leg. (Turns out that thing is pretty hard to lie on, but that's a different issue.)

When the flight didn't get credited with miles on my UA FF account, I inquired with them. Turns out, the $500 not only bought me a hard seat but also an I fare, which doesn't qualify for any miles.

If I had known that, I would have stayed in my exit row seat and probably even had slept better.

Yes, I should have checked the rules first, but who thinks about this at the time?

You should get Biz class Miles.
I is the fare bucket for Award tickets in Biz and tickets upgraded with Miles, but you had a paid ticket + you paid for the UPG with cash, so from my point of view the situation is very clear: Biz class miles.
The cost of the UPG was low but this is what the airline requested. It would have been different if you had bargained for this low supplement and in exchange they had decided that you were only entitled to Eco miles.
I would not drop the matter and follow it till the end.
Good luck!

You should get Biz class Miles.
I is the fare bucket for Award tickets in Biz and tickets upgraded with Miles, but you had a paid ticket + you paid for the UPG with cash, so from my point of view the situation is very clear: Biz class miles.
The cost of the UPG was low but this is what the airline requested. It would have been different if you had bargained for this low supplement and in exchange they had decided that you were only entitled to Eco miles.
I would not drop the matter and follow it till the end.
Good luck!

I disagree. Airlines have the right to and do sell cheap upgrades which do not qualify for the upgraded class's miles. I've purchased some of these on TG before and the price is typically well over half off the price of a normal upgrade which does earn miles. The rules for this cheap upgrade clearly state that miles are only earned in the original booking class, and it even states there is no business class lounge access. It sounds like this is something similar. Anytime you're buying an upgrade on any airline, you should ask clearly what class the upgrade books into. If you're told it books into a non-earning class, why would you try to get miles for something you're not entitled to? If you're told it does book into a premium earning business class, you should further ask to clarify that you'll earn the appropriate business class miles. If the answer is yes to both, then you have a case if you don't earn the expected miles. If you don't ask, don't be surprised if you only earn economy miles.

I disagree. Airlines have the right to and do sell cheap upgrades which do not qualify for the upgraded class's miles. I've purchased some of these on TG before and the price is typically well over half off the price of a normal upgrade which does earn miles. The rules for this cheap upgrade clearly state that miles are only earned in the original booking class, and it even states there is no business class lounge access. It sounds like this is something similar. Anytime you're buying an upgrade on any airline, you should ask clearly what class the upgrade books into. If you're told it books into a non-earning class, why would you try to get miles for something you're not entitled to? If you're told it does book into a premium earning business class, you should further ask to clarify that you'll earn the appropriate business class miles. If the answer is yes to both, then you have a case if you don't earn the expected miles. If you don't ask, don't be surprised if you only earn economy miles.

Thks for your post A_Lee.
You would be right if the airline had informed the pax about it, but Mr Urh, if I understood correctly, was never informed that he would just get miles for economy class, so he should get the miles for the class of service he paid.
Regards,

I would have been perfectly happy with economy miles. But so far they didn't credit any miles (as is their rule for I fares). I'm fine with not getting a bonus given the low cost upg, but treating it like a reward ticket (or a super discounted fare) just feels wrong. @A_Lee, they specifically stressed the fact that this would give me lounge access (which I already had as *A-G).

Thks for your post A_Lee.
You would be right if the airline had informed the pax about it, but Mr Urh, if I understood correctly, was never informed that he would just get miles for economy class, so he should get the miles for the class of service he paid.
Regards,

Again I disagree. If you are buying a ticket, it is up to you to check what is the booking class and to check if it earns miles or not. The same for an upgrade. It is up to the purchaser to ask what is the booking class if not told. You should never assume anything about what a booking class is on either a purchased ticket or an upgrade.

I would have been perfectly happy with economy miles. But so far they didn't credit any miles (as is their rule for I fares). I'm fine with not getting a bonus given the low cost upg, but treating it like a reward ticket (or a super discounted fare) just feels wrong. @A_Lee, they specifically stressed the fact that this would give me lounge access (which I already had as *A-G).

I think you're perfectly right to insist on getting miles as per your original (economy) booking class. My example was for TG where you don't get lounge access. Whether LH gives you lounge access or not isn't really important. The important thing is that airlines do sell cheap upgrades that don't earn you upgraded miles and anyone buying an upgrade should check first if the extra miles are important to them.

Thank you for the encouragement! I had just resigned to being had by the airlines' policies. On a positive note, I just received this in an email from UA:
It appears your referenced LH flight was submitted for credit using the incorrect class of service. The flight has recently been denied for credit to your account due to invalid class of service. Now that we have the correct class of service, I will resubmit your request.
I will keep you posted...........

You should receive miles based on Q fare. Looks to me that you mistakenly tried to claim business class miles and was rejected. You should receive economy miles.

I have availed couple of times of the US Go-upgrades ($500 for TATL) and miles always have always posted in the underlying Y class. Even some trickery of friendly US staff reissuing the ticket in a C fare class did not help. They are on to us.... :D

I just noticed that LH M&M credits cash upgrades (http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/miles-more-lufthansa-austrian-swiss-other-partners/910007-us-airways-gate-paid-cash-upgrade.html) in the new service class.

Thks for your post A_Lee.
You would be right if the airline had informed the pax about it, but Mr Urh, if I understood correctly, was never informed that he would just get miles for economy class, so he should get the miles for the class of service he paid.


Ah, yes; the old "expect to be informed" instead of "keep yourself informed"...

You should receive miles based on Q fare. Looks to me that you mistakenly tried to claim business class miles and was rejected. You should receive economy miles.

I understand the gentleman got no miles at all and for this reason he opened this thread.

However I still consider he should get Biz class miles, unless it was negotiated differently.

For instance Swiss has got the offer "Swiss Business Upgrade" in Europe, and for a supplement of 100 euros, you get upgraded and get the Biz Class miles.

Last summer they also had this offer for intercontinental flights and it was between 300 and 500 euros depending on the destinations. Again with Biz class miles.