Originally Posted by
Kacee
For US residents, GPU require minimum $12k in UA spend plus purchase of a W fare or higher. That's not "free" in my book.
I agree that they're not "free" per se, but a GPU applied on the day of departure doesn't directly generate additional revenue to UA whereas selling an upgrade does. The W+ revenue has already been earned, as has your prior year spend. I say "directly" because I'm sure many FTers will argue that if GPU's don't ever (or very rarely) clear, pax will choose other carriers for frequent flying, ultimately resulting in a indirect decline in revenue.