SIN - SFO 11/23: PP --> J currently showing at $1,881 for the last couple of weeks with only about 12 seats selected. Chances of the cost of the upgrade continuing to go down or is it likely to stay where it is?

Flying from AUS to LHR in late December. I managed to snag an award ticket and Premium Plus from AUS to ORD. Now United is offering PP from ORD to LHR from $398. Is this acceptable? I remember it was over $2000 when I booked.

Only one PP seat is blocked at this time.

Do you maybe mean ECONOMY Plus AUS-ORD?

Yeah, sorry.

Maybe ask here?

Just checked today and my IAD-SFO Polaris has dropped to $349 and SFO-SYD Premium Plus dropped to $825 and Polaris to $5,657

Just checked using miles to upgrade for two upcoming flights I have this month.

BOS - DEN - SBA, total of 7 hours: 15k miles.

SFO - SBA, 1 hour: 20k miles ?!

Supply and demand; dynamic pricing.

Many more elites are flying SFO-SBA than BOS-DEN-SBA.

​​​​​​Much like fare pricing, distance is not the determination of miles upgrade.

I just paid $350 per person for a group of three on HNL-SFO in early January. This seems like a steal to me as it booked into the last three available first seats in an 777-200 per the seatmap.

I'm surprised they'd sell the last three seats this far in advance as discounted upgrades. Typically requires P inventory.

A good deal for those who don't need flexibility. Not really an option for me.

UA is getting really good at monetizing their premium cabin. Flying to MIA today woke up to two seats available for upgrade and I’m number 2 - then they offer this:


https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...70c2d77374.png


Upgrade list was this before offer:


https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...c18e28a7bf.png

I don’t bite - but number 5 does….


https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...ce69b3b5dd.png

So now I’m number 2 with one seat left - upgrade price is $763…. WFBF has never been more true….

Pretty sure the mileage upgrades are misleading/the wording has been poorly updated implying that they're confirmable when they're actually mileage upgrade awards.

Which there are nothing dynamic about. The cost of those is entirely based on the fare class you're in:
https://www.united.com/en/us/upgrade-awards

Based on those prices, the SFO-SBA is in one of: STLKG, whereas BOS-DEN-SBA is in one of: MEHUQ

Yep, because number 5 knows they aren't going to get the upgrade based on that list, so they have no incentive to wait it out, unlike you.


Yes since the upgrade offers are dynamically priced with an underlying basis in the current booking codes available. So the lower booking codes available which UA opens up (even if there isn't a valid fare to book into those codes), prior to upgrade space being released, results in lower cost upgrade offers becoming generated until either no one bites and upgrade space is released, or someone bites and UA gets the additional income. Likely if you had looked at the flight availability with the $199 offer it would show some P or Z availability. After someone bought that upgrade and dropped the flight to 1 seat, likely only J or C would be left which is why the upgrade price jumped to $763.

Have a XN fare SFO- SEA on the day before Thanksgiving - the 23rd. Offered an upgrade for both tickets for $149 each.

I bought this upgrade because “day before Thanksgiving” It just seemed like a good idea. The flight was essentially free, so paying $300 is worth it.

I had already paid a $23 preferred seat fee, that was refunded automatically.

$149 is the going price when there's P inventory. Can be debated whether it's worth it - the F product is awful, but it's even worse in Y.