You'd have a hard time applying PZ after the flight has gone to gate control, and doubly so after the check-in deadline has passed. So I'd say the realistic deadline is T-30 for domestic flights and T-60 for international flights, but I wouldn't guarantee it even before that.

Just be aware time of instrument application is a tie breaker.

Thank you. I recall the old GPU had a 24 hour requirement for upgrade. I am glad that PP is so much better.

I have a flight with a confirmed upgrade using +Ps that expire in 01/2022. I have since started using +Ps expiring in 07/2022 to confirm upgrades on other flights. If I cancel the flight upgraded using 01/2022 +Ps, will the redeposited +Ps expire in 01/2022 or 07/2022? It would be an involuntary cancellation due to a major schedule change, if that matters.

If the latter, I assume they automatically "reallocate" the +Ps such that the earliest expiring ones are used first, i.e., flights with 07/2022 +Ps applied instead get allocated 01/2022 +Ps and the 07/2022 +Ps get refunded. If the former, is there any way that an agent can manually do this reallocation for flights that were originally confirmed in PZ but don't have any PZ currently open?

They will refund the 01/22 points if you cancel. Those will then be used first when you next apply points as those that expire sooner are always used first. Y:eek:u can have points replaced as you suggest but that risks losing an upgrade because they will need to downgrade and then upgrade you, so if the PZ space is not available you will go back onto the waitlist.

If I upgrade a flight to PP using PPs would those carry over to a domestic positioning flight? When using the UA upgrade tool in the flight search (which I know is pretty bad, but it seems to have improved), it says the domestic flight is not available, not even adding it to the wait-list.

The PP application should apply. What kind of aircraft is the d:omestic flight? If it is a single-cabin aircraft then there would not be any upgrade available to waitlist.

CRJ-550, so there's certainly an F cabin :D

Thanks, I assumed so!

It can if requested that way.
If the international flight is Polaris marketed, there is no risk including the domestic segment,

Then call or it may not be included.

It can not be added later if the other flight clears.

On the contrary, the highest upgrade that clears will be charged. So, if you fail to clear the Polaris flight, but clear on the short-haul, UA will deduct the points for the short-haul flight that cleared. The only time there's no risk is if the Polaris flight can be cleared immediately, in which case the domestic connector can be selected for no additional charge -- but, as you point out, only if it's done as a single request.

Any chance that UA will consider increasing the number of PP awarded to Platinum members? 40 for platinum vs 280 for 1K seems to be a big gap.

The website is (to your point) getting better but still horrible at doing upgrade searches. Book the flights you want without searching for the upgrades. After it is ticketed go in and upgrade the flight(s) with PlusPoints. It will properly waitlist the domestic segment but if it doesn't go ahead and call UA. But it should waitlist without issue.

As others have pointed out you must request all segments at the same time. You cannot clear the long haul and then go back in and request the domestic. That's no longer allowed and a major downfall of the PlusPoints system. Of course if only the short domestic clears you are still out 20 PPs for that segment. The only way to get them back is cancel and rebook your flight.

To me the "risk" is that the OP applies PP for both segments but only the domestic clears. They are out the 20 PPs. Maybe it's worth it to them but it's likely an EWR/ORD to PIT segment so not a long flight since it's a CRJ-550.

Right. And the highest upgrade in the request is charged immediately upon clearing any upgrade. So if the short haul to PIT (assuming that's where OP is flying based on their profile), 40 or 80 PP are still deducted. Only after the flights are over will United go back and correct the PPs to re-deposit the difference between the 20 required for the short haul upgrade and whatever was charged.

-RM

I went ahead and purchased, and called to add the PP, since I had to move my traveling companion into E+ just in case because we are on separate reservations. I noticed afterwards that the PIT-EWR leg was not added as a waitlist, I didn't specifically mention it, but I would have assumed the agent would have just added me to the list.

Part of me is now tempted not to call to fix it as I'd imagine a CPU is pretty likely anyways even if I wait to add my companion onto the list at the airport. Although our EWR-MUC is also looking like a good chance that RN space will open before we fly. I have some thinking to do, thanks all for the info/advice!

I doubt it. It's the same gap in instrument quantity they've had for a long time.

I have PP just sitting in my account. I sponsored my NO STATUS friends for an upgrade for 3 segments (LAX/MCO/IAH/LAX). Their rez split but they cleared at T24 for each segment. I was astonished to see the inbound flights (MCO/IAH/LAX) clear with no problem. I'm a 1K 3MM - don't know if my status had anything to do with them clearing.