Last edit by: atword
Previous threads: 2015 Upsell Offers to Business/First (UFC/PCU) Questions/Discussion (Paid Upgrades)
2014 Upsell Offers to Business/First (UFC/PCU) Questions/Discussion (Paid Upgrades)
2013 "Upsell Offers to Business/First (UFC/PCU)" Questions/Discussion (Paid Upgrades)
PCU (Premium Cabin Upsell) Nets extra PQM's and can be done at purchase or anytime before checkin if prompted. This will book into a business/first bucket.
UFC (Upgrade For Cash) is done at checkin (online, counter, lounge, gate) and will not earn extra PQM's.
TOD (Tens of Dollars); please post at another thread Post your TOD buy-up experiences here [2016 Edition]
From #198 of the TOD thread by thejaredhuang: "I think there's still a distinction (from upsell thread). This thread is more about offers at check-in, I always read TOD as Time of Departure anyways."
2014 Upsell Offers to Business/First (UFC/PCU) Questions/Discussion (Paid Upgrades)
2013 "Upsell Offers to Business/First (UFC/PCU)" Questions/Discussion (Paid Upgrades)
PCU (Premium Cabin Upsell) Nets extra PQM's and can be done at purchase or anytime before checkin if prompted. This will book into a business/first bucket.
UFC (Upgrade For Cash) is done at checkin (online, counter, lounge, gate) and will not earn extra PQM's.
TOD (Tens of Dollars); please post at another thread Post your TOD buy-up experiences here [2016 Edition]
From #198 of the TOD thread by thejaredhuang: "I think there's still a distinction (from upsell thread). This thread is more about offers at check-in, I always read TOD as Time of Departure anyways."
2016 Upsell Offers to Business/First (UFC/PCU) Questions/Discussion (Paid Upgrades)
#136
Join Date: Jul 2012
Location: Portland
Programs: AS MVP Gold, Marriott Gold, Hilton Gold, IHG Platinum, Starbucks Gold
Posts: 391
Just bought a ticket ORD-SFO next month. It is (a rarity) on an 747. After purchasing it offered upgrade to first for $199, which I grabbed (assuming it would be put me in business). Surprisingly, it put me in 2K. Quite a deal. This happened to me back in January, but I assumed it was a mistake/fluke.
Meanwhile, I'm looking forward to seat 1A on the 744 in roughly eleven hours!
#138
Join Date: Nov 2011
Posts: 101
Buying up to BF SFO --> LHR or LAX-->LHR
Hi there. I am trying to understand how possible and a ballpark re how much it would be to buy up to BF either going from LAX-->SFO (preferred) or SFO --> LAX. This is for July.
I actually have a LHR - IAD ticket right now for a separate trip in July, and I can't even see that there is any way to buy up. I can see where I can upgrade using miles and cash, but not the pure cash buy up. (It's grayed out.)
So, what I am wondering is:
- Is the cash buy up option just sometimes not available? Or do they just "activate it" closer to the time the flight is supposed to go?
- Is there any way to tell if there will be a buy up available in advance?
- Anyone have a ballpark estimate on what a 1 way buy up would be?
This is for business, so I don't want to use any of my personal miles.
Thanks in advance.
I actually have a LHR - IAD ticket right now for a separate trip in July, and I can't even see that there is any way to buy up. I can see where I can upgrade using miles and cash, but not the pure cash buy up. (It's grayed out.)
So, what I am wondering is:
- Is the cash buy up option just sometimes not available? Or do they just "activate it" closer to the time the flight is supposed to go?
- Is there any way to tell if there will be a buy up available in advance?
- Anyone have a ballpark estimate on what a 1 way buy up would be?
This is for business, so I don't want to use any of my personal miles.
Thanks in advance.
#139
Join Date: Mar 2014
Location: SFO
Programs: UA 1K, SPG Platinum
Posts: 211
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/unite...-gg-buyup.html
#140
No longer with Internet Brands
Join Date: Mar 2011
Location: Los Angeles, CA
Programs: DL DM 1.6MM, Marriott LT Plat
Posts: 5,343
Hi there. I am trying to understand how possible and a ballpark re how much it would be to buy up to BF either going from LAX-->SFO (preferred) or SFO --> LAX. This is for July.
I actually have a LHR - IAD ticket right now for a separate trip in July, and I can't even see that there is any way to buy up. I can see where I can upgrade using miles and cash, but not the pure cash buy up. (It's grayed out.)
So, what I am wondering is:
- Is the cash buy up option just sometimes not available? Or do they just "activate it" closer to the time the flight is supposed to go?
- Is there any way to tell if there will be a buy up available in advance?
- Anyone have a ballpark estimate on what a 1 way buy up would be?
This is for business, so I don't want to use any of my personal miles.
Thanks in advance.
I actually have a LHR - IAD ticket right now for a separate trip in July, and I can't even see that there is any way to buy up. I can see where I can upgrade using miles and cash, but not the pure cash buy up. (It's grayed out.)
So, what I am wondering is:
- Is the cash buy up option just sometimes not available? Or do they just "activate it" closer to the time the flight is supposed to go?
- Is there any way to tell if there will be a buy up available in advance?
- Anyone have a ballpark estimate on what a 1 way buy up would be?
This is for business, so I don't want to use any of my personal miles.
Thanks in advance.
#141
Join Date: May 2006
Location: IAD
Programs: UA 1MM *G (recovered GS), SPG Nothing, Hilton Nothing, AA Nothing
Posts: 895
IAD-SEA 12.5k award ticket (~$30 in fees/taxes due to close-in ticketing) -> $249 upgrade to F. Not a widebody but I felt like this was a pretty decent offer for a 5-6 hour flight. RT non-award fare was > $1,000.
I had not seen this before, but not only was I offered the buy-up at checkin, when I went to the seat map to see what was open in F I saw that I could mouse-over the open F seats and the popup contained the upgrade offer including price. Concerns about CPUers left out by ToD upgraders aside, it struck me from a web user experience standpoint as a pretty good way to market the upgrades - just click to buy that nicer seat.
I had not seen this before, but not only was I offered the buy-up at checkin, when I went to the seat map to see what was open in F I saw that I could mouse-over the open F seats and the popup contained the upgrade offer including price. Concerns about CPUers left out by ToD upgraders aside, it struck me from a web user experience standpoint as a pretty good way to market the upgrades - just click to buy that nicer seat.
Last edited by CarlTheWebmaster; May 6, 2016 at 7:07 am Reason: Left out a word.
#142
#143
Join Date: Apr 2011
Location: EWR, SFO, LHR, ZRH, FML
Programs: UA
Posts: 55
LHR - SFO
789
B fare
OLCI offer $649
This was a happy ending to a painful rebooking process. Emergency cancellation of a K fare four days out where a 20K miles + $500 upgrade was a high probability. Rebooking the K fare to one day out was > $3200; canceling and rebooking in B was $1000 less. Under 24h so upgrade with miles was impossible.
With 29 of 48 open seats in J, website showed a fare-difference upgrade of $8769. OLCI offered $649. Done!
Does the expensive B class ticket play into the low upgrade price?
As an aside, the asymmetry of upgrade availability and overall load from SFO-LHR vs. LHR-SFO is striking. Among a few coworkers regularly on this route, we have a near 100% success rate in upgrades (miles + dollars) on LHR-SFO and, all being low status, an exactly 0% success rate in reverse. When and how do all the GS and 1Ks fly back?
789
B fare
OLCI offer $649
This was a happy ending to a painful rebooking process. Emergency cancellation of a K fare four days out where a 20K miles + $500 upgrade was a high probability. Rebooking the K fare to one day out was > $3200; canceling and rebooking in B was $1000 less. Under 24h so upgrade with miles was impossible.
With 29 of 48 open seats in J, website showed a fare-difference upgrade of $8769. OLCI offered $649. Done!
Does the expensive B class ticket play into the low upgrade price?
As an aside, the asymmetry of upgrade availability and overall load from SFO-LHR vs. LHR-SFO is striking. Among a few coworkers regularly on this route, we have a near 100% success rate in upgrades (miles + dollars) on LHR-SFO and, all being low status, an exactly 0% success rate in reverse. When and how do all the GS and 1Ks fly back?
#144
Join Date: Sep 2015
Programs: 1 thousand
Posts: 2,110
As an aside, the asymmetry of upgrade availability and overall load from SFO-LHR vs. LHR-SFO is striking. Among a few coworkers regularly on this route, we have a near 100% success rate in upgrades (miles + dollars) on LHR-SFO and, all being low status, an exactly 0% success rate in reverse. When and how do all the GS and 1Ks fly back?
#145
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Oct 1999
Posts: 11,419
Noticed the same on other TATL Eastbounds as well. US-based business travellers fly to EU to work and want to be as rested as possible. To a lesser degree on the way back, which are daytime flights as well.
#146
Join Date: Aug 2012
Location: London
Programs: UA GS, BA Silver, Marriott/SPG Gold, Hilton Gold, A-Club Silver, Intercontinental Ambassador
Posts: 32
LHR - SFO
789
B fare
OLCI offer $649
....
As an aside, the asymmetry of upgrade availability and overall load from SFO-LHR vs. LHR-SFO is striking. Among a few coworkers regularly on this route, we have a near 100% success rate in upgrades (miles + dollars) on LHR-SFO and, all being low status, an exactly 0% success rate in reverse. When and how do all the GS and 1Ks fly back?
789
B fare
OLCI offer $649
....
As an aside, the asymmetry of upgrade availability and overall load from SFO-LHR vs. LHR-SFO is striking. Among a few coworkers regularly on this route, we have a near 100% success rate in upgrades (miles + dollars) on LHR-SFO and, all being low status, an exactly 0% success rate in reverse. When and how do all the GS and 1Ks fly back?
#147
Join Date: Sep 2013
Location: IAD/ARN
Programs: UA Plat/*G, Marriott LT Gold, Global Entry
Posts: 164
UA950 IAD-BRU
U fare
$1529 at OLCI (T-24)
Declined. Going to see if it's lower at the kiosk but given that I have a pretty good E+ seat and the only seats left in BF are middles, I doubt I'll bite.
U fare
$1529 at OLCI (T-24)
Declined. Going to see if it's lower at the kiosk but given that I have a pretty good E+ seat and the only seats left in BF are middles, I doubt I'll bite.
#148
Join Date: Nov 2013
Location: NYC / TYO / Up in the Air
Programs: UA 1k (12 year fallen GS) 1.7MM, AA 2.1MM, EK, BA, SQ, CX, Marriot LT, Accor P
Posts: 6,190
May 8th
UA 906 FRA - ORD
$829 J-F
Declined - don't sleep this direction and have good J seat - GF was filled with non-rev but surprisingly some non-revs (that didn't make J) were stuck in economy while there are open J seats....
UA 906 FRA - ORD
$829 J-F
Declined - don't sleep this direction and have good J seat - GF was filled with non-rev but surprisingly some non-revs (that didn't make J) were stuck in economy while there are open J seats....
#149
Join Date: May 2016
Programs: DL, UA, SW (Gold), MC
Posts: 2
May 8th
UA743 EWR-ORD
$129 Y to F
ACCEPTED
Bought it yesterday on mobile check-in, changing my seat from 37K (second row from the back) to 2K (second row from the front). Thought it was a much better deal than the $79-$89 they originally wanted just to get to E+.
Did I tell you this was an internationally-configured 767 and my favorite GF seats are starboard side window seats? After lunch was served, I had time for a quick lie-flat bed nap.
UA743 EWR-ORD
$129 Y to F
ACCEPTED
Bought it yesterday on mobile check-in, changing my seat from 37K (second row from the back) to 2K (second row from the front). Thought it was a much better deal than the $79-$89 they originally wanted just to get to E+.
Did I tell you this was an internationally-configured 767 and my favorite GF seats are starboard side window seats? After lunch was served, I had time for a quick lie-flat bed nap.
#150
Join Date: Feb 2016
Posts: 13
We have never flown from USA to Europe...so no idea if this is a decent deal or not...
SAT - IAD - FCO booked economy plus
Offer is 20,000 miles plus $550, for each flyer to move to business class on 777-200.
Only outside seats with 2 together are row 10 on both sides of plane.
Current one way price for those seats are about $4,200 each.
Is this a decent deal for an overnight flight?
SAT - IAD - FCO booked economy plus
Offer is 20,000 miles plus $550, for each flyer to move to business class on 777-200.
Only outside seats with 2 together are row 10 on both sides of plane.
Current one way price for those seats are about $4,200 each.
Is this a decent deal for an overnight flight?