Originally Posted by
claire16
I see that GS/1K have a skip the waitlist option, and I'm having a hard time understanding if there is ever a circumstance where a Platinum can book themselves directly into Polaris with plus points. If I'm flexible on dates, and basically searching for ORD-Europe, am I ever going to find a Polaris seat I can just book, or is it always waitlist and pray? My only personal experience is being gifted plus points from a GS friend, and he cleared them instantly for me, but I'm not expecting Plats to have the same experience.
Yes, you can still occasionally find PZ space with enough searching. You may need to be willing to connect, however.
Originally Posted by
claire16
I think I'm good company here when I say I'm not going to fly over an ocean in the back, so I'm not willing to take a waitlist option. Only having 40 plus points means I'll also have to subject myself to expensive one way fares to make sure I'm the front *both* ways.
UA will happily sell you J in one direction and Y in the other, thus allowing you to upgrade. Note that as a Platinum, you’ll need to purchase a W fare or higher, or any Premium Plus fare; upgrades from fares below W cost 80 PP. You also have the option to use them on LH, which requires a slightly higher fare class but clears frequently.
You can also use miles + copay to upgrade in one direction and PlusPoints in the other, if you find PZ open in both directions.
There’s no reason to resort to one-way fares if they’re expensive (as international one-way fares often, but not always, are).