Apr 8, 2015, 3:27 pm
Last edit by: WineCountryUA
One of the more confusing aspects of cash upgrades is "does this upgrade get premium cabin mileage bonus and is the fee included in PQD?"
The best assumption is no bonus and fee is not included in PQD but there are some cases where there will be a premium cabin bonus and amount will count toward PQD.
There are multiple cash upgrade paths and different ones are offered at different times (and can be quite hard to separate).
The key is what is the new fare basis after the upgrade. Note R, RN, P, PN, ZN, ON, A and others have been reported.
The following are generally not eligible for PQD or bonus:
However the offer, in "My Reservations" via the cash method tab "Buy Up to First" under "View {Upgrade} Options" is likely to be eligible for PQDs & PQM bonus.
**** Due to UA changes in May 2018, this statement may not be relieable ****
**** This now appears to be an Upgrade Fee (no PQDs) and may book into Upgrade fare class (no extra PQMs) or into a mileage earning bonus fare class (PQMs earning). Unclear if that is a way to tell which will happen ****
Generally these will be reflected on the receipt as
Notice the words "generally" and "likely" -- those are weasel words to protect the wiki author because of the lack of transparency in this system 
For instance, some time of checkin paid upgrades that book into P, will earn PQM bonus but not earn PQDs.
Checking the actual fare basis during booking when you are given access (or using the Saudi site) is key in understanding the outcome.
UA Insider commented on this a while back, but there has been no improvement in the confusion / clarity in the meantime.
The best assumption is no bonus and fee is not included in PQD but there are some cases where there will be a premium cabin bonus and amount will count toward PQD.
There are multiple cash upgrade paths and different ones are offered at different times (and can be quite hard to separate).
The key is what is the new fare basis after the upgrade. Note R, RN, P, PN, ZN, ON, A and others have been reported.
- Many of the upgrade offers results in R/PN/ZN fare class (and post as Zx) -- so like a regular upgrade the mileage posting is based on the original fare class. The upgrade fee does not earn PQDs.
- Others bump the fare basis to a -UP fare which reports as a P/Z/A fare class, these are now earning PQMs at the up-fared fare class and the up-fare costs earns PQDs.
- And others book into a true P/Z/A fare basis and will earn the PQM bonus and the up-fare cost will earn PQDs.
The following are generally not eligible for PQD or bonus:
- Pop-up upgrade immediately following purchase on united.com
- Last minute upgrade at check-in
Additional Charges:
Date/CreditCard XXXX was charged xxx USD for the Merchandising / EDD
xxx USD for: Premium Cabin Upgrade
Date/CreditCard XXXX was charged xxx USD for the Merchandising / EDD
xxx USD for: Premium Cabin Upgrade
**** Due to UA changes in May 2018, this statement may not be relieable ****
**** This now appears to be an Upgrade Fee (no PQDs) and may book into Upgrade fare class (no extra PQMs) or into a mileage earning bonus fare class (PQMs earning). Unclear if that is a way to tell which will happen ****
Generally these will be reflected on the receipt as
Add Collect: An additional amount for the difference in fare was charged to {card} on {date}. $yyy USD per ticket for an additional total of $yyy USD was collected.
For instance, some time of checkin paid upgrades that book into P, will earn PQM bonus but not earn PQDs.
Checking the actual fare basis during booking when you are given access (or using the Saudi site) is key in understanding the outcome.
UA Insider commented on this a while back, but there has been no improvement in the confusion / clarity in the meantime.
Hi Everyone,
I’ve done a little bit of research on this, and I wanted to share some background on the scenario vandrei shared.
At a high level, and as a some of you have noticed more recently in the thread, the buy-up offer we sometimes present immediately upon booking an economy ticket is indeed distinct from the one presented when viewing a reservation in My Account at some point after the flight has been ticketed and confirmed. For example, the offer at booking enables customers to the flexibility to confirm an upgraded seat on a segment-by-segment basis, whereas the one in My Reservations is based on the line of flight.
Additionally, from a functional perspective, the offer immediately upon booking does not change the underlying fare basis for the original purchased fare (even though the visible fare class is reflective of the buy-up inventory), whereas the one in My Reservations results in a complete re-issue of the existing ticket. It is this aspect of the functionality which drives mileage accrual, which is based on the original purchased fare for the offer immediately after booking, but based on the new fare class for the offer in My Reservations. These policies are disclosed in each offer’s respective (and indeed, different) terms and conditions.
Longer-term, the vision is indeed to align mileage accrual policies between the two types of offers. In the meantime, the tradeoff between the two offers continues to be one of additional miles vs. the flexibility to confirm on a segment-by-segment basis.
Aaron Goldberg
Sr. Manager - Customer Experience Planning
United Airlines
I’ve done a little bit of research on this, and I wanted to share some background on the scenario vandrei shared.
At a high level, and as a some of you have noticed more recently in the thread, the buy-up offer we sometimes present immediately upon booking an economy ticket is indeed distinct from the one presented when viewing a reservation in My Account at some point after the flight has been ticketed and confirmed. For example, the offer at booking enables customers to the flexibility to confirm an upgraded seat on a segment-by-segment basis, whereas the one in My Reservations is based on the line of flight.
Additionally, from a functional perspective, the offer immediately upon booking does not change the underlying fare basis for the original purchased fare (even though the visible fare class is reflective of the buy-up inventory), whereas the one in My Reservations results in a complete re-issue of the existing ticket. It is this aspect of the functionality which drives mileage accrual, which is based on the original purchased fare for the offer immediately after booking, but based on the new fare class for the offer in My Reservations. These policies are disclosed in each offer’s respective (and indeed, different) terms and conditions.
Longer-term, the vision is indeed to align mileage accrual policies between the two types of offers. In the meantime, the tradeoff between the two offers continues to be one of additional miles vs. the flexibility to confirm on a segment-by-segment basis.
Aaron Goldberg
Sr. Manager - Customer Experience Planning
United Airlines
Some Paid Upgrades Count Towards PQD & mileage bonus and some DON'T!
Sep 13, 2018, 9:31 am
#526
Join Date: May 2015
Programs: UA
Posts: 5
If the receipt said "Add./Collect" and it was actually re-coded as a first class ticket, you should have gotten the PQDs -- what you're doing in that situation is voiding the old ticket and buying a new first class ticket to replace it (the change fee is waived in this case).
I'm confused as to how you could have "skipped the upgrade" once you bought it, though. Did you actually finish the purchase, or did the phone agent read you PQD totals or something, and then you declined?
I'm confused as to how you could have "skipped the upgrade" once you bought it, though. Did you actually finish the purchase, or did the phone agent read you PQD totals or something, and then you declined?
Next try was by calling an agent. I explained the situation before making the purchase. So they ran it through all the way to final step, and it showed the new ticket with double PQM but still the original PQD. She couldn't figure out why or how to get the PQD to credit correctly, so I didn't go through with the purchase.
The whole thing seems weird. If I'm swapping my original ticket for a new one, and paying the fare difference (with a waived change fee), it seems like PQM and PQD would be based off of the new ticket. Because that's how it would be if I had bought that ticket in the first place. And that's how it worked in both 2016 and 2017. Something has change?
Richard
Sep 13, 2018, 11:00 am
#527
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Oct 2001
Location: Austin, TX
Posts: 21,357
First I did this online. When I looked at the new receipt, it showed the expected PQMs but my original PQDs. So I immediately called the Premier desk and the agent voided the purchase, credited my credit card, and put me back in my original seat. Very nice of them, since technically this was a non-refundable purchase. They told me to do this correctly I should call and have an agent do it.
Next try was by calling an agent. I explained the situation before making the purchase. So they ran it through all the way to final step, and it showed the new ticket with double PQM but still the original PQD. She couldn't figure out why or how to get the PQD to credit correctly, so I didn't go through with the purchase.
I don't want to issue a blanket statement that the agent was wrong, but it's definitely within the realm of possibility.
The whole thing seems weird. If I'm swapping my original ticket for a new one, and paying the fare difference (with a waived change fee), it seems like PQM and PQD would be based off of the new ticket. Because that's how it would be if I had bought that ticket in the first place. And that's how it worked in both 2016 and 2017. Something has change?
What's changed is that until about three months ago, you could do this online between the time of ticketing and the time of check-in; the price you'd see would be for a true up-fare to the first class ticket, and you'd get full PQM and PQD as if you had purchased it that way originally. Now, online upgrades appear always to be the "TOD" type upgrades that only affect one leg of the flight at a time (for a connection -- irrelevant for a nonstop/direct flight) and do not contribute to PQD.
An agent should be able to follow the old procedure -- it's still perfectly valid. The way it should work is that the old ticket should be exchanged, a new ticket (with a new ticket number) should be issued, and the fare difference should be collected and appear as "Add./Collect" ("Additional collection") on the receipt. If all of that happens, you should get the PQDs for the full purchase.
Sep 13, 2018, 11:11 am
#528
Join Date: May 2015
Programs: UA
Posts: 5
Yes, that makes sense -- and, I agree, it was definitely nice of the agent to do that. ^
OK, so she was looking at the PQD within her system, then. Was this a connecting flight or a non-stop flight? If a connecting flight, were you upgrading both legs at once? Was the fare charged the difference between what you paid and what it would cost to buy the first class ticket now, or was it different?
I don't want to issue a blanket statement that the agent was wrong, but it's definitely within the realm of possibility.
I agree completely.
What's changed is that until about three months ago, you could do this online between the time of ticketing and the time of check-in; the price you'd see would be for a true up-fare to the first class ticket, and you'd get full PQM and PQD as if you had purchased it that way originally. Now, online upgrades appear always to be the "TOD" type upgrades that only affect one leg of the flight at a time (for a connection -- irrelevant for a nonstop/direct flight) and do not contribute to PQD.
An agent should be able to follow the old procedure -- it's still perfectly valid. The way it should work is that the old ticket should be exchanged, a new ticket (with a new ticket number) should be issued, and the fare difference should be collected and appear as "Add./Collect" ("Additional collection") on the receipt. If all of that happens, you should get the PQDs for the full purchase.
OK, so she was looking at the PQD within her system, then. Was this a connecting flight or a non-stop flight? If a connecting flight, were you upgrading both legs at once? Was the fare charged the difference between what you paid and what it would cost to buy the first class ticket now, or was it different?
I don't want to issue a blanket statement that the agent was wrong, but it's definitely within the realm of possibility.
I agree completely.
What's changed is that until about three months ago, you could do this online between the time of ticketing and the time of check-in; the price you'd see would be for a true up-fare to the first class ticket, and you'd get full PQM and PQD as if you had purchased it that way originally. Now, online upgrades appear always to be the "TOD" type upgrades that only affect one leg of the flight at a time (for a connection -- irrelevant for a nonstop/direct flight) and do not contribute to PQD.
An agent should be able to follow the old procedure -- it's still perfectly valid. The way it should work is that the old ticket should be exchanged, a new ticket (with a new ticket number) should be issued, and the fare difference should be collected and appear as "Add./Collect" ("Additional collection") on the receipt. If all of that happens, you should get the PQDs for the full purchase.
I'll call in today and try again.
UPDATE: I called in again, got a very nice agent who made the change, waived the fee, and assured me that the PQD would be correct based on the new ticket. And she was right. So I updated both out and back on that trip. Each direction was only $215 to upgrade, so for $430 I got 3508 more PQMs and 400 more PQDs. I may be able to avoid a mileage run after all.
Thanks everyone.
Richard
Last edited by rs753; Sep 13, 2018 at 11:53 am Reason: update
Sep 13, 2018, 11:49 am
#529
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Oct 2001
Location: Austin, TX
Posts: 21,357
The flight in question is non-stop (DEN->BOS) and one way. When I tried this with the agent, the charge was exactly the difference between what I paid for my original ticket, and what the website/system showed for the first class ticket. It shouldn't be that hard to void/exchange the old ticket and issue a new one with full credit for the old ticket, and no change fee, and then both PQM and PQD should match the new ticket. But for some reason the PQD didn't. ?!?
I'll call in today and try again.
Richard
I'll call in today and try again.
Richard
Sep 29, 2018, 10:28 am
#530
Join Date: Nov 2011
Posts: 3
Pay for Domestic Upgrade, does fare class change?
Hi --
I'm just 200 miles short of platinum and am wondering... If I upgrade a domestic T class segment with dollars, will that change my ticket class and thus PQM accrual for that segment?
I'm just 200 miles short of platinum and am wondering... If I upgrade a domestic T class segment with dollars, will that change my ticket class and thus PQM accrual for that segment?
Sep 29, 2018, 10:31 am
#531
Suspended
Join Date: Jun 2001
Location: DCA or IAD (originally DUB)
Programs: UA 1K 1.8MM, Hertz PC, Marriott Platinum/Lifetime Gold
Posts: 7,657
[Moderator edit:] This active thread has a number of instances -- and a helpful wikipost and describes the different results with different types of upgrades Some Paid Upgrades Count Towards PQD & mileage bonus and some DON'T!
Last edited by Ocn Vw 1K; Sep 29, 2018 at 11:18 am Reason: Per FT Rule 12, to ensure that the information is helpful and constructive.
Sep 29, 2018, 10:37 am
#532
A FlyerTalk Posting Legend
Join Date: Apr 2013
Location: PHX
Programs: AS 75K; UA 1MM; Hyatt Globalist; Marriott LTP; Hilton Diamond (Aspire)
Posts: 56,416
A purchased upgrade via the website or app may or may not result in higher PQM accrual. You won't know until it's too late.
Another way to get the extra miles is to SDC to a connecting itinerary. E.g., change SFO-LAX to SFO-LAS-LAX.
Sep 29, 2018, 1:15 pm
#533
Join Date: Nov 2011
Posts: 3
If you want to be sure you book into a higher accruing fare class, you have to call UA and ask to upfare to first class. There should be no change fee. If the agent tries to charge you a change fee, reference GG BUYUP.
A purchased upgrade via the website or app may or may not result in higher PQM accrual. You won't know until it's too late.
Another way to get the extra miles is to SDC to a connecting itinerary. E.g., change SFO-LAX to SFO-LAS-LAX.
A purchased upgrade via the website or app may or may not result in higher PQM accrual. You won't know until it's too late.
Another way to get the extra miles is to SDC to a connecting itinerary. E.g., change SFO-LAX to SFO-LAS-LAX.
Great advice! Indeed, calling and asking was the way to go. Got it upgraded into first, and the ticket class into P, which gets me 2x PQM, which will be enough to bump me over the top to platinum. It was also cheaper than the upgrade offered on the website ($129 vs $159)
Thanks!
Oct 12, 2018, 6:28 pm
#534
Join Date: Jul 2007
Posts: 156
Is there a way to see what a buyup fare may be - for example, if I tried to book the same flight, would the buyup be the PQD cost of a business ticket minus my original ticket PQD value? I believe that since my ticket was booked through my company's travel agency, if I try and search on united.com to change the flight, I get an error saying no flights are available.
Oct 12, 2018, 6:42 pm
#535
Moderator: United Airlines
Join Date: Jun 2007
Location: SFO
Programs: UA Plat 1.99MM, Hyatt Discoverist, Marriott Plat/LT Gold, Hilton Silver, IHG Plat
Posts: 66,769
Not sure why that should happen but if you company is getting some discounts on your fare, there could be some added complexities.
Oct 12, 2018, 6:50 pm
#536
Join Date: Jul 2007
Posts: 156
No idea, but any attempt to search for a flight change (with any combination of parameters) results in "no flights found". Booked through Carlson Wagonlit.
Oct 12, 2018, 9:56 pm
#537
A FlyerTalk Posting Legend
Join Date: Apr 2013
Location: PHX
Programs: AS 75K; UA 1MM; Hyatt Globalist; Marriott LTP; Hilton Diamond (Aspire)
Posts: 56,416
Only the TA can change the ticket. You can try calling UA and ask them to take it over. It may cost you $50. It might also violate company policy, so you might want to check that.
Oct 13, 2018, 8:41 am
#538
Join Date: Dec 2002
Location: ATL
Programs: UA:MM 1K HH:Diamond IHG:Plat Marriott:Plat
Posts: 651
Yep. I did this once (with a CWT issued ticket) and got audited Had to explain to someone couple of steps up the chain why I had to do this. Very unpleasant and awkward.
Oct 13, 2018, 9:05 am
#539
Join Date: Nov 2000
Location: DFW from PDX - UA 1K 2MM,Lifetime HHonnors Diamond, Bonvoy AMB/LT Tit, National Exec Elite, Hertz PC
Posts: 554
On a side note, all airfare bill to my corporate card from united airlines with a cwt fee as a separate charge. Maybe that is why.
Oct 13, 2018, 12:17 pm
#540
Join Date: Sep 2016
Location: New to DEN
Programs: AA EXP
Posts: 46
Still batting 1.00 with either upgrade method. Calling Premier Desk is sometimes cheaper and sometimes more expensive. Online upgrades do not give you additional PQDs as many have stated prior to this post. But either way, you get additional PQMs and PQSs.
