Mar 29, 2019, 3:12 pm
Last edit by: WineCountryUA
GPU Upgrades for aircraft with United® Premium Plus:
- MileagePlus members seated in United Economy can use a single Global Premier Upgrade request to move to a United® Premium Plus seat or upgrade to the United Polaris® business class cabin.
- If you’d like to be considered for a move to a United® Premium Plus seat or an upgrade to the United Polaris business class cabin, we’ll move you to the first available seat. If the first available seat is a United® Premium Plus seat, we’ll continue to look for space in the United Polaris business class cabin without requiring an additional Global Premier Upgrade.
- Members who have purchased United® Premium Plus upgrade-eligible fares will also be able to request an upgrade to the United Polaris business class cabin using one Global Premier Upgrade.
- United Polaris business class upgrade requests for members who have purchased United® Premium Plus seats will be processed in priority order first, followed by upgrade requests for members who have purchased United Economy seats. Learn more about upgrade priority order.
- There will be no fare class restriction, other than for Basic Economy and Economy (first bag charge/no changes allowed) tickets, for members who have purchased a United Economy seat and request to move to a United® Premium Plus seat, and no fare class restriction for members who have purchased a United® Premium Plus seat and request an upgrade to the United Polaris business class cabin.
- Members requesting to move to a United® Premium Plus seat only and who have domestic portions of their itinerary will not be automatically waitlisted for United First. To be waitlisted for United First on domestic portions of an international itinerary, use your Global Premier Upgrade to request an upgrade to the United Polaris business class cabin.
Mileage Upgrades For aircraft with United® Premium Plus:
- System-wide, all MileagePlus members seated in United Economy can use a single MileagePlus Upgrade Award request to move to a United® Premium Plus seat or upgrade to the United Polaris business class cabin.
- If you'd like to be considered for a move to a United® Premium Plus seat or for an upgrade to the United Polaris business class cabin, we’ll move you to the first available seat. If the first available seat is a United® Premium Plus seat, we’ll continue to look for space in the United Polaris business class cabin.
- If you requested an upgrade to the United Polaris business class cabin, and we moved you to a United® Premium Plus seat, we’ll refund the difference in co-pay and miles after departure.
- Members requesting a MileagePlus Upgrade Award to a United® Premium Plus seat only will not be waitlisted for United First on portions of their itinerary that do not contain United® Premium Plus.
- Members who have purchased United® Premium Plus upgrade-eligible fares will also be able to request an upgrade to the United Polaris business class cabin using a MileagePlus Upgrade Award.
- United Polaris business class cabin upgrade requests for members who have purchased United® Premium Plus seats will be processed in priority order first, followed by upgrade requests for members who have purchased United Economy seats. Learn more about upgrade priority order.
How does PlusPoints / Mileage Upgrade waitlist for business work with PremiumPlus?
Oct 24, 2019, 5:22 am
#226
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Aug 2015
Posts: 11,468
Sounds good, Thanks! I wish they'd give Gold members 1 or 2 GPUs like once ever 3-4 years of remaining gold 
but i guess can't have everything right? Thanks anyways!
Let me know how your upgrade goes! Will be flying in Jan. First time trying a GPU on this route. Anytime I fly this route, there's too many 1Ks/Plats to even be in the upgrade list for Polaris.
but i guess can't have everything right? Thanks anyways!Let me know how your upgrade goes! Will be flying in Jan. First time trying a GPU on this route. Anytime I fly this route, there's too many 1Ks/Plats to even be in the upgrade list for Polaris.
After GPUs convert to PlusPoints T can be upgraded for effectively two GPUs.
Good luck!
Oct 24, 2019, 8:27 am
#227
A FlyerTalk Posting Legend
Join Date: Apr 2013
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Yes, and that display is incredibly confusing. One of the reasons most of us never use the "search for upgrade" functionality, but instead rely on expert mode and knowledge of the rules.
Oct 24, 2019, 10:54 am
#228
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Oct 24, 2019, 11:57 am
#229
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Join Date: Aug 2015
Posts: 11,468
But anyway, I think together the responses cover every possibility.
Oct 24, 2019, 3:16 pm
#230
Join Date: Sep 2016
Location: SNA (home), LAX, BOM/PNQ, LHR
Programs: UA 1K/*G, Marriott Gold Elite, IHG Platinum, HHonors Silver
Posts: 965
Oct 24, 2019, 6:12 pm
#231
Join Date: Oct 2009
Location: Chicago, IL
Programs: UA 1K MM, HHonors Diamond,PC, Marriott Rewards Gold
Posts: 1,118
Greetings.
Apologies if this has been discussed before. Today, while searching for upgrade space I came across something ominous. UA was offering me to upgrade from E+ to PE for TPAC at the cost of one GPU (and space was available for instant confirmation).
At the same time it was also quoting one GPU to upgrade from E+ to J (but only WL). Could this be a preview of things to come where you will need a GPU to upgrade from E to PE and a second one (or a PE fare) to get into J?
BTW: given that the difference between E and PE in this trip was ~$200, this is an exceedingly bad use of a GPU)
Safe travels.
Apologies if this has been discussed before. Today, while searching for upgrade space I came across something ominous. UA was offering me to upgrade from E+ to PE for TPAC at the cost of one GPU (and space was available for instant confirmation).
At the same time it was also quoting one GPU to upgrade from E+ to J (but only WL). Could this be a preview of things to come where you will need a GPU to upgrade from E to PE and a second one (or a PE fare) to get into J?
BTW: given that the difference between E and PE in this trip was ~$200, this is an exceedingly bad use of a GPU)
Safe travels.
uograde you to J from Y so we are only talking about one GPU to move to PP or onward directly to J.
2) if you buy PP (A class for example) for $200 you’ve sort of bought the old “W” fare but you’re getting something for it now—a seat in PP vastly superior to a 17” wide 10
across inhumane crappy seat. Buying the A class PP ticket with the GPU applied puts you way ahead of Y passengers on cheap fares vying for the upgrade with a GPU to J.
Oct 24, 2019, 8:07 pm
#232
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Join Date: Apr 2013
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It puts you ahead of anyone in Y except possibly GS. Even if they bought a $3000 Y/B fare. My sense is that this is making a big difference in terms of scoring the upgrade.
Oct 25, 2019, 2:53 pm
#233
Join Date: Mar 2003
Location: Los Angeles, CA
Programs: UA 1K 1MMer & LT UC (when flying UA); Hyatt Credit Cardist; HHonors Diamond; Marriott Gold via UA 1K
Posts: 6,956
This also provides a pathway for soon-to-be-lapsed 1K’s to still have a good shot at clearing into Polaris using miles and co-pay.
Oct 26, 2019, 2:02 pm
#234
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Join Date: Aug 2015
Posts: 11,468
Sorry if I caused any confusion. I will be buying PP and therefore the first flight books into B fare which will definitely be upgrade eligible and the second flight books into A fare but I don't really think the fare class matters once you hit PP. I want to try and upgrade into Business on the first flight & Polaris on the next flight using a relative's GPU. On top of that, yeah I wouldn't have bought it at T fare if I was buying eco, I would've used advanced search and specified W class. The price difference was around $60-70 when I checked, not a bad investment for an upgrade. But anyways I will be booking PP. I suppose the upgrade would clear a few months from now because I'm just looking on expert mode for UA48's availability a few days out and it seems PZ seats are only being made available a week out from departure
Oct 27, 2019, 1:10 pm
#235
Join Date: Sep 2016
Location: SNA (home), LAX, BOM/PNQ, LHR
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Posts: 965
Very curious how an upgrade will clear without PZ space? Because I put our LAX EWR flights through for an upgrade and we are waitlisted right now of course, but curious how those upgrades would clear if there's no PZ space. Thanks!
Oct 27, 2019, 1:24 pm
#236
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fumje meant without PZ visibly opening. This is how my most recent GPU (SFO-HKG) cleared. No PZ when I booked late at night, upgrade cleared overnight, no PZ early the next morning when I checked again. Sometimes you will see a flight very briefly go PZ1 as UA clears pax off the waitlist.
Oct 27, 2019, 5:55 pm
#237
Join Date: Sep 2016
Location: SNA (home), LAX, BOM/PNQ, LHR
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fumje meant without PZ visibly opening. This is how my most recent GPU (SFO-HKG) cleared. No PZ when I booked late at night, upgrade cleared overnight, no PZ early the next morning when I checked again. Sometimes you will see a flight very briefly go PZ1 as UA clears pax off the waitlist.
Oct 27, 2019, 6:07 pm
#238
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Join Date: Aug 2015
Posts: 11,468
Oh I see what you mean. PZ could open up, but if anyone is on an upgrade waitlist for that flight, then that opened up PZ instantly goes to the highest person in the queue and the PZ inventory goes back to 0 until it opens up again. Hopefully this happens to me and my dad. Though he is plat and I'm gold so I suspect he'll clear before me (if any of us even clear). LAX-EWR is a pretty high premium route so I feel like it would be hard to clear, but we also are flying a red eye, so who knows..
If you and your dad are booked on the same reservation, you'll clear at the same time, which requires two spaces. If you split the reservation (two different record locators), you can clear one at a time, and your dad should clear first.
Oct 27, 2019, 6:13 pm
#239
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Oh I see what you mean. PZ could open up, but if anyone is on an upgrade waitlist for that flight, then that opened up PZ instantly goes to the highest person in the queue and the PZ inventory goes back to 0 until it opens up again. Hopefully this happens to me and my dad. Though he is plat and I'm gold so I suspect he'll clear before me (if any of us even clear). LAX-EWR is a pretty high premium route so I feel like it would be hard to clear, but we also are flying a red eye, so who knows..
The good news is you are eligible based on the Platinum elite in the reservation which, in a way, will elevate the Gold passenger. But, like I said, you need PZ to be 2 or greater before it can upgrade both of you and that's going to be very hard to come by in advance. On a route like LAX-EWR I think you can forget about it and I'd put your chances near zero.
-RM
Nov 4, 2019, 5:59 am
#240
Join Date: Jun 2015
Posts: 5
GPU Premium Plus to Polaris Upgrades
I've used (or attempted to use) a number of GPU Upgrades in the past couple of months. They have all been from paid Premium Plus to Polaris on TATL routes (DUB - EWR, EWR - DUB, SFO - FRA).
What I've noticed is that if the upgrade has not cleared by check-in then once I've checked in I appear in the App as having cleared for Premium Plus (shows my seat assignment in the Upgraded tab) and am waitlisted for Polaris upgrade.
This seems strange to me as my ticketed cabin is Premium Plus so why does it appear like I've upgraded into Premium Plus. Contacted the customer service desk but the person I spoke with could not explain why this was the case. I'm not sure if it is some anomaly that only i am experiencing but would guess not.
One of the reasons I'm asking is whether I am possibly missing out on Polaris upgrades as a result of this. On most recent EWR - DUB flight (UA 23) on Nov 1st, there were 36 of 44 Polaris seats showing as booked 72 hours in advance of the departure. By check-in, 24 hours in advance, that number had increased to 38, so still 6 seats open. However during the next 18 hours booked seats increased to the full 44, so my upgrade did not clear. None of the seats showed as upgrades. Not sure if they were award bookings or GS re-routes.
I also notice that when my upgrade clears more than 24 hours in advance of check-in it never shows me in the App as having been upgraded.
I'm just wondering if anyone else has seen anything similar and could shed any light on what's happening.
What I've noticed is that if the upgrade has not cleared by check-in then once I've checked in I appear in the App as having cleared for Premium Plus (shows my seat assignment in the Upgraded tab) and am waitlisted for Polaris upgrade.
This seems strange to me as my ticketed cabin is Premium Plus so why does it appear like I've upgraded into Premium Plus. Contacted the customer service desk but the person I spoke with could not explain why this was the case. I'm not sure if it is some anomaly that only i am experiencing but would guess not.
One of the reasons I'm asking is whether I am possibly missing out on Polaris upgrades as a result of this. On most recent EWR - DUB flight (UA 23) on Nov 1st, there were 36 of 44 Polaris seats showing as booked 72 hours in advance of the departure. By check-in, 24 hours in advance, that number had increased to 38, so still 6 seats open. However during the next 18 hours booked seats increased to the full 44, so my upgrade did not clear. None of the seats showed as upgrades. Not sure if they were award bookings or GS re-routes.
I also notice that when my upgrade clears more than 24 hours in advance of check-in it never shows me in the App as having been upgraded.
I'm just wondering if anyone else has seen anything similar and could shed any light on what's happening.