Get on the waitlist ASAP and cross your fingers

Have a SWU that expires Jan12, emailed 1k voice last month, told "SWU extensions are no longer a 1k benefit". If I have that Jan12 expiring SWU converted to a LH paper upgrade, will it show a Jan12 expiration ... or 12 months from the date its issued?

It will be the same expiration date, I just did one.

I still have 6 sitting in my account, 2 flight was upgraded but for some odd reason it never deducted from my account. I am booking another flight to HKG on Christmas days to burn them off.

Note: Just booked ORD-NRT-HKG on 12/25, ORD-NRT is wide open and confirmed immediately.

On a related topic... Maybe I'm just a bit slow - just made 1k and I'm new to SWU's and RU's - but if my SWU's and RU's expire in Dec 2012, does that mean that I need to:

Use them on a flight prior to or during Dec 2012 or...

Use them to book an upgraded flight (say for travel during the summer of 2013) prior to or during Dec 2012?

The former - last possible flight you could use them on would be departing 12/31/12

I spoke to 2 dif united reps and they both told me that if my swu are still valid at the beginning of next year I can call them and they will extend them till the end of the year

They're talking about 2012 SWUs that for many of us posted early this year after crossing 100K, earlier than we would have liked (given that many of us were still using SWUs earned from 2010 flying).

Can I use my SWU on Asiana Airways?

No, sorry.

I have several SWUs expiring in Jan and then 8 more that are good until the end of 2012.

I just tried to use two of the expiring SWUs on a domestic roundtrip in January. Guess what - they pulled two from the END of 2012 instead of the ones expiring in January. Five phone calls to 1K reservations and Mileage Plus and 2 hours on the phone and its still not fixed.

The cynical part of me thinks this is intentional. Since I requested the upgrades online, it was not a human mistake. Either their computers are as unreliable as humans or they are not programmed to pull the most recent upgrades.

Anyway - for those of you trying to use the expiring SWUs, make sure they actually pull the ones expiring!!!

have never had that issue, including some used two days ago but there has been similar recent issue on the CO side http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/conti...-upgrades.html

At the end of January 2011, UA converted my two expiring SWUs into two CR1s that expired at the end of February. This could be useful if you're planning a mileage run or a challenge in February. Just throwing it out there.

It may not happen again in 2012. I would not count on it.

So basically if you have expiring SWUs on 1/12 the only real options are 1) use, 2) don't use, yes? No extensions will be granted, at least per policy?

Or give 'em away.