Feb 27, 2019, 11:55 pm
Last edit by: WineCountryUA
This is an archive thread, the active thread is "Upgrade certificates (GPUs & RPUs) are useless nowadays"
Archive thread "Upgrade certificates (GPUs & RPUs) are useless nowadays" {Archive}
Archive thread "Upgrade certificates (GPUs & RPUs) are useless nowadays" {Archive}
"Upgrade certificates (GPUs & RPUs) are useless nowadays" {Archive}
May 28, 2018, 9:39 am
#1906
Moderator, Omni, Omni/PR, Omni/Games, FlyerTalk Posting Legend
Join Date: Oct 2004
Location: Between DCA and IAD
Programs: UA 1K MM; Hilton Diamond
Posts: 67,145
In this case, yes. the booking engine sees the trip as R0 and thus doesn't offer you seats with the GPU for the Polaris segment yet. Once you book, the SFO-AKL segment should clear immediately (assuming R>0, and yes, I'd double-check that before booking via a search just for SFO-AKL in expert mode), and then you can pick seats.
May 28, 2018, 9:42 am
#1907
Join Date: Aug 2010
Location: D/FW
Programs: DL MM/Silver; UA 1K ; Hilton Gold; Marriott Titanium; Avis Pref+,Hertz PC
Posts: 585
Thanks a lot. Just one question though, does booking such as this fall under the 24-hr refund rule? Never done this on-line before.
May 28, 2018, 9:56 am
#1908
Join Date: Aug 2010
Location: BKK/SFO
Programs: UA 1K, TG Platinum, SPG Gold, Hyatt GP Platinum, Priority Club Platinum, Hilton Gold, Marriott Gold
Posts: 283
Purchase ticket thru Orbitz then apply GPU thru UA website
Last edited by pviri; May 28, 2018 at 10:02 am
May 28, 2018, 10:20 am
#1909
Join Date: Aug 2010
Location: D/FW
Programs: DL MM/Silver; UA 1K ; Hilton Gold; Marriott Titanium; Avis Pref+,Hertz PC
Posts: 585
Finally purchased the ticket. It was confirmed and ticketed. However, upgrade is still under waitlist. despite R inventory is available. Called 1K desk and was told that don't know when it will clear. Hmm...
May 28, 2018, 10:26 am
#1910
Moderator, Omni, Omni/PR, Omni/Games, FlyerTalk Posting Legend
Join Date: Oct 2004
Location: Between DCA and IAD
Programs: UA 1K MM; Hilton Diamond
Posts: 67,145
Verify that the agent can see R inventory for that specific segment (if she looks at the whole itinerary, she'll see R0 due to the SAN segment). May be a case of HUACA although in my experience, applying a GPU to an itin like this works without human intervention... I'm on such a trip right now, where the TPAC segment was R2 and the domestic was R0; applying the GPU cleared the longhaul segment immediately.
May 28, 2018, 10:40 am
#1911
Join Date: Aug 2010
Location: D/FW
Programs: DL MM/Silver; UA 1K ; Hilton Gold; Marriott Titanium; Avis Pref+,Hertz PC
Posts: 585
Called them again and voila, the agent saw R inventory and contacted the help desk to get both segments manually upgraded. Thanks exerda and transportprof for your advices. It surely helped out this newly-minted 1K.
May 28, 2018, 12:28 pm
#1912
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: May 2001
Posts: 10,971
Was R open?
In addition to the no waitlisting within 24 hours rule (which is published) there's an unpublished rule they're not supposed to clear a new upgrade request within 2 or 3 hours of departure.
But the agents have the ability to do both if you find one who's willing.
In addition to the no waitlisting within 24 hours rule (which is published) there's an unpublished rule they're not supposed to clear a new upgrade request within 2 or 3 hours of departure.
But the agents have the ability to do both if you find one who's willing.
May 28, 2018, 3:26 pm
#1913
Join Date: Jan 2011
Location: HKG • Ex SFO, NYC
Programs: UA 1K, AA EXP; Marriott Amb; Hyatt Globalist; Shangri-la Diamond; IHG SpireAmb; Hilton D; Accor G
Posts: 3,319
Yes it does, and please for the love of all that is holy, don't do what the other person suggested and use Orbitz. That's a great way to bite yourself in the behind should anything go wrong.
May 28, 2018, 8:16 pm
#1914
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Nov 2014
Location: MSP
Programs: DL PM, UA Gold, WN, Global Entry; +others wherever miles/points are found
Posts: 14,424
Failed another domestic use today... SFO-IAD segment supported with GPU. I know it's a Monday and perhaps the holiday has travel up a hair, but sheesh, I hate routes that require connecting in SFO to use a GPU overwater. I buy paid F to SFO plenty, but there's not typically any fare rule that lets you combine P on the domestic and W or higher on the international.
I suppose I could book separate tickets, but that means less irrops protection and higher exposure to change fees.
I suppose I could book separate tickets, but that means less irrops protection and higher exposure to change fees.
A colleague's SFO-IAD today went out 20/20 paid.. I've never seen it busier than this year.
May 29, 2018, 1:22 pm
#1915
Join Date: Dec 2000
Location: SFO
Programs: UA 1K,SPG Plat,
Posts: 1,091
Maybe not entirely UA specific, but as it relates to the use of GPU's...how many of the people on FT are flying mostly for business? And to that end, I'm curious what kinds of travel policies your companies have in place. LAX-SYD seems like it would qualify for business class in most corporations. Same goes for routes like SFO-HKG?
Or do most people use their GPU's for personal travel?
Or do most people use their GPU's for personal travel?
May 29, 2018, 8:20 pm
#1916
Moderator, Omni, Omni/PR, Omni/Games, FlyerTalk Posting Legend
Join Date: Oct 2004
Location: Between DCA and IAD
Programs: UA 1K MM; Hilton Diamond
Posts: 67,145
While still incredibly annoying, TODs are actually good for this - available at booking and evidently now most times online, you should be able to change the rbd of just the domestic segment for what is roughly the route fare differential for the domestic component.
A colleague's SFO-IAD today went out 20/20 paid.. I've never seen it busier than this year.
A colleague's SFO-IAD today went out 20/20 paid.. I've never seen it busier than this year.
May 29, 2018, 10:46 pm
#1917
Join Date: Dec 2010
Location: San Francisco, CA (SFO)
Programs: UA 1K, UA .53 MM, Marriott Gold, Nexus, GE, TSA Pre, Hertz PC
Posts: 581
SFO-LHR-SFO is ~10,734 miles * .7 = $7,513
So I could spend up to $7,513 on business class airfare and be compliant.
May 30, 2018, 5:08 am
#1918
Join Date: Jan 2011
Location: HKG • Ex SFO, NYC
Programs: UA 1K, AA EXP; Marriott Amb; Hyatt Globalist; Shangri-la Diamond; IHG SpireAmb; Hilton D; Accor G
Posts: 3,319
. I thought when you said "round-trip miles" it meant that SFO-LHR would count as 5,367.
Jun 12, 2018, 10:06 am
#1919
Join Date: Jul 2015
Location: San Francisco
Programs: UA MM Plat, UA 1MM, Hilton Lifetime Gold, Marriott Gold, Hertz Gold, CLEAR, AS MVP Gold
Posts: 3,621
I feel obligated to post this on this thread as I complain about the worthlessness of these upgrade instruments in general. My Saturday SFO-KOA flight was upgraded 10 days in advance (RPU in place) which in all the years I have taken this flight has NEVER happened. That is the good news. The bad news is I suspect it is because of massive cancellation over to Hawaii because of the volcano. When I initially booked the flight most of E+ was sold out with only a few remaining seats. I haven't checked it recently but I suspect that is no longer true. I was last there 1 month ago and the Vog was bad, from what I am told it is only worse now.
Jun 12, 2018, 10:15 am
#1920
Join Date: Jan 2016
Programs: UA 1K; *G, AA Plat
Posts: 1,700
I feel obligated to post this on this thread as I complain about the worthlessness of these upgrade instruments in general. My Saturday SFO-KOA flight was upgraded 10 days in advance (RPU in place) which in all the years I have taken this flight has NEVER happened. That is the good news. The bad news is I suspect it is because of massive cancellation over to Hawaii because of the volcano. When I initially booked the flight most of E+ was sold out with only a few remaining seats. I haven't checked it recently but I suspect that is no longer true. I was last there 1 month ago and the Vog was bad, from what I am told it is only worse now.