Originally Posted by
ryman554
How do you come to this conclusion?
A MUA for PP is what, 30k miles?
A MUA for J is 30k miles + ~+$400 or so, depending on fare class.
It's not rocket science. OP is talking about a W fare and upgrading to business class on SFO-NRT. That's a $550 co-pay plus 30k miles. Conservatively valuing miles at 1.5 cpm, that's
$1000. The cash value of a GPU is around
$400 (just check ebay).
The valuation differential holds particularly for those of us who can't use all our GPUs (which is likely the large majority of 1Ks). I would
never burn cash for an upgrade when I could use a GPU.
IMO the only time to use an MUA over a GPU is when you have the option of buying a cheaper fare at a substantial discount to a W.