I read the FAQ and skimmed the thread but didn't see where this was addressed. Under the GPU/RPU system we could still see what a cash or mileage upgrade would cost. Now with PP applied, I don't see this in either the app or website. Am I missing it somewhere or is it just not there? I'd like to be able to decide as I get closer to my flight if buying up is worth it to me.

Generally rgis was not true, odd you could

Cash offers have been suppressed for years for those waitlisted but if you hover the pointer over the premium cabin seat, an "offer" should appear. Just checked a SFO-EWR leg and the hover method does not work!

Interesting. For the segments I've not applied PP to, I do see an "offer" but the 2 segments where I've applied PP, no offer. Sounds like I need to call in and waste an agent's time to see what it would cost. Weird since UA doesn't miss an opportunity to monetize a seat.

Hello all,

I am trying to book RNO-DPS for 3 in J in May. First time 1K 320 plus points. Everything is waitlist only using plus points and I’m just curious... what is the likelihood of SFO-HKG/SIN actually clearing for all 3 using plus points? Any advice on how I should do this?

Thanks,

UATulip

Strategy to book this is simple. Few things to keep in mind:

1. Ideal time to book this would've been a few months ago. APAC PZ is like a dumbell. Get it early or get it late. You're currently in a 'tweener' window (3-4 mt out).
2. I'd wait till Mar/Apr and you'll find lots of PZ to HKG. There's little risk W fares won't be available, so you won't get stung on fare by waiting.
3. The last day for Final Exams at many US colleges is May 15, 2020. I'd book early May to avoid overlapping with family vacations after college.
4. If you're open to an overnight, Taipei is usually an easy PZ. Again dumbell applies here.
5. Shanghai currently has several PZ days in May. Also overnight.
6. You can try TYO, but those are collusion routes so W fares will be expensive relative to non-collusion routes.

Note, given HKG capacity has been slashed in Feb/Mar, UA may pull PZ in Apr/May in the hope there's pent up J demand. That said, I doubt it as they haven't zeroed out PZ into PVG in May.

Good luck!

I don't think that pattern really exists anymore and hasn't for the past several years. It's best to look frequently.

Correct about the W fares -- and note that you will need to book W fares or higher if you want to clear three passengers round-trip with 320 PlusPoints. (40 * 6 = 240). Be sure to check R fares, though, as they may be cheaper, or approximately the same cost. This is especially useful if you decide to waitlist, because you'll have a backup plan of Premium Economy if your waitlist doesn't clear. (I'm assuming RT -- if you're actually looking for one-way travel, a different set of rules applies).

If the OP's profile is accurate, the last day for finals may be relevant for an entirely different reason. :)

PVG-DPS is a 6 1/2 hour flight on Garuda, Lion Air, or China Eastern, on a separate ticket with no baggage interlining, and the Pudong airport is conveniently located in the middle of nowhere.

That... isn't how fares work. Also, it's not collusion, which is a crime. You can absolutely route through NRT, HND, or KIX, and the only difference in the fare you'd pay would be in terms of taxes. You're assuming a split-ticket scenario, but there's zero reason to buy split tickets on that route, and many, many reasons not to do so.

OP: The most important advice I can give you is that the upgrade search is horribly broken and you should never, ever use it. Instead, what you want to do is the following:

1 - Activate expert mode
2 - Check for flights between your gateway city (likely SFO, but consider LAX) and the Asian gateway only Don't include DPS or RNO.
3 - Look for PZ3 or higher; those flights are immediately confirmable.

You're likely to find PZ space on SFO-SIN very difficult to get, but it's not impossible. SFO-TPE is much easier, and SFO-HKG is... who knows, due to the coronavirus outbreak.

Now, as fare as gateway cities go: mainland China is a bad choice, because you'd need to buy separate tickets to take those flights. However, HKG, TPE, and SIN are all legal transfer points on a UA RNO-DPS fare. SIN-DPS is the shortest of those, by far, if you can find the SFO-SIN space. You don't need to connect in the same city in each direction. Note that there may be a surcharge embedded into the fare depending upon which specific airlines operate the intra-Asia legs.

matrix.itasoftware.com can help you price out the trip once you've identified which of the long legs have PlusPoints upgrades available. Check mid-week, as availability tends to be better. Also, note that you may be able to add a stopover at the transfer point for minimal additional cost ($100 per passenger or less), if you'd like some time to recover or just get two trips for the price of one.

Good luck!

Absolutely correct. PZ can open any time, there's no predictable "window" (though IME you're most likely to clear off a waitlist these days somewhere between 8 and 5 weeks out, very possibly without ever seeing PZ).
Yes, OP should disregard the suggestion of a China transfer in May, it is flat-out horrible advice.

The bottom line is that US-DPS is a challenge using a GPU because (i) it's difficult to get close on UA metal (closest is SIN, but I wouldn't waitlist that route), (ii) it's difficult if not impossible to find a W through-fare via TPE (which is otherwise probably the best routing option for booking right now, due to HKG issues), and (iii) there's going to be a long, uncomfortable Y segment routing via anywhere except SIN.

This is the same conundrum members of the board have dealt with trying to get to BKK since UA canceled service NRT-BKK, except worse. Many of us have found it's easier to find a discount J fare than twist ourselves in knots trying to find upgrade space on an itinerary that makes any practical sense at all. Another option for DPS specifically is BR PE and upgrade the long-haul segment with UA miles. The cash price is often similar to a UA W.

Thanks for all of the excellent advice! Profile is actually inaccurate. I’m graduating from medical school in May so this is the last get away before the dog days of intern year.

UATulip

Sorry guys one last question. There are actually 5 of us total; however 2 are leaving to fly back to RNO early. The idea was we would all fly to DPS together but fly back to RNO separately.

My question is: on the outbound RNO-DPS if I bit the bullet and took my chances on UA RNO-HKG and waitlisted using points plus, would it be better to do 5 separate PNRs or put all 5 of us on 1 PNR? I guess my question is, will GPUs clear one at a time if PZ opens? Or will PZ5 be required to clear all at once?

Thanks,

UATulip

There's always an element of guesswork answering this question, but I would book one PNR. When UA opens advance PZ TPAC, it tends to go PZ9.

Are you booking a one-way ticket? If so, have you looked into that price, compared to a round-trip?

If you are booking round-trip tickets, you will not be able to put everyone on the same record anyway.

To answer your specific question, though: you'd need PZ5 to clear an upgrade for a party of 5, but everyone in the party would clear with the priority of the highest Premier status in the group.

If you booked them as separate PNRs initially, each could clear with PZ1, but the priority would be based upon each individual traveler's status.

I've seen everything from PZ1 to PZ9, but it's far outweighed by PZ0. :(

I still see plenty of PN but UA has tightened PN inventory as well.

If you have to book HKG, and can't find PZ now, I would find a date that looks like the image below:

1. Early arriving flight maximizes connection options
2. P9 - Selling discount J, good sign
3. PN9 - GS upgrade clearing. When the delta between PN and PZ is that large, they will usually manually clear PZ one-by-one. For this reason, I would ignore the advice above to book a single PNR and instead split the record. This assumes the others traveling won't need to leverage some of your benefits (luggage, etc).
4. RN=3 - 3 folks will clear into Premium Economy immediately. Another reason to split the PNR.
5. Also note the difference between W and R is fairly small. May want to buy up to R for remaining folks. Increases upgrade probability and worst case is Premium Economy.

Good luck!

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https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...3b150dae1d.jpg

Just an anecdotal comment about how PlusPoints are working for me right now...

I have 60 PlusPoints requested at the current time, but my account says I have 200 requested in the summary screen.

I canceled a reservation last week and my miles were refunded. But the PlusPoints screen still shows the reservation, and shows one leg as upgraded and one waitlisted. The PlusPoints have not appeared back in my account.

When I canceled another reservation a week ago that had PlusPoints applied that expire in 2021, the PlusPoints were put in the Jan 2020 expiration allotment. When I explained to United, they would only put them back in the April 2020 allotment.

There is still a lot to fix with these things... :)

They might do that. They might not. To say that they will "usually" do it is untrue. (That said: a Tuesday, the day after a US holiday, to a place where there's little current demand? Entirely possible).

If you list for both RN and PZ, yes. (And, yes; three would clear into PE, but only if they're split).

It's worth checking in general, but the fare from SFO-HKG has nothing to do with the fare from RNO-DPS, unless you're going to buy separate tickets, which has a host of potential complications. (I say this as someone who is still waiting for refunds from OALs regarding tickets that I had to cancel due to a lengthy UA delay).
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It will probably fall off on its own, but it might be worth calling to make sure.

Agreed. :(