2014 Upsell Offers to Business/First (UFC/PCU) Questions/Discussion (Paid Upgrades)
Apr 10, 2014, 3:52 pm
#136
Original Member
Join Date: May 1998
Location: CT/NY
Programs: UA 1K/1MM, AA EXP, Marriott LT Titanium, Hyatt Globalist, IHG Plat Amb
Posts: 6,020
This is one of the grayest areas there is. The only way to know for sure is to see if the purchase is changing your fare basis. If your fare basis changes, it's a ticket purchase and qualifies for PQD's. You can tell the fare basis for the new fare by clicking through "View Rules and Restrictions."
A decent rule of thumb is that if it's more than 24 hours since you first bought the ticket, you will probably will not earn PQD's (as you're probably just buying an upgrade). If it's within 24 hours, you probably will earn PQD's (as you're probably buying a new fare).
A decent rule of thumb is that if it's more than 24 hours since you first bought the ticket, you will probably will not earn PQD's (as you're probably just buying an upgrade). If it's within 24 hours, you probably will earn PQD's (as you're probably buying a new fare).
Buy up offer at check-in within 24 hours of the flight - probably not.
Then again, the opaqueness of it all is annoying.
Apr 10, 2014, 3:54 pm
#137
Join Date: Feb 2014
Location: MCI
Programs: UA Silver finally, DL GM until next year, Marriott Gold
Posts: 193
Not necessarily. If you click through the "Buy Up to United [Class]" tab on the redeem upgrade screen, it can be an upfare to the cheapest first/business cabin fare, or instant upgrade fare if you are a Premier member. All of which counts toward PQD.
Buy up offer at check-in within 24 hours of the flight - probably not.
Then again, the opaqueness of it all is annoying.
Buy up offer at check-in within 24 hours of the flight - probably not.
Then again, the opaqueness of it all is annoying.
thats a whole different flavor of complexity.
Apr 13, 2014, 7:34 pm
#138
Join Date: May 2013
Posts: 30
2014 Upsell Offers to Business/First (UFC/PCU) Questions/Discussion (Paid Upgrades)
Route:LAS-LAX
orig fare class:S
Price: $36
Offered at:OLCI
Accepted:Yes
$36 was worth it just to board/disembark early!!
orig fare class:S
Price: $36
Offered at:OLCI
Accepted:Yes
$36 was worth it just to board/disembark early!!
Apr 13, 2014, 9:30 pm
#139
In Memoriam, FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jul 2002
Location: Durham, NC (RDU/GSO/CLT)
Programs: AA EXP/MM, DL GM, UA Platinum, HH DIA, Hyatt Explorist, IHG Platinum, Marriott Titanium, Hertz PC
Posts: 33,857
Apr 14, 2014, 11:02 pm
#140
Join Date: Jul 2012
Location: DXB IAD DEN
Programs: UA Silver
Posts: 141
Route: DXB-IAD
Original Booking Class: Z
Offer: $1,049 to upgrade to Global First
Offered at OLCI
Result: That's a pretty pricy cup of soup-declined
Original Booking Class: Z
Offer: $1,049 to upgrade to Global First
Offered at OLCI
Result: That's a pretty pricy cup of soup-declined
Apr 16, 2014, 10:56 am
#141
Join Date: Jan 2011
Location: LAX
Programs: Delta Silver, Marriott Gold, HH Diamond, Ex-UA Gold, Ex-AA Gold , Ex-SPG Gold, Peon everywhere else
Posts: 616
Route: ONT-SFO-GDL (Red-Eye)
Original fare: K
SFO-GDL Leg: $379 each for myself (Silver) and my daughter (no status) at OLCI. Declined. ONT-SFO leg is a CRJ200.
CPU for both of us cleared as soon as I had completed OLCI. Not many elites doing this Red-Eye mid-week.
Wife with no status was offered $179 at OLCI for the same leg. Accepted.
The difference between the K and P fares was $207. The wive's upsell made sense but I am still scratching my head on my upsell.
Original fare: K
SFO-GDL Leg: $379 each for myself (Silver) and my daughter (no status) at OLCI. Declined. ONT-SFO leg is a CRJ200.
CPU for both of us cleared as soon as I had completed OLCI. Not many elites doing this Red-Eye mid-week.
Wife with no status was offered $179 at OLCI for the same leg. Accepted.
The difference between the K and P fares was $207. The wive's upsell made sense but I am still scratching my head on my upsell.
Apr 17, 2014, 12:40 am
#142
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Oct 1999
Posts: 11,468
Route: ONT-SFO-GDL (Red-Eye)
Original fare: K
SFO-GDL Leg: $379 each for myself (Silver) and my daughter (no status) at OLCI. Declined. ONT-SFO leg is a CRJ200.
CPU for both of us cleared as soon as I had completed OLCI. Not many elites doing this Red-Eye mid-week.
Wife with no status was offered $179 at OLCI for the same leg. Accepted.
The difference between the K and P fares was $207. The wive's upsell made sense but I am still scratching my head on my upsell.
Original fare: K
SFO-GDL Leg: $379 each for myself (Silver) and my daughter (no status) at OLCI. Declined. ONT-SFO leg is a CRJ200.
CPU for both of us cleared as soon as I had completed OLCI. Not many elites doing this Red-Eye mid-week.
Wife with no status was offered $179 at OLCI for the same leg. Accepted.
The difference between the K and P fares was $207. The wive's upsell made sense but I am still scratching my head on my upsell.
Apr 24, 2014, 8:33 pm
#143
Join Date: May 2002
Location: US
Programs: UA GS 2MM
Posts: 1,740
Award reservation SEA-IAH booked in X.
At booking offered an upgrade for $329.
Cheapest first class ticket is $443 (P); however, my flight only has F and A so a paid first class ticket on it goes for $752.
At booking offered an upgrade for $329.
Cheapest first class ticket is $443 (P); however, my flight only has F and A so a paid first class ticket on it goes for $752.
Apr 24, 2014, 10:47 pm
#144
Join Date: Mar 2012
Programs: Mileage Plus 1K; Marriott Platinum; Hilton Gold
Posts: 6,355
I has a W fare LAX-SYD on 839, upgraded to J on GPU. At check in, I was offered a paid upgrade to GF for $1,499. That's about $100 an hour for this flight, and was too rich for my blood.
Apr 25, 2014, 10:24 pm
#145
Join Date: Apr 2014
Programs: United Airlines
Posts: 1
We have Premier Silver status and recently upgraded our "U" class tickets (round trip to Paris) to BusinessFirst on the Paris-SFO segment - $ 607.30 each seat. Within a day we discovered the entire trip had been rebooked/reticketed with outbound seats now in "S" class and dated as "April 18."
Though originally booked Dec. 2, 2013 with a Mileage upgrade request, we are now way back on the requested upgrade roster with a low fare code and April 18 entry date for a May 30 departure. Our chances of getting the upgrade - near zero.
United's Upgrade Your Flight page has a disclaimer: ""I accept the fare rules associated with this upgrade and that any changes made to this ticket may result in an additional fee."
But the page has no link, no asterisk, no footnote - nothing to tip you off as to the rules or the fee. How this isn't "an unfair and deceptive business practice" is the question.
Emails to United's Customer Care staff secured nothing more than a reinstatement of
the outbound "U" fare class with no set-back to the Dec.2 upgrade request date.
Let the buyer beware.
Though originally booked Dec. 2, 2013 with a Mileage upgrade request, we are now way back on the requested upgrade roster with a low fare code and April 18 entry date for a May 30 departure. Our chances of getting the upgrade - near zero.
United's Upgrade Your Flight page has a disclaimer: ""I accept the fare rules associated with this upgrade and that any changes made to this ticket may result in an additional fee."
But the page has no link, no asterisk, no footnote - nothing to tip you off as to the rules or the fee. How this isn't "an unfair and deceptive business practice" is the question.
Emails to United's Customer Care staff secured nothing more than a reinstatement of
the outbound "U" fare class with no set-back to the Dec.2 upgrade request date.
Let the buyer beware.
Apr 25, 2014, 11:59 pm
#146
Join Date: Aug 2001
Location: SFO
Programs: United 1K 2MM / Marriott LTP
Posts: 5,071
what route: IAHNRT
original fare bucket: W
price offered: $7499
PCU/UFC? UFC
Where it was offered/accepted: Online after purchase
what route: HKGSFO
original fare bucket: W
price offered: $3439
PCU/UFC? UFC
Where it was offered/accepted: Online after purchase
I had to think about this one for a while, but I declined the upgrades to Business First.
original fare bucket: W
price offered: $7499
PCU/UFC? UFC
Where it was offered/accepted: Online after purchase
what route: HKGSFO
original fare bucket: W
price offered: $3439
PCU/UFC? UFC
Where it was offered/accepted: Online after purchase
I had to think about this one for a while, but I declined the upgrades to Business First.
Apr 27, 2014, 10:50 am
#147
Original Poster
Join Date: Oct 2011
Location: ORD, MKE
Programs: Bonvoy LT Gold, Hilton Silver, Hyatt Discoverist, Hertz PC, National EE
Posts: 710
Elite TOD?
what route: SJC-DEN-ORD
original fare bucket: S
price offered: $553
PCU/UFC? PCU
Where it was offered/accepted: UA.com.
Accept it or deny it? Deny
I didn't get an upgrade offer at booking because it was bought via my corporate travel site. I clicked on the Redeem Upgrade button to see the offer. It is $107 more than the difference between S ($245) and P ($691) right now at UA.com.
original fare bucket: S
price offered: $553
PCU/UFC? PCU
Where it was offered/accepted: UA.com.
Accept it or deny it? Deny
I didn't get an upgrade offer at booking because it was bought via my corporate travel site. I clicked on the Redeem Upgrade button to see the offer. It is $107 more than the difference between S ($245) and P ($691) right now at UA.com.
At T-5h I was second on the upgrade list but flight was now F=1. I was offered $129 UFC on the mobile app to buy my way ahead of DUF/K. The cheapest offer I've ever received but wasn't worth upgrading from by favorite exit row seat. Someone else took the deal because DUF/K was still 1 and I was still 2 at takeoff.
I thought I'd share this update to show that at least UA sometimes does make reasonable upgrade offers to elites.
Apr 27, 2014, 11:13 am
#148
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Apr 2008
Location: LGA/JFK/EWR
Programs: UA 1K1.75MM, Hyatt Globalist, abandoned Marriott LTT (RIP SPG), Hertz PC
Posts: 21,172
Update: got CPU for SJC-DEN at T-3d but was skipped over for CPU on DEN-ORD despite F=6, R=4. A couple other people were upgraded at T-3d, as well at T-2d and T-1d so that at T-24h F=0.
At T-5h I was second on the upgrade list but flight was now F=1. I was offered $129 UFC on the mobile app to buy my way ahead of DUF/K. The cheapest offer I've ever received but wasn't worth upgrading from by favorite exit row seat. Someone else took the deal because DUF/K was still 1 and I was still 2 at takeoff.
I thought I'd share this update to show that at least UA sometimes does make reasonable upgrade offers to elites.
At T-5h I was second on the upgrade list but flight was now F=1. I was offered $129 UFC on the mobile app to buy my way ahead of DUF/K. The cheapest offer I've ever received but wasn't worth upgrading from by favorite exit row seat. Someone else took the deal because DUF/K was still 1 and I was still 2 at takeoff.
I thought I'd share this update to show that at least UA sometimes does make reasonable upgrade offers to elites.
Apr 27, 2014, 3:16 pm
#149
Join Date: Sep 2011
Programs: UA Platinum
Posts: 62
LAX-JFK
12:52 p.m.
Auto-checked as this was my return flight
Earlier in the day, checked the website and it was C1 and Y4.
About 20 hour before departure, went on the APP, and there was a $469 offer to buy-up to C. Took it and only one seat to choose from. I fly this route often and am tired of the same food, etc., but this is a fair price, IMO, for a cash upgrade on PS. I'm surprised they sold it to me considering C had one seat left for sale. In the past when I've been in Y, it's always in the 800-or-900 range.
12:52 p.m.
Auto-checked as this was my return flight
Earlier in the day, checked the website and it was C1 and Y4.
About 20 hour before departure, went on the APP, and there was a $469 offer to buy-up to C. Took it and only one seat to choose from. I fly this route often and am tired of the same food, etc., but this is a fair price, IMO, for a cash upgrade on PS. I'm surprised they sold it to me considering C had one seat left for sale. In the past when I've been in Y, it's always in the 800-or-900 range.
Apr 27, 2014, 9:42 pm
#150
Join Date: May 2008
Location: ICT
Programs: UA GS
Posts: 129
MCI - SFO
Route:MCI-SFO
orig fare class:S
Price: $410
Offered at:30 days ahead
Accepted:No
Already in economy plus. No way is an upgrade in a CRJ700 worth $410.
Also, when I take the price of my original ticket, then add $410 each way for the upgrade it comes out the same price as just buying the 1st class seat in the first place!!!!!
orig fare class:S
Price: $410
Offered at:30 days ahead
Accepted:No
Already in economy plus. No way is an upgrade in a CRJ700 worth $410.
Also, when I take the price of my original ticket, then add $410 each way for the upgrade it comes out the same price as just buying the 1st class seat in the first place!!!!!