Confused about paid upgrade

Old Aug 5, 2017, 7:02 pm
  #1  
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Confused about paid upgrade

Hi everyone, so our upcoming UA flight from LAX to LAS was a regular economy fair,> Later, I paid for E+ plus. I have been considering to upgrading to F, and under reservations it was saying that it was available for $80+ under the main tab with seat sections but when I go to select a seat, it says online upgrades are not available even though it's still showing many open seats. Is there a reason for this? I'm thinking they might be holding them for passengers with status? The flight is on Monday. Am I doing something wrong? I know there there is a separate thread about upgrades, do I need to wait until tomorrow (the 24 hour window) and check in first before the release the seats ?

Last edited by Martina70; Aug 5, 2017 at 10:05 pm
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Old Aug 5, 2017, 7:11 pm
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Originally Posted by Martina70
Hi everyone, so our upcoming UA flight from LAX to LAS was a regular economy fair,> Late, I paid for E+ plus. I have been considering to upgrading to F- and under reservations it was saying that it was available for $80+ under the main tab with seat sections but when I go to select a seat, it says online upgrades are not available even though it's still showing many open seats. Is there a reason for this? I'm thinking they might be holding them for passengers with status? The flight is on Monday. Am I doing something wrong? I know there there is a separate thread about upgrades, do I need to wait until tomorrow (the 24 hour window) and check in first before the release the seats ?
The online upgrade process doesn't always work properly. If you still see the offer at that price, call United and ask to be transferred to web support. Explain what you're seeing and they should be able to take care of it for you.

Also, if you upgrade to F, you should receive a refund for your E+ purchase after you fly. If it doesn't appear automatically after a couple of days, file for a refund through the website.
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Old Aug 5, 2017, 7:35 pm
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Originally Posted by Martina70
...I have been considering to upgrading to F- and under reservations it was saying that it was available for $80+ under the main tab with seat sections but when I go to select a seat...
$80 is pretty steep for just a one hour (actual flying time might be less) flight. No meal - just a snack from selection of chips/cookies/etc. I wouldn't use miles or an upgrade certificate for a flight like that, much less cash.
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Old Aug 5, 2017, 7:47 pm
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Thanks folks, I thought the $80 seemed a bit high too, but because we were planning on taking some checked luggage with us , I tried to justify it, plus the bonus of us going though the expiated TSA line.

Do the upgrade prices go down closer to the departure day? I remember seeing posts before saying the offers had to do with status and fair codes..but I am not sure of anything beyond that.
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Old Aug 5, 2017, 8:25 pm
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How much was your E+ fee?
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Old Aug 5, 2017, 8:29 pm
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Originally Posted by jsloan
The online upgrade process doesn't always work properly. If you still see the offer at that price, call United and ask to be transferred to web support. Explain what you're seeing and they should be able to take care of it for you.

Also, if you upgrade to F, you should receive a refund for your E+ purchase after you fly. If it doesn't appear automatically after a couple of days, file for a refund through the website.
Originally Posted by IAH-OIL-TRASH
$80 is pretty steep for just a one hour (actual flying time might be less) flight. No meal - just a snack from selection of chips/cookies/etc. I wouldn't use miles or an upgrade certificate for a flight like that, much less cash.
Originally Posted by pmarrsouth
How much was your E+ fee?
$24 for for each of us.
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Old Aug 5, 2017, 8:41 pm
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Originally Posted by jsloan
The online upgrade process doesn't always work properly. If you still see the offer at that price, call United and ask to be transferred to web support. Explain what you're seeing and they should be able to take care of it for you.

Also, if you upgrade to F, you should receive a refund for your E+ purchase after you fly. If it doesn't appear automatically after a couple of days, file for a refund through the website.
shouldnt need web support for this - regular reservations should be able to handle selling the uograde. But yes, E+ seat should be refunded after flight.

Originally Posted by IAH-OIL-TRASH
$80 is pretty steep for just a one hour (actual flying time might be less) flight. No meal - just a snack from selection of chips/cookies/etc. I wouldn't use miles or an upgrade certificate for a flight like that, much less cash.
IME, I've never seen an upgrade offer cheaper than $75, even Pre-merger for CVG-ORD at ~265 miles and typically 50 minutes in the air, sometimes less. Don't disagree on it's worth personally, I would never pay for that, but probably just about the cheapest upgrade one might see.
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Old Aug 5, 2017, 8:57 pm
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It's seems weird, because the site is showing that cash upgrades aren't available, once I click on a seat selection, only points 20k plus $75 per person are available . Is this correct or am I doing something wrong in the upgrade search?

Last edited by Martina70; Aug 5, 2017 at 9:32 pm
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Old Aug 5, 2017, 9:34 pm
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Originally Posted by Martina70
It's seems weird, because the site is showing that cash upgrades aren't available, once I click on a seat selection, only points 20k plus $75 per person are available . Is this correct or am I doing something wrong in the upgrade search?
Just call UA. They can take care of it for you. The website is always glitchy with these things.
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Old Aug 5, 2017, 9:53 pm
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Originally Posted by S.R
Just call UA. They can take care of it for you. The website is always glitchy with these things.
Thank you.
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Old Aug 5, 2017, 10:14 pm
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Originally Posted by emcampbe
shouldnt need web support for this - regular reservations should be able to handle selling the uograde. But yes, E+ seat should be refunded after flight.



IME, I've never seen an upgrade offer cheaper than $75, even Pre-merger for CVG-ORD at ~265 miles and typically 50 minutes in the air, sometimes less. Don't disagree on it's worth personally, I would never pay for that, but probably just about the cheapest upgrade one might see.
Oma-ord
Oma-Den
Mci-ord
Mci-Den
See $69 upgrade fares often. But usually not worth it.
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Old Aug 5, 2017, 10:41 pm
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I called and it was $80 per person to upgrade. Yes, as mentioned they would refund the $24 fee we paid for E+, so in my mind it was only $56 plus no check bag fees, so I went for it.

Thanks everyone for all the help.
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