Apr 25, 2021, 2:48 pm
Last edit by: Lux Flyer
Yes it's a limited time promo in many CPU markets to help people use PlusPoints before they expire at the end of July. For flights through July 31st it should be offering StW when requested at least 2 weeks in advance (as opposed to typical 30 days for international).
https://www.flyertalk.com/forum/unit...questions.html
Edit: here's the promo details they will email to you if you ask
https://www.flyertalk.com/forum/unit...questions.html
Edit: here's the promo details they will email to you if you ask
Skip Waitlist
From time to time, our 1K members are able to use additional PlusPoints to receive a confirmed upgrade when traveling on select international long-haul flights.
When Skip Waitlist is available, you’re able to either request an upgrade on our standard waitlist using fewer PlusPoints, or use additional PlusPoints to skip the waitlist and confirm your upgrade right then and there, even if upgrade inventory is closed.
Skip Waitlist availability on international long-haul flights will vary; to be eligible, you must be traveling on an eligible fare*, and request your upgrade at least 30 days from departure
*Eligible fare classes include O, A, and R (for United Premium Plus to United Polaris business); Fare classes Y, B, M, E, U, H, Q, V, W (for Economy to United Polaris business); Fare classes Y, B, M, E, U, H, Q, V, W, S, T, L, K, (for Economy to United Premium Plus).
From time to time, our 1K members are able to use additional PlusPoints to receive a confirmed upgrade when traveling on select international long-haul flights.
When Skip Waitlist is available, you’re able to either request an upgrade on our standard waitlist using fewer PlusPoints, or use additional PlusPoints to skip the waitlist and confirm your upgrade right then and there, even if upgrade inventory is closed.
Skip Waitlist availability on international long-haul flights will vary; to be eligible, you must be traveling on an eligible fare*, and request your upgrade at least 30 days from departure
*Eligible fare classes include O, A, and R (for United Premium Plus to United Polaris business); Fare classes Y, B, M, E, U, H, Q, V, W (for Economy to United Polaris business); Fare classes Y, B, M, E, U, H, Q, V, W, S, T, L, K, (for Economy to United Premium Plus).
- The earning Premier member may use PlusPoints for upgrade requests for themselves or to sponsor others with the exception of “Skip Waitlist” upgrade requests, for which the earning Premier member must be traveling. Although the earning Premier member may use PlusPoints to request upgrades for others, PlusPoints are not transferable to other members.
- PlusPoints used for Skip Waitlist upgrades are not refundable or transferable to other flights in the event of itinerary changes. A PlusPoints upgrade on a changed itinerary will require additional PlusPoints.
- Skip Waitlist upgrades won’t be available for corporate and agency account travelers who are using upgrades from a Corporate Upgrade Bank account.
When is STW available?
First UA needs to decide the route is eligible and then ZN seems to be the key inventory requirement.
PN or PZ is not required (if they were the regular amount would be sufficient)
Appears to be no special/separate GS STW inventory
STW has generally been limited to deep South America except for a short period in late summer 2021 when some TATL STW was offered, never to be seen again.
New Promo 20 June 2023 till 31 July 2023 (to use expiring PlusPoints?)
So thanks to this promo and playing around with various flights the past day. I think there's enough data for how StW works, with the major deciding factor if it's offered being if UA has "enabled" StW for the market in question.
For StW it needs these 6 things:
Inventory (ZN for business/first; /ON for PremEcon), advance purchase met (30 days international, 14 days CPU market [promo]), eligible fare (W+ to Polaris, non-BE for PP/first), eligible market, and redeeming account is 1k/GS, redeeming account travelling on the PNR.
The StW segment(s) will confirm into PZ/RN, if there are other non-StW eligible segments in the line-of-flight they are considered "paid for" by the StW pricing and will waitlist as part of the request/process as any other waitlisted upgrade.
To summarize the different scenarios:
To find StW
-Redeeming account must be GS/1K and must be travelling on the PNR
-PlusPoints being used to StW must not expire prior to the flight (oldest, eligible PlusPoints taken first)
-Cannot have pending upgrade WL request
To Polaris
-Voluntary: forfeits the upgrade and PlusPoints
-Involuntary: PlusPoints can be redeposited if not able to be accommodated in upgraded cabin
For StW it needs these 6 things:
Inventory (ZN for business/first; /ON for PremEcon), advance purchase met (30 days international, 14 days CPU market [promo]), eligible fare (W+ to Polaris, non-BE for PP/first), eligible market, and redeeming account is 1k/GS, redeeming account travelling on the PNR.
The StW segment(s) will confirm into PZ/RN, if there are other non-StW eligible segments in the line-of-flight they are considered "paid for" by the StW pricing and will waitlist as part of the request/process as any other waitlisted upgrade.
To summarize the different scenarios:
To find StW
-Redeeming account must be GS/1K and must be travelling on the PNR
-PlusPoints being used to StW must not expire prior to the flight (oldest, eligible PlusPoints taken first)
-Cannot have pending upgrade WL request
To Polaris
- ZN inventory
- 30+ days in advance
- Fare class: non-award, published W or higher
- Eligible market (only appears to be GRU, GIG, EZE, SCL, and LIM as of June 2023)
- Cost per person; 140 PlusPoints from economy/110 PlusPoints from premium economy
- Confirms into PZ
- ON inventory (yes, it appears when StW is offered to PremiumPlus, it is effectively allowing last seat inventory)
- 30+ days in advance
- Fare class: any non-BE published revenue fare
- Eligible market (only appears to be GRU, GIG, EZE, SCL, and LIM as of June 2023)
- Cost per person; 70 PlusPoints
- Confirms into RN
- ZN inventory
- 14+ days in advance/flight prior to or on July 31st (effectively July 17th is last day to book)
- Fare class: any non-BE published revenue fare
- Eligible market (basically CPU markets, see promo announcement)
- Cost per person; 70 PlusPoints
- Confirms into PZ
-Voluntary: forfeits the upgrade and PlusPoints
-Involuntary: PlusPoints can be redeposited if not able to be accommodated in upgraded cabin
Skip the waitlist (STW) questions. (New Promo thru 31 July 2023?)
Dec 4, 2019, 1:30 am
#2
Join Date: May 2010
Location: AVP & PEK
Programs: UA 1K 1.9MM
Posts: 6,358
Dec 4, 2019, 2:59 am
#3
Join Date: Dec 2017
Programs: UA 1K, Marriot Platinum, LH FTl, Hertz PC
Posts: 28
Skip the waitlist (STW) questions
According to an information given by a 1K call agent, skip the waitlist will be kicked off in January. Unclear yet how many additional points will be required for switching an existing upgrade request on waitlist to confirmed. Also unclear what kind of flights will be selected for the STW option and also at what point of time (TOD - 90/60/45days), agent was guessing about significant P fare class availability whatever that means (being P<9 30 days ahead good enough ?).
Dec 4, 2019, 5:39 am
#6
Join Date: Mar 2015
Location: NYC (Primarily EWR)
Programs: UA 1K / *G, Marriott Bonvoy Gold; Avis PC
Posts: 9,005
ETA: I just checked a domestic itinerary for kicks, and it does not appear that 'Skip The Waitlist' is an available option for domestic legs.
Dec 4, 2019, 6:42 am
#7
Join Date: Jun 2019
Programs: MileagePlus
Posts: 200
Has United indicated if you'll be able to see the "skip the waitlist" price at the time of booking? I want to book a ticket to Dublin and have 320 plus points. I want to use them to confirm a seat in business and this is 7+ months out. But I'm afraid I'm going to book the ticket and then have to go through the normal process to request (which I've always done after booking) and see it costs 9 billion plus points.
Dec 4, 2019, 7:13 am
#9
Join Date: May 2005
Programs: Million Miler, 1K - Basically spend a lot of time on planes
Posts: 2,202
As said before, this is another mean spirited decision by United. 600 of my 960 points expire in January, so the logical decision would be to use them to skip the waitlists before they expire. United knows this will be an issue for a lot of people, so rather than being forced to give up a lot of guaranteed upgrades, they will not activate skip the waitlist until people’s points expire in January.
Dec 4, 2019, 7:15 am
#10
Used to be MBS PremExec
Join Date: Sep 2000
Location: Saginaw, MI (MBS)
Programs: UA 1K 1.9MM, Marriott Titanium w/Lifetime Plat, Hilton LIfetime ♢, National Exec, Amex Plat
Posts: 5,722
Pretty sure that's the fare, not a co-pay. 
I replicated Feb 11th - 19th, SFO-SIN. Fare is $1395 + 40 points, or a deep discount fare is $780 + 80 points.
I waited for this to come out to book, as I was hoping for some StW space for January...Has anyone actually found 'skip the waitlist' space? I've got NOTHING I can see. (My eyes scan for 80-point availability, and it only draws to upgrading cheaper fares like above). So it looks like booking Premium Economy and waitlisting is my only option.
I hate the new interface--as everything else on the web now, too clumsy...However, being able to search for confirmed upgrade space is nice, by clicking the "Available Only" radio button (unfortunately, every search I've done yields blanks for me).
I replicated Feb 11th - 19th, SFO-SIN. Fare is $1395 + 40 points, or a deep discount fare is $780 + 80 points.I waited for this to come out to book, as I was hoping for some StW space for January...Has anyone actually found 'skip the waitlist' space? I've got NOTHING I can see. (My eyes scan for 80-point availability, and it only draws to upgrading cheaper fares like above). So it looks like booking Premium Economy and waitlisting is my only option.
I hate the new interface--as everything else on the web now, too clumsy...However, being able to search for confirmed upgrade space is nice, by clicking the "Available Only" radio button (unfortunately, every search I've done yields blanks for me).
Dec 4, 2019, 7:34 am
#11
A FlyerTalk Posting Legend
Join Date: Apr 2013
Location: PHX
Programs: AS 75K; UA 1MM; Hyatt Globalist; Marriott LTP; Hilton Diamond (Aspire)
Posts: 56,468
As said before, this is another mean spirited decision by United. 600 of my 960 points expire in January, so the logical decision would be to use them to skip the waitlists before they expire. United knows this will be an issue for a lot of people, so rather than being forced to give up a lot of guaranteed upgrades, they will not activate skip the waitlist until people’s points expire in January.
This program "upgrade" is not starting well.
Dec 4, 2019, 7:36 am
#12
Join Date: Mar 2017
Location: Somewhere in EWR
Programs: UA GS, HH Diamond
Posts: 858
As said before, this is another mean spirited decision by United. 600 of my 960 points expire in January, so the logical decision would be to use them to skip the waitlists before they expire. United knows this will be an issue for a lot of people, so rather than being forced to give up a lot of guaranteed upgrades, they will not activate skip the waitlist until people’s points expire in January.
Dec 4, 2019, 7:49 am
#13
Join Date: May 2010
Location: AVP & PEK
Programs: UA 1K 1.9MM
Posts: 6,358
In any event, some seem to think every flight will have a StW option. This won't be the case, and my guess is, they'll selectively make them available to squeeze the max. amount of PP out of us on a few desirable routes.
Dec 4, 2019, 8:30 am
#14
Join Date: Dec 2006
Location: Silicon wasteland
Programs: UA 1KMM
Posts: 1,381
"These requests must be placed at least 30 days from departure and cannot be changed or refunded."
Last edited by WineCountryUA; Dec 4, 2019 at 10:14 am Reason: repaired quote
Dec 4, 2019, 8:48 am
#15
Join Date: Mar 2017
Location: Somewhere in EWR
Programs: UA GS, HH Diamond
Posts: 858
https://mileageplusupdates.com/milea...ordion-faq-15]
So you must request at least 30 days in advance. Rumour has it StW starts on Jan 1. So, you can do it for your Jan 31 flight, I guess!
"These requests must be placed at least 30 days from departure and cannot be changed or refunded."
Last edited by WineCountryUA; Dec 4, 2019 at 10:14 am Reason: repaired quote