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Consolidated Global Premier Upgrade (GPU) Questions Thread [Archive]

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Old Jun 30, 2013, 7:39 am
FlyerTalk Forums Expert How-Tos and Guides
Last edit by: WineCountryUA
This is an archive thread, the active thread is
General PlusPoints (was GPU) earning & usage questions [Consolidated]

Note: the term journey is used here to denote travel between a pair of cities, with one or more layovers, and all segments of the journey are part of the same ticket, confirmation number, and record locator. A one way ticket has one journey. A round trip has two journeys. A multicity ticket has three or more journeys.

Can I apply a GPU to UA metal that is ticketed on non-UA ticket stock?
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/19321483-post23.html says you can.
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/19324013-post25.html says not always.

Can I use a GPU on flights operated by other airlines?
Yes, Copa, LH and NH.

On Copa, the rules are the same as for flights operated by UA. It can't be done online, so you have to call. The regular Premier desk can't do it, though, even though Copa uses MP as its loyalty program--you'll need to call (or be transferred to) the Star Alliance Help Desk to complete the process. (And it's an involved process for the agents--they have to duplicate the Copa PNR in SHARES and issue you a separate UA PNR. Betwen *A Desk hold times--no priority for Premiers--and the hassle it is for the agents, plan on 30-45 minutes to get this done. It may be simpler if you booked your Copa tickets through United.) Note that an RPU works anywhere on Copa that a GPU works, so don't waste GPUs unnecessarily.

On LH, the process is completely different. You can use a GPU on LH operated fights only if printed for a specific flight of a specific reservation. See
Update to Lufthansa (LH) GPU Certificate Request Process

I see GPUs for sale on Craigslist or eBay. May I buy them and use them?
We do not recommend this. If UA determines the GPU was sold, you risk having your M+ account terminated and loss of your miles, status, lifetime miles, etc.

If I have upgraded a flight with miles, cash, GPU, RPU, CPU, etc. from Y to J, may I upgrade to F with a GPU?
Policy does not allow this. However, once upgraded to business you may be offered a cash buy-up to F.

If I apply a GPU on a multi segment journey, what happens one or segments clear, and one or more do not?
The exact wording from united.com is:In most cases, the Global Premier Upgrade will be considered used if any segment of an itinerary is upgraded or flown. However, for travel which includes segments in United BusinessFirst or United Global First, the Global Premier Upgrade will be re-deposited if the United BusinessFirst or United Global First segment(s) could not be upgraded.

This has at least three interpretations when the journey consists of segments that have all lie flat seating, and one or more upgrades to BF or GF fails, but one or more upgrades to BF or GF succeeds. The first is that since the wording is not "if any United BusinessFirst or United Global First segment(s) could not be upgraded" the GPU is not redeposited. The second is that the GPU is redeposited, even if for example, ORD-NRT was upgraded, and NRT-SIN was not. The third is that if the longest segment was not upgraded to BF or GF, the GPU is redeposited. In practice, UA agents appear to follow the third interpretation.
UPDATE: The wording in the Mileage upgrade section is a bit clearer and probably also reflects the policy for GPUs.What is the refund policy for MileagePlus Upgrade Awards that do not clear the waitlist?
If you request an upgrade using a MileagePlus Upgrade Award, and none of your travel segments are upgraded, then we will automatically redeposit your miles and co-pay. In most instances, a MileagePlus Upgrade Award will be considered used if any segment of your travel is upgraded. However, if your travel includes requested upgrades to United BusinessFirst® and/or United Global FirstSM, and none of the United BusinessFirst or United Global First segments are upgraded, then your MileagePlus Upgrade Award will not be considered used, even if you are upgraded to United First® or United Business® on another segment. In these instances, we will fully redeposit your miles and co-pay. When applicable, these refunds will occur automatically seven to 10 days after travel.

Redeposits don't always happen automatically, and when you call, you might find agents are trained to follow the longest segment interpretation, whereby if the longest segment is upgraded, even if not BF or GF, then the GPU will not be deposited. See http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/21138703-post394.html of push back and eventual capitulation by UA.

Can I add myself to the wait list within 24 hours of departure?
No, all you can do is attempt to apply the GPU periodically until it clears into upgrade inventory if any opens up. The 1K desk cannot put you on the wait list inside 24 hours because SHARES transfers the flight to airport control.

Do the fare class restrictions apply to domestic flights?
No, you can use a GPU on any fare on any domestic/ any CPU eligible flight.

Is there a maximum layover between segments of a journey?
Unclear. http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/20453548-post221.html is an example of 38 hours, where the 1K desk applied it on behalf of the customer. What is interesting about this case is that 38 hours is well beyond a layover, which implies that in some cases, one GPU can be used for two journeys on the same ticket even if the two journeys are beyond 12 hours apart (12 hours being the pmUA rule – 4 hours for North American / “domestic” only flights).

How is the waitlist prioritized?
United.com details the process in the "Upgrade confirmation priority" section of this page.
For non-CPU flightsIf an upgrade seat becomes available, waitlisted customers are confirmed automatically based on the Premier® status of the redeeming account***, then fare class, then time of request.
For CPU flights, GS and YBM fares will be handled before GPU/Miles/RPU users and finally CPU requests. Within these groups upgrades are prioritized based on Premier® status of the redeeming account***, then fare class.
If not cleared until gate, it is believe the time factor is based on check-in time.

***On 4/15/15 travelers will no longer inherit the status of the redeeming account and will instead be prioritized by the status of the highest premier member on the PNR they are traveling on.

What is the relative waitlist priority of GPU vs Miles
Appears the use of GPU vs Miles has no impact on the waitlist priority.

May I cross two oceans with one GPU?
Yes if the entire journey is on one confirmation number and the max layover rule (above) is met.

Can I avoid upgrade lottery by booking only flights that have upgrade inventory?
Yes, see Post 3-Mar-2012:How to find upgrade inventory [+how to see fare bucket availability]. Note that you have to wait for the flight to ticket, by which time upgrade inventory can disappear. If so, cancel (within 24 hours of booking, so no penalty) and try again.

My GPU is still valid, but my journey starts after the GPU expires. Can I use the GPU for that journey?
No.

My GPU is still valid, but my journey starts before the GPU expires, and ends after the GPU expires. Can I use the GPU for that journey?
Yes if the initial flight scheduled departure is prior to expiration.

Can I let someone else use my GPU?
Yes. They will be waitlisted prioritized based on your status until 4/15/2015 at which point they will be prioritized based on their own status (or lack thereof).

If I let someone else use my GPU, do I have to be on the same reservation, same journey and/or same flight?
No to all.

What happens if there are multiple pax on the same reservation confirmation number and the reservation is split; will the GPU(s) that is(are) waitlisted on one or more pax stay with the new reservation?
Yes.

Why do Non-Revs get assigned seats in First/Business instead of upgrading paying customers?
UA’s policy is paying customers have priority for upgrades. However, per UA’s employee benefit package, Non-Revs can have access to unassigned seats if there are no waitlisted paying customers. This Non-Rev benefit is part of the negotiated employee compensation.
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Consolidated Global Premier Upgrade (GPU) Questions Thread [Archive]

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Old Mar 15, 2019, 10:56 am
  #2281  
 
Join Date: Nov 2006
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Originally Posted by Kacee
No. Not within T-24. And most agents will refuse.
I ended up pulling the RPU and doing a ToD upgrade which was $560. I requested an email receipt where it shows I am now in C fare class but the PQD did not change and upgrade is noted as additional collect.

Any luck in requesting higher PQD? Mostly concerned about them for GS requal. And will I get 2x PQM for a C fare class?
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Old Mar 15, 2019, 11:28 am
  #2282  
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Originally Posted by FTLexMUC
Any luck in requesting higher PQD? Mostly concerned about them for GS requal. And will I get 2x PQM for a C fare class?
PQM is hit or miss, but I've never seen any successful requests for additional PQD on a ToD.
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Old Mar 15, 2019, 1:05 pm
  #2283  
 
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Applying RPUs with T-24 h

Originally Posted by FTLexMUC
I waitlisted an RPU for a flight on Friday with J1 currently. Upgrade chances slim to none. Do you recommend pulling it at T-24 to be able to re-apply when they level fare classes?
Originally Posted by Kacee
UA doesn't regularly do that with upgrade space anymore (not for years). And if they do, good luck finding an agent to apply the RPU at T-1.
Originally Posted by FTLexMUC

you can certainly do it on a de novo booking close in.
Can you not do it online if fare class is available?
Originally Posted by Kacee
No. Not within T-24. And most agents will refuse.
I think that UA's policy is that you cannot use RPUs for waitlisting for PZ spaces within T-24 h. However, a SFO UC agent was able to do it for me (T-2 h), but I did not get the upgrade cleared. I saw my name on upgrade standby list right away. So, this was an exception to the policy.
If PZ spaces (PN for GS) are available within T-24 h, phone/UC agents can certainly get the upgrade cleared. The failure rate was small for me. I could not get the upgrade cleared when the gate agent had taken over the control of upgrade process (typically, within T-1 h). So, if you see PZ spaces, you should call as quickly as possible.
Happy travels.
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Old Mar 15, 2019, 3:38 pm
  #2284  
 
Join Date: Jul 2013
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How do I buy a PE seat and apply a GPU for J?
On the site all the only options I seem to be able to do is Buy Y and upgrade to PE/J, buy Y, buy PE, buy J.

Edit: Never mind, I was searching one way fares, when I went round trip it gave me the full options.
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Old Mar 15, 2019, 10:57 pm
  #2285  
 
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Originally Posted by Kmxu
I think that UA's policy is that you cannot use RPUs for waitlisting for PZ spaces within T-24 h. However, a SFO UC agent was able to do it for me (T-2 h), but I did not get the upgrade cleared. I saw my name on upgrade standby list right away. So, this was an exception to the policy.
If PZ spaces (PN for GS) are available within T-24 h, phone/UC agents can certainly get the upgrade cleared. The failure rate was small for me. I could not get the upgrade cleared when the gate agent had taken over the control of upgrade process (typically, within T-1 h). So, if you see PZ spaces, you should call as quickly as possible.
Happy travels.
Me too. I've had same day GPUs clear via phone when PZ>0. In all of the cases a flight change was involved--not sure if that was the reason or not. (But it was the reason for the flight change--i.e. I changed the itinerary to get the cleared upgrade.)
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Old Mar 15, 2019, 11:09 pm
  #2286  
 
Join Date: Jan 2016
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Originally Posted by TomA
Me too. I've had same day GPUs clear via phone when PZ>0. In all of the cases a flight change was involved--not sure if that was the reason or not. (But it was the reason for the flight change--i.e. I changed the itinerary to get the cleared upgrade.)
Ditto to this. I was booked on a flight once out of ORD. I arrived at ORD and the airport was a bigger mess than I'm used to-ended up missing the flight. Went to the United Club and the wonderful agents took care of me. There were no more flights to my destination, so they rebooked me to somewhere close to my destination. Two agents were working on it at the same time, and one noticed I was booked into PZ on the original flight. She then checked and saw PZ space on the new flight that was T-1.5. She called the help desk and cheerfully had the RPU certificate found (it had "disappeared" when I no-showed for the original flight). Once she found it she happily placed me into PZ on the new flight.
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Old Mar 15, 2019, 11:20 pm
  #2287  
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Originally Posted by Kmxu
I think that UA's policy is that you cannot use RPUs for waitlisting for PZ spaces within T-24 h. However, a SFO UC agent was able to do it for me (T-2 h), but I did not get the upgrade cleared. I saw my name on upgrade standby list right away. So, this was an exception to the policy.
If PZ spaces (PN for GS) are available within T-24 h, phone/UC agents can certainly get the upgrade cleared. The failure rate was small for me. I could not get the upgrade cleared when the gate agent had taken over the control of upgrade process (typically, within T-1 h). So, if you see PZ spaces, you should call as quickly as possible.
Happy travels.
Some UC agents are willing to apply an instrument within T-24. Doesn't necessarily mean that the instrument will clear but at least you know where you stand wrt others on the list.

David
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Old Mar 16, 2019, 5:11 am
  #2288  
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Originally Posted by Kmxu
If PZ spaces (PN for GS) are available within T-24 h, phone/UC agents can certainly get the upgrade cleared. The failure rate was small for me. I could not get the upgrade cleared when the gate agent had taken over the control of upgrade process (typically, within T-1 h). So, if you see PZ spaces, you should call as quickly as possible.
I think most of us have stories of clearing into PN/R inside T-24. And most of them are at least several years old. Before UA took away the ability to apply instruments online within T-24 and instructed their agents not to do it for passengers.

Do exceptions occur? Of course. But if you're counting on (a) UA opening PN/PZ at T-1 when a flight is J1, and (b) getting an agent to clear you into it, well, good luck with that. Because the odds are very very low it's going to happen.
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Old Mar 28, 2019, 10:41 pm
  #2289  
 
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I have an itinerary coming up that I booked on UA, AAA-BBB-CCC-DDD-EEE, all on W fare, all travel on 1 day. AAA-BBB-CCC is on LH, CCC-DDD-EEE on UA. I applied a GPU in hopes of the TATL CCC-DDD segment clearing (which it did...yay!), but I actually got an email notification from UA today saying that they could not confirm the upgrade from AAA-BBB, but that I have been added to the upgrade standby list.that is "shown online and at the airport". Seeing as this is an LH flight, is there such a thing as an upgrade standby list that is "shown online and at the airport"? Or is this just a faulty form letter email that does not apply to me? I didn't realize that a GPU could be used for a W fare on LH flights...or is that not the case?

I went to Google Flights to see if it would even bring up a fare if I were to want to buy a business class fare on the AAA-BBB flight. From what I can tell they are still selling 6 business class seats on that flight (if I try to select 7 adults, the flight no longer appears in the list). Is that a good indication of the number of seats left? Will I actually be eligible for an upgrade on that flight, if so?

Last edited by mpiotrow; Mar 28, 2019 at 10:48 pm
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Old Mar 28, 2019, 11:12 pm
  #2290  
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Originally Posted by mpiotrow
I have an itinerary coming up that I booked on UA, AAA-BBB-CCC-DDD-EEE, all on W fare, all travel on 1 day. AAA-BBB-CCC is on LH, CCC-DDD-EEE on UA. I applied a GPU in hopes of the TATL CCC-DDD segment clearing (which it did...yay!), but I actually got an email notification from UA today saying that they could not confirm the upgrade from AAA-BBB, but that I have been added to the upgrade standby list.that is "shown online and at the airport". Seeing as this is an LH flight, is there such a thing as an upgrade standby list that is "shown online and at the airport"? Or is this just a faulty form letter email that does not apply to me? I didn't realize that a GPU could be used for a W fare on LH flights...or is that not the case?

I went to Google Flights to see if it would even bring up a fare if I were to want to buy a business class fare on the AAA-BBB flight. From what I can tell they are still selling 6 business class seats on that flight (if I try to select 7 adults, the flight no longer appears in the list). Is that a good indication of the number of seats left? Will I actually be eligible for an upgrade on that flight, if so?
The first flight, when you say "LH flight", is it LH operated? if so there will be no waitlisting of your present GPU. LH flights besides requiring a higher fare class, each LH flight requires its own separate GPU.
So without throwing additional GPUs at this itin, there will be no additional upgraded flights.
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Old Mar 29, 2019, 8:33 am
  #2291  
 
Join Date: May 2016
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Originally Posted by mpiotrow
I have an itinerary coming up that I booked on UA, AAA-BBB-CCC-DDD-EEE, all on W fare, all travel on 1 day. AAA-BBB-CCC is on LH, CCC-DDD-EEE on UA. I applied a GPU in hopes of the TATL CCC-DDD segment clearing (which it did...yay!), but I actually got an email notification from UA today saying that they could not confirm the upgrade from AAA-BBB, but that I have been added to the upgrade standby list.that is "shown online and at the airport". Seeing as this is an LH flight, is there such a thing as an upgrade standby list that is "shown online and at the airport"? Or is this just a faulty form letter email that does not apply to me? I didn't realize that a GPU could be used for a W fare on LH flights...or is that not the case?

I went to Google Flights to see if it would even bring up a fare if I were to want to buy a business class fare on the AAA-BBB flight. From what I can tell they are still selling 6 business class seats on that flight (if I try to select 7 adults, the flight no longer appears in the list). Is that a good indication of the number of seats left? Will I actually be eligible for an upgrade on that flight, if so?
I had this happen on a TP-operated connecting flight too when I applied a GPU on a UA TATL on the same trip. It was just the system going a bit screwy, no upgrade unfortunately
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Old Mar 29, 2019, 9:52 am
  #2292  
 
Join Date: Oct 2013
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Originally Posted by WineCountryUA
The first flight, when you say "LH flight", is it LH operated? if so there will be no waitlisting of your present GPU. LH flights besides requiring a higher fare class, each LH flight requires its own separate GPU.
So without throwing additional GPUs at this itin, there will be no additional upgraded flights.
Yes, it's an LH operated flight.

Originally Posted by mrt88
I had this happen on a TP-operated connecting flight too when I applied a GPU on a UA TATL on the same trip. It was just the system going a bit screwy, no upgrade unfortunately
That's what I figured...oh well, just a couple short hops in Y until the UA TATL in J
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Old Apr 13, 2019, 12:26 pm
  #2293  
 
Join Date: Aug 2015
Programs: AC 75K, Bonvoy Plat , HH Diamond, Hertz PC
Posts: 66
My GPU recently cleared and I can see that I am booked into PZ, but at the bottom of the website I can still see the original economy flight segment as an extra segment (Same date, flight, etc.) . I also have that message at the top of the screen '' A modification has been made to your itinerary. Please contact United Reservations to have your ticket reissued.''

Is that normal or should I just let it go?
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Old Apr 13, 2019, 12:55 pm
  #2294  
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Originally Posted by YUL1941
My GPU recently cleared and I can see that I am booked into PZ, but at the bottom of the website I can still see the original economy flight segment as an extra segment (Same date, flight, etc.) . I also have that message at the top of the screen '' A modification has been made to your itinerary. Please contact United Reservations to have your ticket reissued.''

Is that normal or should I just let it go?
Your reservation is out of sync, probably due to a combination of schedule change and upgrade request. In a sense, it is normal, but at some point you should call to get the unneeded segment deleted to be sure nothing gets confused with seat assignments / check in / etc.
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Old Apr 13, 2019, 1:00 pm
  #2295  
 
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Thanks!
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