How one can get upgraded on United Airways flights

On longer flights, seat upgrades might be value their weight in gold — or, no less than, tastier meals, more room and higher inflight sleep. Improve availability is usually strictly restricted, so we suggest reserving the seat you need with factors to keep away from being disenchanted if an improve is not accessible. That mentioned, upgrades could also be simpler (and cheaper) to snag than you assume, and there are a number of methods for United Airways passengers to land a greater seat.

Whether or not you could have your sights set on United’s premium economic system or luxurious Polaris enterprise class, we’ll share every thing you might want to find out about improve eligibility, precedence and extra for United Airways.

Trying to find United improve stock

Earlier than you’ll be able to rating a greater seat in your subsequent United-operated flight, you could discover seats the provider has designated for upgrades.

That is based mostly on United’s fare courses, which you’ll evaluation in this complete information. United makes use of three completely different fare courses to indicate improve stock, as follows:

• RN: Upgrades for all passengers
• PZ: Accessible for Premier Platinum and 1K members utilizing PlusPoints or mileage awards; additionally applies to Complimentary Premier Upgrades
• PN: Reserved for International Companies members, in addition to on the spot upgrades and mileage redemptions for Premier 1K prospects on eligible full-fare economic system tickets

Armed with this data, log into your United MileagePlus account and activate “professional mode.”

After enabling this hidden function, you’ll be able to see what number of seats can be found in every fare bucket when looking for income flights on United. Usually talking, you will have probably the most luck discovering improve stock far upfront or simply earlier than departure.

For instance, have a look at the next flight from Newark Liberty Worldwide Airport (EWR) to London’s Heathrow Airport (LHR). This flight has wide-open seats in each fare class.

“PN9” means there are 9 or extra seats accessible within the PN improve fare bucket. The identical goes for “PZ9” and “RN9.”

It is value noting that improve stock is completely different from common award stock. Nevertheless, since improve area typically correlates with award area, it is no shock that on this flight, you can even use miles to fly in Polaris enterprise class with “I9.” This implies there are 9 or extra seats open for a business-class saver mileage redemption.

One TPG contributor has routinely confirmed last-minute upgrades because of United releasing first-class seats to the “PZ” fare class shortly earlier than departure.

Associated: How one can unlock extra award availability with United Airways

United Improve precedence

Discovering improve stock is simply half of the puzzle. You additionally want to grasp the order during which your improve will probably be processed in case it would not clear if you e book.

United’s upgrades are break up into two classes.

Instantaneous upgrades on the time of ticketing

United Premier members touring on the 2 highest-priced economic system fare courses — Y and B — are eligible for an on the spot improve when ticketing on choose flights (assuming PZ stock is accessible). For Premier 1K and International Companies members, full-fare economic system tickets clear into the PN fare and are relevant to M fares as effectively.

Moreover, prospects making use of miles or a certificates to maneuver as much as the following cabin can even be capable of verify the improve immediately when the mandatory fare buckets (above) can be found.

In my expertise, M-, B- and Y-fare economic system tickets are sometimes dearer than first-class tickets.

Waitlist upgrades

Generally, your improve will not clear on the time of reserving, so you will find yourself on the waitlist for an improve. This might not be confirmed till a number of days earlier than the flight or could even occur on the gate simply earlier than departure. Sadly, there are many upgrades that by no means clear.

For requests on the waitlist, United will clear them within the following order of precedence:

1. International Companies passengers: Whatever the fare class, United will clear upgrades for International Companies members earlier than every other Premier members.

2. Premium Plus passengers: Passengers booked within the O, A and R fare courses (which signify United Premium Plus) have greater improve precedence than these in economic system class.

3. Improve sort: These redeeming PlusPoints or miles for an improve are prioritized forward of elite members counting on a complimentary Premier improve.

4. Vacationers with Premier standing: After Premium Plus passengers and improve sort, elite standing is the following tiebreaker. Premier 1K members take the lead, adopted by Premier Platinum, Premier Gold and Premier Silver members.

5. Fare class: For normal economic system tickets, the precedence order for various fare courses is as follows: Y, B, M, E, U, H, Q, V, W, S, T, L, Okay and G. Complimentary Premier upgrades on award tickets will probably be prioritized after the bottom paid fare class.

6. United Membership cardholders and Presidential Plus cardholders

7. United Company Most well-liked individuals

8. Different United Chase cardholders with $25,000 in annual spending

9. Date and time of the request

Not all of those elements will come into play on each flight. Nevertheless, if a number of passengers with the identical elite standing tier request an improve, United will transfer down the record and use fare class as a tiebreaker.

If that does not work, the system will proceed to the bank card sort the passenger holds (if any), spending threshold and, lastly, the time the request was submitted.

United PlusPoints

PlusPoints are United’s improve certificates forex, accessible solely to Premier Platinum members and above. You earn PlusPoints as follows:

• 40 PlusPoints if you attain Premier Platinum
• 280 PlusPoints if you attain Premier 1K or International Companies
• 20 PlusPoints for each 3,000 Premier qualifying factors earned past 22,000

PlusPoints can be utilized to improve one other traveler, even when they are not in your reservation. If you wish to improve your pal with PlusPoints, you will must log in to your MileagePlus account and have their six-digit affirmation quantity helpful.

Inside PlusPoints, there are two forms of upgrades and ranging price elements to grasp.

Waitlist upgrades

You should utilize PlusPoints to place your self on the waitlist for an improve, just like what we described above. Whenever you go into your journey in your United account, you’ll select the seats you wish to request along with your PlusPoints and see the related costs. Your PlusPoints will solely be deducted if the improve clears. It’s also possible to set completely different preferences for every leg of your journey.

This is what number of PlusPoints you will want for various kinds of upgrades:

• Premium Plus to enterprise class on short-haul flights: 10 PlusPoints
• Economic system to Premium Plus, first or enterprise class on short-haul flights: 20 PlusPoints
• Economic system to Premium Plus on long-haul flights: 20 PlusPoints
• Premium Plus to Polaris enterprise class on long-haul flights: 30 PlusPoints
• Economic system to Polaris enterprise class on long-haul flights: 40 PlusPoints
• Discounted economic system to Polaris enterprise class on long-haul flights: 80 PlusPoints

Skip the waitlist upgrades

Whereas United advertises skip-the-waitlist upgrades solely for Premier 1K members, they’re few and much between.

In case you discover one, you’ll be able to pay additional PlusPoints to skip the waitlist and improve instantly to Polaris enterprise class on choose long-haul worldwide flights operated by United, topic to availability. It’s also possible to improve your touring companions this fashion. In case your itinerary additionally consists of home legs, you will be wait-listed for these — until rapid improve area is accessible.

When you’ll sometimes pay 20 PlusPoints to maneuver from economic system to premium economic system or 40 PlusPoints to get into enterprise class, costs to skip the waitlist are a lot greater — they differ by flight, departure date and availability. Costs can attain upward of 100 PlusPoints to maneuver from economic system to Polaris on peak journey dates.

Along with the upper prices, you need to notice that these upgrades are nonrefundable. Which means that as soon as the improve is confirmed, there is no method to get your PlusPoints again if you happen to cancel your flight, and you’ll’t apply them to an improve on one other flight if you happen to change your flight.

So long as you are ticketed within the W fare class or greater, skip-the-waitlist upgrades will probably be accessible to Premium Plus and Polaris, topic to availability. Nevertheless, you’ll be able to solely request them 30 or extra days earlier than departure.

Associated: United bank cards add assertion credit and better annual charges — is it value holding your card?

MileagePlus improve awards

United additionally lets you redeem miles to improve your self and different vacationers. You may verify the variety of miles (and probably copay) required on the airline’s improve award chart. Nevertheless, you will discover that mileage upgrades aren’t accessible on fares booked with miles (X, XN or YN) or primary economic system (N) fares. Some upgrades require a copay, which is waived for Premier elite members.

You may request these upgrades when buying your ticket or after buy by deciding on your journey from the “My journeys” menu and clicking the “Improve cabin” button on the prime of the display screen.

MileagePlus upgrades are legitimate on most paid tickets on United-operated flights, excluding primary economic system tickets, if seats can be found.

Earlier than redeeming miles for an improve, think about the money value of the improve and the worth you will get in your miles. As an illustration, say the improve you need prices 27,500 miles or $567. Since 27,500 United miles are value $371.25 based mostly on TPG’s April 2025 valuations, paying with miles makes extra sense on this case.

If in case you have United elite standing, you’ll be able to reserve a Premium Plus seat at no extra price on some flights utilizing this hack.

Associated: Final-minute methods for incomes United Premier elite standing

Complimentary Premier upgrades

United is quite beneficiant in making complimentary Premier upgrades accessible to members with each tier of Premier elite standing. This consists of one companion touring on the identical reservation, even for lowly Premier Silver elite members.

Nevertheless, the decrease your elite tier, the decrease your waitlist precedence. This implies Premier Silver members not often get to make the most of complimentary Premier upgrades.

Complimentary Premier upgrades are space-available one-cabin upgrades on choose flights from economic system to the following cabin of service. CPUs will probably be robotically requested for you on all eligible flights, that are paid tickets on United- and United Categorical-operated flights (excluding primary economic system and economic system first bag cost/no adjustments allowed fares) within the following areas:

• Continental U.S. (excluding premium, transcontinental providers)
• Hawaii (West Coast departures solely)
• Alaska
• Canada
• Mexico
• Central America
• The Caribbean
• Oceania (excluding Tahiti)

In case your flight would not meet the above standards, you will must redeem miles or use PlusPoints for an improve.

As famous earlier, choose elite members are eligible for fast upgrades when booked into the best fare courses, so long as there’s improve stock accessible. In case you aren’t upgraded immediately — or are booked right into a decrease fare class — complimentary upgrades, in idea, start to clear based mostly in your elite standing on the following home windows:

• Premier 1K: 4 days earlier than departure
• Premier Platinum: Three days earlier than departure
• Premier Gold: Two days earlier than departure
• Premier Silver: Day of departure

You may circumvent this rule if you happen to maintain the appropriate United cobranded bank card. Most United playing cards with an annual payment provide you with this privilege.

Associated: How one can get most worth from the United MileagePlus program

Backside line

United presents a number of choices for upgrading your flights to a extra comfy seat. Most of those choices are advantages for Premier elite members, as you’ll anticipate. However even if you happen to do not fly United incessantly sufficient to earn elite standing, you need to nonetheless be capable of improve your journey with money or miles.

At all times verify improve stock first, because the provider is notoriously stingy at opening up stock, particularly upfront.