eagle007

How do people think about using one over the other? Another way to think about the question: how many miles is an RPU worth?

Thinking of upgrading some SFO-NYC trips and not sure whether to use miles or RPUs

Thanks

mherdeg

If you have RPUs available and you aren't saving them for a Hawaii flight, you probably want to use them until they're gone, then switch to mileage-supported upgrades.

An RPU is worth up to 30,000 miles and $500 (if used on IAD-HNL) and as little as 15,000 miles (if used on an E fare on a domestic trip).

I tend to value miles pretty highly because I can use them to buy last-minute travel for non-elite family members while getting pretty good availability and reasonable prices. I find it's all too easy to accidentally let an RPU expire and find it difficult to use an RPU for friends' travel — R availability has to line up, it can be annoying to get the cert redeposited in case of irrops-related rebookings, and there's an extra layer of hassle in getting someone else's PNR. So I tend to use RPUs on myself until the need runs out, then use them on friends, then grudingly let them expire.

HJsimpson

Depends on when they expire of course. Supply vs. demand.
You will see RPUs being traded for 7k miles, which if Avios are 5k Amex rewards due to transfer bonus.
I would use RPUs over miles, and ps service is worth it.

WineCountryUA

RPUs have just one use, miles have mulitple uses

It takes 15K-27.5K miles (& cash in case of Hawaii) to do an upgrade where RPU could be used.

I would use RPUs first and then miles.

chinatraderjmr

RPU's should first be used where CPU's are not allowed; PS & long haul Hawaii. After that the hardest flights to upgrade like EWR-LAX/SFO. If you have a lot of them, just use them in everything

garykung

RPU for sure - even you may flying p.s., it is still not worth to spend those miles.

UA-NYC

Since I've shifted a lot over to AA, I'm using my RPUs on LGA-ORD-LGA and the like...better than CPU, have a lot in the bank from the last Golden Year of CR-1 earning. Of course, even RPUs are worthless if R space never opens up.

entropy

Use the CR-1/RPU if you can, they expire, miles don't.

keisari

That is a personal opinion.
I think 17,500 miles to upgrade from Y to Business on a PS flight (especially one from east to west which is longer or a night flight) is most definitely worth it. Business is not exactly SQ business class but compare to Y in the back, it is really nice.
Back to the OP question, use up your instruments before you use the miles because of all the above reasons.

endrond

I assume OP is Bay Area based, because (s)he said SFO-NYC rather than NYC-SFO.

If JFK is convenient for you, p.s. is the best use of RPUs for a west coast based flyer. (Clearly better than Hawaii). So I'd be sure to use RPUs rather than miles for that.

eagle007

So, to conclude, sounds like I should use them before miles unless I plan to take a Hawaii trip...

now if I only knew if I was going to Hawaii in the next 12 months

btw, 7k miles for an RPU sounds like a steal.

38,000feet

I just upgraded a p.s. flight with 20K miles, but now I've decided that I won't be traveling TPAC or TATL on UA for the remainder of the year. Has anyone successfully transferred an upgrade from miles to an instrument and gotten the miles redeposited? 20K miles is worth more than an expired GPU to me.

craz

if it was me Id be all over CC for even AA miles or UA miles which can net me a far better result then UPing ORD-LGA, where an RPU doesnt get its worth out of them, while E+ isnt that bad especially if its a Airbus

WineCountryUA

If R>0 space still exists, this is easy to do.
If it does not exists, could be iffy issue -- a really good agent in the PMUA days could do it, most could not. Have not heard of anyone being successful post 3/3.

HumbleBee

Personally, I'd be more likely to pay that many miles for C>F upgrade, as in F it is somewhat possible to sleep.

Dunno if Y>J is worth it, I can't sleep in either.