Originally Posted by jsloan

Yes, mileage tickets are refundable, although, as you pointed out, the purchase of the mileage is not. You can't upgrade a mileage ticket, and refundable PE is going to cost a pretty penny anyway. Depending upon where you're starting from, and how flexible you are on dates, you might be able to find 2 TATL J tickets without needing to purchase a gigantic number of miles. If you're not already in a UA hub, consider purchasing a refundable ticket to a hub airport, and then check the award prices from there. On Monday, 4/29, I see two flights on EWR-FRA for 80K miles each on UA or 88K on LH. On the way back, you could fly 5/14 for 80K each to IAD or ORD.