mountainflyer

Hey guys, weird question - Can you pay to upgrade to first class on an international United flight if the original ticket is an award ticket? Long backstory I don't want to go into, but need to know if it's possible. Doesn't look like it is, but can't find a direct answer anywhere.

IADFlyer123

They might offer you an upgrade during check-in at a price. Alternatively, you always have the option to pay more miles and straight out upgrade to a business award if available.

ticamoni

Hi Folks
I'm really impressed of the knowledge some people have here! Wow ^
I thought, that I ask you for some Tips for the following flight:

SJO to ZRH between May - June for about 30 days.

I would like to book an award flight. I have 72'000 miles and I am Silver Member of United. The goal would be, to upgrade this ticket to business, is this possible???

Thank's to all of you for your help.
Saludos
Ticamoni

mahasamatman

Only a GS member can upgrade such an award ticket.

ticamoni

Thank you - what's a GS member?

IAH-OIL-TRASH

Global Services - an invitation-only Premier level that (in general) requires tens of thousands of dollars in ticket purchases.

Opposite end of Premier chain from Silver.

RandomBaritone

You mention that you're looking to book an award flight in business (J), yes? Not upgrade an existing economy award flight? You used the term upgrade, but I'm not sure that's what you mean.

First off, have you checked UA's website? I see ample one-stop Saver J award availability SJO>FRA>ZRH in May 2018 for 75K miles each way, as long as you can leave on a Thursday. There are also a few flights leaving on Saturdays.

To get back you'd of course need to acquire another 75K miles, or you could always fly a low-cost carrier, as they often don't charge a premium for one-way tickets.

The most important tip I can share, though, is to search and peruse the existing threads in the forum. It's filled with wisdom in the form of answers to questions just like yours. In fact this thread will almost surely soon be subsumed into an existing thread on Saver J availability.

EmailKid

I suggest the only way to upgrade for non GS is to buy extra miles and book directly into Biz. IIRC UA is currently running a pretty decent sale.

Cheaper to do on all UA and not partners, which would mean domestic FC to USA before Int'l Biz to ZRH.

ticamoni

Thank you all. So I understand, that if I book with miles an economy flight, I will not be able to buy an upgrade at check-in or earlier?
Thank you
Ticamoni

EmailKid

For all intents and purposes, no.

IIRC there has been a report or two that pax were able to buy up online, but the likelihood of success going that route would be very, very small.

As I suggested in post above yours, buying up via purchase of miles (currently on sale) would be the best way to do this. Just be aware that there may not be available saver Biz seats available on your travel dates.

nwflyboy

Best general advice I'd give to anyone hoping to book nice flights on UA with miles: Calibrate your expectations.

There's a huge industry (actually, several of them, including the airlines themselves, banks/credit card companies, and bloggers) who all make a lot of profit by making you think you'll be regularly zooming off to Paris and Bora Bora in first class, staying at 5 star resorts, have attractive partners, and generally live what's been sold as "the good life" just by signing up for a credit card or two and using your card for a little shopping.

The dirty little secret is that getting the miles is the easy part. The airlines have all worked very, very hard to make it nearly (or completely) impossible to get what you want. They are working harder and harder at this and being more successful with each passing month.

Keeping your expectations low is the best way to succeed.

ticamoni

OK, thank you all. I will try to get some more miles :-)

RandomBaritone

While it's always good advice to help new posters understand there's no such thing as a free lunch, one of the advantages to UA and *A is their ample saver J award space compared to other alliances. For example, in post 5 I literally found OP exactly the itinerary he was looking for.

Of course it was o/w rather than r/t ... but very far from "impossible to get what you want"!

EmailKid

:-: ample :-: saver J award space

Maybe compared to other alliances

But do agree that saver J award space can be found if one is flexible and persistent.

RandomBaritone

Ha, well it's all a matter of perspective. And my home airport is BOS, which makes finding int'l awards significantly easier than it can be for others.