Originally Posted by jsloan

Upgrading an economy class ticket with miles is generally not considered a great value. In theory, you can upgrade any United fare except Basic Economy, but the copay is pretty severe. To upgrade a partner flight, you need to purchase a rather expensive ticket. If you have the miles to pay for a saver award, and you can find saver award space, that's generally the preferred route.


It is much more common to be waitlisted than to clear immediately.