You need to search the two flights separately to see meaningful inventory data, including PN/PZ.

Assuming that your mother doesn't have status, chances are near zero on EWR-LAX, and LAX-HKG will be hit or miss.

She does not have status—I am 1K upgrading her on my PP. does this mean she would be at the bottom of the upgrade list because it’s based on her own status?

thanks for the tip on searching the legs separately. Annoying.

Unfortunately, yes.

No problem. :) Yes, it's annoying; they had it working properly for a few months and then ripped it out entirely from connecting itineraries. For years before that, it was present but generally wrong.

For such a long flight, you may watch for possible cash upgrade offer, or pay $1150 more to get her to PE for both legs. I think it is well worth it if your budget allows. Besides, you also increase her chance of upgrading to J, and save significant amount of PP whether UG to J or not.

IAH to LHR
 

My wife and I are currently booked in Premium Plus (R) on a flight from IAH to LHR in about 3 weeks. I know things can change before then, but if we were leaving tomorrow, what would be my chances to upgrade our cabin. I am Premier Silver, and she has no status. . . BTW United is offering $430 and 20k points PP upgrade which I'll probably do on the way back.

Thanks in advance.

Here's the current availability.

• J9
• JN9
• C9
• D9
• Z9
• ZN9
• P9
• PN9
• PZ8
• IN0
• I0
• O9
• ON9
• A9
• R9
• RN9
• Y9
• YN9
• B9
• M9
• E9
• U9
• H9
• HN9
• Q9
• V9
• W9
• S9
• T9
• L9
• K9
• G0
• XN9
• X9

There are no complimentary upgrades on TATL flights, if that's what you're asking. However, because the flight is PZ8, if you were to apply the miles + copay upgrade, it would clear immediately (no waitlist).

Thanks, I didn't realize that.
Do United upgrade offers change as you get a little closer?

Return flight is saying "waitlist". That's the one we are most interested in



LHR to IAH

• J9
• JN9
• C9
• D9
• Z9
• ZN9
• P1
• PN0
• PZ0
• IN0
• I0
• O9
• ON9
• A0
• R0
• RN0
• Y9
• YN9
• B9
• M9
• E9
• U9
• H9
• HN9
• Q9
• V9
• W9
• S7
• T4
• L0
• K0
• G0
• XN9
• X0

The cash upgrade prices can fluctuate at any time. The miles + copay prices are fixed based upon route and fare class, and will not change.

Not impossible, but no guarantee. Assuming you're on the same reservation, you and your wife would both be evaluated based upon your Silver status. In the PE cabin, that will put you behind anyone who is using a Global Services instrument, plus anyone in the PE cabin with a higher status, but it would put you ahead of anyone in the Y cabin who is not using a Global Services instrument. With inventory of P1 PN0 PZ0, there would be a waitlist, but UA isn't indicating a ton of confidence that they can sell all of the seats. PZ >=2 means you'd clear immediately, but barring that, P9 is better than P1, PN9 is better than PN0, etc. The closer it gets to PZ, the more desperate UA is getting, and the better your odds.

Good luck!

(Incidentally, most people who choose to upgrade in only one direction would choose eastbound, so you can sleep. Westbound, the lie-flat seat is less of an advantage as you might not choose to sleep).

Day of the week on your return will make a big difference. I've been watching flights similar to you for our DEN-LHR-DEN trip, but in 2 weeks. On the return, I'm flying back on Wednesday while my SO is staying until Friday for work. I've been keeping an eye on all LHR-[HUB]-DEN flights plus LHR-DEN as we are both flexible. I'm fairly confident I'll end up in Polaris returning on Wednesday. I'm almost 100% sure my SO will have to settle for her E+ bulkhead seat coming home on Friday since she is much less likely than I to take a crazy or risky routing or one that would get her home very late.

Yes, eastbound hits us harder each time we travel transatlantic or even to Hawaii for that matter.
Wife isn't happy we are not in Polaris, but we have another couple flying with us outbound, and they didn't want to pay the difference. Premier Plus was a bargain.
We are alone inbound.

Thanks for the input.

MUC-SFO vs FRA - SFO
 

MUC-SFO vs. FRA-SFO - Does either route tend to have a better track record at upgrades clearing than the other? Or is there no trend to speak of?
More specifically, Saturdays in April.

Kinda side question but where do I see my miles redeposited if I dont' clear upgrades? Or if I cancel an upgrade request?

I'm going through my Mileage Activity page and I see SIX (6)!!! deductions of 30k miles. I tried to upgrade 2 flights for 2 pax (myself and my spouse). So at most I should only see 4 deductions. I ultimately cancelled 1 of those because I had some PlusPoints left and saw award space left (thanks to this thread!) so in the end I should only be spending 3 x 30,000 = 90,000 miles. How do I verify the miles came back? I'm about to email United but I wish there was a better way to see this.

You should see the redeposits in the same place as the deductions. If you're not seeing them there, they haven't been redeposited.

UA996 IAD - ACC on 3/3
currently on waitlist for PE , I am upgrading with 35,000 miles as premier gold. Booked on Y ( V- fare) . On the other hand cash option is $499. What are my chances of making the upgrade. Or should I cancel the mileage upgrade and pay the cash option. I will appreciate suggestions from the experts here.

Inventory is J5 O6 ON6 A3 R1 RN0. That means there are only 11 more premium cabin seats for UA to sell in the next two weeks. That's not a lot. R1 indicates that if they sell one additional PE seat, there's a good chance that the buy-up will increase.

How much are 35K miles worth to you? Paying $499 to preserve the miles and get off of the waitlist doesn't sound like a terrible trade to me. It's definitely possible that your miles upgrade would clear, but it's far from a certainty. I'd say it's 60/40 in your favor, because there may bs some people listed in Premium Economy who are waitlisting for J, meaning that there may be a couple more PE seats available than inventory would suggest.

Thank you for your insight and response. I will keep my fingers crossed for the upgrade to clear.

Personally, I think you would be nuts to pass on $499 into R1 this far out. 35k miles barely worth less than $500 anyway.

Chance of upgrade
 

Would anyone have a good idea of the chance of an upgrade to F with miles from SFO to various Texas cities? I am Premier Gold travelling next September.

They are pretty slim even for 1K pax, so Gold would be even more slim according to various posts, especially from SFO.

Day of the week?

In general, SFO-AUS will be a near-impossible upgrade; SFO-IAH might be worse. SFO-SAT and SFO-DFW, you might have a chance if you’re traveling off-peak. The problem is that those routes are all long enough that many 1Ks will put PlusPoints on them, and that would put them ahead of you on the list due to their status.

Newbie Question regarding upgrading to Polaris w/Miles.
 

Hi All,

It's been quite some time since I posted, but was hoping I can get some thoughts regarding upgrading with Mileage Plus. (I apologize in advance if this is not posted in the correct area).

My wife and I are starting to travel a little more nowadays and decided to get the "United Explorer Card" We recieved a bonus of 65,000 miles, plus add some flights we have taken we now have about 82,000 miles.
We are currently booked for a trip from EWR-AMS in Premium Plus on a Tuesday at the end of April, and we thought it would be nice to treat ourselves and try to upgrade to Polaris class on the way there, and return in Premium Plus.

I spoke to a couple of reps at United that said you can be notified from several weeks ahead, to the day of and definetly worth the experience.

Just wondering what our chances are (Myself, wife and adult son) of getting the upgrade? Is there any rhyme or rerason to the process or is it just luck, as we don't want to get our hopes up too much.

Again:
We are booked in Premium Plus
No waiting list as of today.
20 seats currently available in Polaris
Cost would be 20,000 miles PP along with $425.00 charge.


Aagain, thank you for any insight to help us on this.

Joe

You can only get advance upgrade if PZ inventory is above 0 (or 2 since there are three of you on that ticket).

I would not have any expectations of upgrade in advance, during check-in, or at the gate, especially looking for 3 seats at once.

I'm guessing that means it would be the day of we would find out?

You probably have a decent chance at the upgrade. In theory because you are in Premium economy you get upgraded ahead of most upgraders from economy.

A Tuesday in April is off-peak, so that helps your chances. The waitlist is ordered by status and by cabin. Booked in Premium Plus, you will be behind all members in the plane who are upgrading using an instrument from a Global Services (the top, invitation-only tier) account, plus every Premier member who is booked in Premium Plus, but you'll be ahead of everyone booked in Economy who is upgrading using a non-Global Services instrument.

The list is dynamic -- you may be pushed down the list as Premier members book PE or Global Services members use their instruments anywhere in the plane. So, yeah, I'd say your expectation should be to fly Premium Plus, but it's not impossible to imagine that you'll clear anytime between now and at the gate.

Thank you

Flying SFO-HKG-SFO, departing in late July, returning mid-August.

What are the best days of the week to fly to maximize the chances of a PP upgrade? And is the day time or overnight flight better? 3 travelers, 1K PP points, the 1K member will be traveling.

I would prefer a Saturday day time flight SFO-HKG, and a Sunday night time flight HKG-SFO, but am thinking there might be a lot of paid business travelers taking the Sunday night time HKG-SFO flight.

Saturday westbound is the hardest, as that is the peak business travel day (arrive Sunday night/Monday morning). Eastbound travel is a tiny bit more spread out, but Sunday night is towards the busier side.

With all that said, HKG has pretty decent capacity these days so upgrades feel more possible than most routes.

I only have anecdotal evidence - but 3/3 on Saturday flights getting upgraded to east Asia/Africa (including a SFO-SIN upgrade from economy). Whereas I had to switch a couple flights midweek to the weekend to get upgraded (I have flexibility). It seems Sun-Thu look the worst whenever I really stalk availability.

If you are willing to share your exact flights, many people here can lookup whether there is PZ space available (usually there isn’t), and make an assessment of your upgrade chances

Only 20/50 seats available 2 months out seems grim for upgrades.

Not what you asked, but...
 

Presuming you're looking at the nonstop. it's less than an 8 hour flight. Have you previously flown in the Polaris cabin? Some (including myself) find the seats to be rather coffin-like. On the other hand, the Premium plus seating, while it is not the over-hyped lie flat configuration, does have decent recline and an adjustable foot rest that make for a rather comfortable seat. Last month i was actually able to get in several solid hours of sleep en route to LHR, something that I rarely can do even in Polaris. The amenity kit is pretty much like the Polaris one, the pillow and blanket are upgraded as is the meal service and AV screen. Especially in the middle two seats, it's quite a nice ride. I'd save those miles for a longer trip or even use them to upgrade to Premium Plus on a later flight. You might also check to see how Polaris fares out for your dates- on April 16 Polaris is +$600 over PP but on May 8 it's only $200 > PP.

Hello all, I have a question that I can hope someone will be able to answer. Currently I’m 12 hours to online check in. I used miles + Copay to be put on the waitlist. Expert mode shows J5 and I’m #5 on the list, also it shows Polaris 43/48. When will I know if my upgrade clears? I thought the waitlist clears 24 hours before check in unless I misunderstood? No one else has been cleared either This is IAH to SYD. My intent is if my upgrade does not clear, I want to change my flight to a wide open J to SYD at online check in. Thanks in advance for answering my questions, y’all are awesome!

at T+36 to the flight in question's departure (which may not be the same as 12 to OLCI if you are starting with a connecting flight) it usually clears some -- but not all the way to J0. The final spots will typically made available for TOD upgrades; so I wouldn't expect to clear until the gate, if at all from your position unless something changes.

thanks for the quick reply, I was expecting an answer like yours, it’s nice to get a confirmation from an expert. You’re right I do have a connecting flight to IAH so I guess I’ll just change my flight at OLCI

I would change the flight ASAP if there's an option with more availability.

But of course there is no guarantee that an upgrade will ultimately clear on that flight either :idea:

Regards

Which fare class did you book? If not in PremiumPlus, upfare (buy up) to R class would increase your upgrade chance. You need to cancel the upgrade request to see the buy up offer (or call 1K line).
As far as timing of upgrade clearing is concerned, UA clears to J3 at T-36 h and then J2 at T-24 h. The chance for getting one of the last two seats at the gate is very slim unless someone changes plan at the last moment. This happened to my wife's SFO-DEN flight yesterday. She got the upgrade at T-1 hr.
If either LAX-SYD or SFO-SYD flight has a lot of Polaris seats available (check WLs of both PP and Polaris cabins to guesstimate your odd), you can switch to one of those flights.
Good luck.

anything to prolong the masochistic joy of playing the will they or won't they game of getting off the waitlist :mad:

I'll be on UA 845 ORD-GRU on 3/16 (14 Polaris seats left, 3 premium left) and on UA 63 on 3/29 3/28 GRU-IAH (28 Polaris seats left, 4 premium left). My employer bought Q and S fares. I have already requested the upgrade with miles + money for both premium and polaris. What are the odds of getting upgraded on those flights? Or maybe it's too early to tell?

Thanks.