Jan 10, 2016, 10:56 pm
Last edit by: atword
Previous threads: 2015 Upsell Offers to Business/First (UFC/PCU) Questions/Discussion (Paid Upgrades)
2014 Upsell Offers to Business/First (UFC/PCU) Questions/Discussion (Paid Upgrades)
2013 "Upsell Offers to Business/First (UFC/PCU)" Questions/Discussion (Paid Upgrades)
PCU (Premium Cabin Upsell) Nets extra PQM's and can be done at purchase or anytime before checkin if prompted. This will book into a business/first bucket.
UFC (Upgrade For Cash) is done at checkin (online, counter, lounge, gate) and will not earn extra PQM's.
TOD (Tens of Dollars); please post at another thread Post your TOD buy-up experiences here [2016 Edition]
From #198 of the TOD thread by thejaredhuang: "I think there's still a distinction (from upsell thread). This thread is more about offers at check-in, I always read TOD as Time of Departure anyways."
2014 Upsell Offers to Business/First (UFC/PCU) Questions/Discussion (Paid Upgrades)
2013 "Upsell Offers to Business/First (UFC/PCU)" Questions/Discussion (Paid Upgrades)
PCU (Premium Cabin Upsell) Nets extra PQM's and can be done at purchase or anytime before checkin if prompted. This will book into a business/first bucket.
UFC (Upgrade For Cash) is done at checkin (online, counter, lounge, gate) and will not earn extra PQM's.
TOD (Tens of Dollars); please post at another thread Post your TOD buy-up experiences here [2016 Edition]
From #198 of the TOD thread by thejaredhuang: "I think there's still a distinction (from upsell thread). This thread is more about offers at check-in, I always read TOD as Time of Departure anyways."
2016 Upsell Offers to Business/First (UFC/PCU) Questions/Discussion (Paid Upgrades)
Mar 2, 2016, 5:22 pm
#76
Join Date: Sep 1999
Location: SF Bay Area
Programs: UA 1K MM, Accor Plat, Htz PC, Natl ExEm, other random status
Posts: 2,876
Checking in for SFO-LAX.
Mobile app upgrade offer: $169
Website upgrade offer: $402
Cost to change ticket to an F cabin ticket $259 (no change fee b/c w/in 24 hours).
Upgrade list says booked 14/16, and I'm 4th on the list.
What are they doing?
Greg
Mobile app upgrade offer: $169
Website upgrade offer: $402
Cost to change ticket to an F cabin ticket $259 (no change fee b/c w/in 24 hours).
Upgrade list says booked 14/16, and I'm 4th on the list.
What are they doing?
Greg
Last edited by goalie; Mar 2, 2016 at 5:24 pm Reason: Using symbols to mask profanity removed
Mar 2, 2016, 10:34 pm
#77
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Posts: 42,231
Be vigilant about checking your CC account until the charge actually posts. The one and only time I bit on a buy up at purchase, the CC authorization was the same as the offer so I figured no problem. I checked a few days later and got the rude surprise - the actual amount charged was a few hundred dollars more than the authorization.
Has that ever happened to anyone here? The upgrade is bought, the ticket re-issued and synced by an agent, the new cabin and booking class are there, but the fee is never charged after sitting in a pending state for days? If so, were you downgraded, denied boarding, or flew as expected?
Mar 2, 2016, 11:13 pm
#78
Join Date: Jun 2010
Location: ROC/NYC/MSP/LAX/HKG/SIN
Posts: 3,215
Booked FLL-EWR-HKG/PVG-NRT-SFO-SEA...right after ticketing, went to the upgrade trip option to use my GPUs and was offered FLL-EWR-HKG for $587 (and the return for $2,200 but I ignored that).
Confused, I rubbed my eyes and cleared my head and looked again...and there it was. I was initially not going to do it because I don't want to add more cost to the trip, but after figuring I'm getting an extra 9,000 PQM out of the deal with the bonus plus 50% RDM, it made sense given it would cost more than $587 to buy enough transcons to equal that 9,000.
Booked me into P class on the outbound, and I checked my credit card to make sure the temp authorization was really $587 and not $5,870 or some other rude surprise....and there it is...my first international buy-up to BF.
Oddly, there is no P fare published on this route one-way...so not sure how the buy-up was computed.
Confused, I rubbed my eyes and cleared my head and looked again...and there it was. I was initially not going to do it because I don't want to add more cost to the trip, but after figuring I'm getting an extra 9,000 PQM out of the deal with the bonus plus 50% RDM, it made sense given it would cost more than $587 to buy enough transcons to equal that 9,000.
Booked me into P class on the outbound, and I checked my credit card to make sure the temp authorization was really $587 and not $5,870 or some other rude surprise....and there it is...my first international buy-up to BF.
Oddly, there is no P fare published on this route one-way...so not sure how the buy-up was computed.
You can also make a comparison by searching business on the outbound and still W fare in the inbound. The system may calculate the one-way P fare if you book it as a round-trip(despite the return being non-P)
Mar 3, 2016, 12:36 am
#79
Join Date: Nov 2013
Location: NYC / TYO / Up in the Air
Programs: UA GS 1.7MM, AA 2.1MM, EK, BA, SQ, CX, Marriot LT, Accor P
Posts: 6,322
Was a long and rough (fun) night in London - Travelling today (March 3) from LHR-ORD on UA 928 and was looking to upgrade to GF for trip back to the states - but this time there are no upsell offers to be found - Either on the mobile app or when I look via my laptop on .bomb...
There are 2 open seats in GF (with 2 non-revs on standby for them) and seats in GF are available to purchase. Thought I would post it here as I have ALWAYS been offered a chance to upgrade when flying paid J to F on UA - they monetize everything lol...
There are 2 open seats in GF (with 2 non-revs on standby for them) and seats in GF are available to purchase. Thought I would post it here as I have ALWAYS been offered a chance to upgrade when flying paid J to F on UA - they monetize everything lol...
Last edited by bmwe92fan; Mar 3, 2016 at 1:20 am
Mar 3, 2016, 1:14 am
#80
Join Date: Sep 1999
Location: SF Bay Area
Programs: UA 1K MM, Accor Plat, Htz PC, Natl ExEm, other random status
Posts: 2,876
I tweeted United asking why there was a 2x difference between the .com upgrade price and the mobile app upgrade price, the former being higher than the purchase price of a new F cabin ticket.
First they asked me if it was a timing issue, but when I said they were simultaneous, their response was that they didn't have a concrete answer for me, and thanked me for bringing it to our attention.
I supposed I didn't actually expect a definitive answer to this, but disappointing nonetheless.
Seems like something that uainsider should shed some light on...
Greg
First they asked me if it was a timing issue, but when I said they were simultaneous, their response was that they didn't have a concrete answer for me, and thanked me for bringing it to our attention.
I supposed I didn't actually expect a definitive answer to this, but disappointing nonetheless.
Seems like something that uainsider should shed some light on...
Greg
Mar 3, 2016, 1:27 am
#81
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It was because your W/V fare(I presume with the intention to use GPU) is not that far off from the latest TPAC J sale. I just found that FLL-HKG, some major UA-operating Asian cities-US are running at 3.3k. Considering the W fare is very likely 1.5k-1.7k, it sort of makes sense to just upgrade one specific leg for roughly $600.
I see a $1410 W and a $3449 P. Difference of approx. $1000 each direction.
This is just one of those inexplicable UA IT fart buy-up offers. We certainly see plenty of those.
Mar 5, 2016, 8:06 pm
#82
Join Date: Jun 2010
Location: ROC/NYC/MSP/LAX/HKG/SIN
Posts: 3,215
I just received the $99 upgrade offer from ORD to EWR tmr, operated on 767-300. I am curious if that is the TODs. If that gets me directly into P, then I wouldn't mind doing it for 3000 RDMs extra within promotions.
Mar 5, 2016, 8:14 pm
#83
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Join Date: Apr 2013
Location: PHX
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If the price ends in "9" I assume it's an upgrade fee and will not accrue anything extra. Although you never know for sure, it could book into P and accrue extra PQD to boot.
Mar 5, 2016, 8:16 pm
#84
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Join Date: Sep 2002
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It was because your W/V fare(I presume with the intention to use GPU) is not that far off from the latest TPAC J sale. I just found that FLL-HKG, some major UA-operating Asian cities-US are running at 3.3k. Considering the W fare is very likely 1.5k-1.7k, it sort of makes sense to just upgrade one specific leg for roughly $600.
You can also make a comparison by searching business on the outbound and still W fare in the inbound. The system may calculate the one-way P fare if you book it as a round-trip(despite the return being non-P)
You can also make a comparison by searching business on the outbound and still W fare in the inbound. The system may calculate the one-way P fare if you book it as a round-trip(despite the return being non-P)
Do I say and do nothing and expect it will be flown as it sits now, or is there a risk of a check-in error and a bounce back to a coach middle seats on both flights on day of departure if I don't speak up and tell UA to double check the ticket?
I don't mind paying the $587, but I don't want them to decide the buy-up never went through properly and I either need to pay hundreds or thousands more today, or sit in coach because the R space for a GPU is gone.
Mar 22, 2016, 7:11 am
#85
Join Date: Oct 2005
Location: SDF/LEX
Programs: UA 1K & 1MM/ *G
Posts: 174
Buy-Up to J: How volatile is the cost?
New job, which is requiring more international travel, so I am learning the ins-and-outs of affordable J. I have a trip IAH-GRU at the end of April, and UA is currently asking $800 per leg to move from S into BusinessFirst. Thats kind of at the edge of what I can do with OPM, what are the chances that the cost will go down as departure nears? Whats UA's usual? I know loads from IAH to GRU have been terrible recently, so maybe a chance of a sale?
Mar 22, 2016, 10:47 am
#86
Join Date: Jun 2012
Location: New England
Programs: American Gold, Marriott Gold, Hilton Silver
Posts: 5,645
What's the typical upsell offer for a TATL flight? Specifically, EWR-LHR.
Mar 22, 2016, 12:17 pm
#87
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Mar 23, 2016, 11:00 am
#88
Join Date: Jul 2005
Location: NYC
Programs: Marriott Platinum Elite, National Executive, United Gold
Posts: 1,181
Mar 23, 2016, 11:13 am
#89
Join Date: Feb 2010
Location: New Jersey
Programs: UA MM 1K, AA MM Gold, Marriott LT Platinum
Posts: 3,236
EWR-IAH
$292 on a 763 (2 class) in two weeks (from E). Plenty of available F seats, so debating whether to take it now or wait until OLCI. Last time got $179 at OLCI booked into F with 300% PQM. Anyone else rolled the dice on this before? I think ~$300 is a little high (for me) for a 1400 mile trip without certainty of at least 200% PQM.
$292 on a 763 (2 class) in two weeks (from E). Plenty of available F seats, so debating whether to take it now or wait until OLCI. Last time got $179 at OLCI booked into F with 300% PQM. Anyone else rolled the dice on this before? I think ~$300 is a little high (for me) for a 1400 mile trip without certainty of at least 200% PQM.
Mar 23, 2016, 11:58 am
#90
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EWR-IAH
$292 on a 763 (2 class) in two weeks (from E). Plenty of available F seats, so debating whether to take it now or wait until OLCI. Last time got $179 at OLCI booked into F with 300% PQM. Anyone else rolled the dice on this before? I think ~$300 is a little high (for me) for a 1400 mile trip without certainty of at least 200% PQM.
$292 on a 763 (2 class) in two weeks (from E). Plenty of available F seats, so debating whether to take it now or wait until OLCI. Last time got $179 at OLCI booked into F with 300% PQM. Anyone else rolled the dice on this before? I think ~$300 is a little high (for me) for a 1400 mile trip without certainty of at least 200% PQM.
But if your flight has E space, you should still be able to call in and reticket for $159. And lots of higher bases also are better than $300 - I'm assuming "plenty of available seats" means your flight has A space.