Originally Posted by Road_Dog

Hi all — hoping someone can sanity-check this plan and let me know if it’s actually doable or just wishful thinking.

My situation:

• I’m sitting on 480k United miles (350k Chase UR, 130k in my United account).
  
• I have the United Club Card but no status, and I don’t expect to hit the $75k spend for Silver.
  

Trip details:

• Flying 6 people (4 adults, 2 kids) from ORD to HNL in May 2026.
  
• Only interested in the nonstop route.
  
• Looking to book Saver Economy (25k each way) seats using miles.
  
• Goal: book 9 seats total (not just 6), so we can have 3 full rows and keep the middle seats empty.
  

Upgrade idea:

• Interested in Economy Plus for extra comfort.
  
• Economy Plus is ~$250/person per leg — so $500 roundtrip per person, which adds up quickly.
  
• United sells a $1,199 Economy Plus subscription that covers the subscriber + up to 8 companions (valid throughout North and Central America, including Hawaii).
  
• If I go with 9 seats, I’m assuming the subscription covers all 9 since I’d be traveling with 8 “companions.”
  

My plan:

• Book 9 Saver award seats roundtrip = 450k United miles.
  
• Buy the $1,199 Economy Plus subscription to upgrade all 9 seats.
  

Question:

• Is this plan logistically sound?
  
• Would the subscription actually let me upgrade all 9 seats (including the “spare” ones)?
  
• And if I don’t take any more trips with the subscription, do you think it’s worth paying $1,199 just for this one trip (essentially ~$200/person roundtrip) for the legroom, earlier boarding, and free drinks?
  

Appreciate any insights or gotchas I might be missing here!