When I use ff miles to fly biz class I purchase the ticket with the full amount of miles. I am interested in understanding how the upgrades work using miles. If I purchase a regular economy ticket, how do I upgrade to biz class? I gather I have to buy a ticket in a certain category/class? If that is correct, can I do that online? Then how does one upgrade to biz class? Does it cost $ or miles or both? On a roundtrip tix, I assume I can just upgrade for the outbound segment (or just the return). thanks for your help.

All the info are on the new united.com site. Most fares are eligible for upgrades, but assuming you're talking about international longhauls, most also require $$$ in additional to the miles. Most of the time you'll only be waitlisted for the upgrade and there's no guarantee, so unless you can get confirmed upgrade at purchase, careful not to buy an expensive fare class, because that may be wasted. Fare class purchased has no bearing on upgrade priority, but elite status does.

The miles are deducted when you ask for an upgrade, which is done on the phone. Whether waitlisted or not. Co-pay will be charged when it clears. If not cleared, miles will be redeposited, though often requiring a call. Upgrades are per direction.

Good morning! I've just been doing that sort of thing on the new UA site. It is a bit complicated, but, after you have purchased your ticket, log in to look at your itinerary. At the bottom of the page there should be an icon that says something about Upgrade. Click on that one, and it should tell you the price for miles + $$ needed to upgrade your purchased flights. I just discovered this YESTERDAY!! I'm learning as we go, as the new UA site (old CO) is not as easy as I was accustomed to.

Have fun looking! Oh, and the availability of FF tickets at the saver level (even in biz and first) is much easier to find now. And, you get other airlines, not just UA.

I'm watching every single day now, many times a day, to see if I can snag a saver award to Sydney in July. There have been choices, but not just what I want as yet. I still have time.

Hi yesstravel!

I did a few United (not Continental) international mileage upgrades (using miles + a co-pay) prior to this month's integration. Usually, I got upgrades that cleared when I purchased the ticket, but those are harder to find these days.

Previously, the miles were deducted when I requested the upgrade and the co-pay was collected when I checked in for the flight. I haven't tried under the new UA, but the website now says "Co-pay fees will be assessed at the time of upgrade request." So, this seems to indicate that you could now pay the fee (up to $600 one way for the lowest international fare classes) months in advance without knowing whether it will eventually clear.

The one time I failed to clear the waiting list (sadly, our return from Bangkok in January), the miles had been redeposited by the time we returned home and no phone call was required.

http://pss.united.com/web/en-US/cont...grade/mua.aspx

Hi simpson & ms_go!
Thanks to all! Sounds easy enough. Yes, I agree that getting seats with ff miles on the new UA site is easier. Using the Continental site last summer was how I finally managed to get my ff tixs to SEAsia. UA had nothing for weeks and I learned about combining the our miles on UA with Continental and using the Contintenal site. Glad format remained with the merger. Now if the fare would just come down...

Where ya going this time?

Puglia in the Fall. Driving to Canada this summer.

Have a great time, yestravel. DH and I leave for Zurich this weekend. I'm hoping Switzerland weather is something like we are having now, here in downstate Illinois. It's 78 today!! (I'm thinking ZRH will not be this warm... maybe if we get down south to Locarno we'll find warm temps).

<<<Puglia in the Fall. Driving to Canada this summer>>>

Guess you're enjoying retirement!!

It's a rough life, but I try to bear up...
Simpson, enjoy Switzerland.

I will! Thanks! Enjoy your trip planning. I think driving to Canada would be nice. I drove to the north side of Lake Superior and west to Winipeg, and then south back to the USA by way of the Dakotas. That was a nice drive. I've also driven to Vancouver/Victoria, but not by way of Canadian side.

Retirement is great!

anyone here figured out how to sponsor a regional upgrade, and also, how to find a fare using a swu? the only fare i could find was using miles + $.

What is a regional upgrade, and what does "swu" stand for?

Regional upgrades and SWU (systemwide upgrades) are available only to elites. As a 1K I get 6 SWUs per year (now called global something... I forget the new letters). I think maybe platinums get regional upgrades (again, new letters)... or maybe premier execs? Not sure which level. Regionals are good for USA, and I think Canada and Caribbean and Hawaii? Globals are good for everything else.

Ken, you have to ask for a W fare when you input your (advanced) search information. You have to ask for advanced (like the old UA) and then down near the bottom you put in W for your fare code. Make sure you click the little dot next to that selection option or it won't 'take'.

Where ya headed, Ken?? I leave for Zurich tomorrow, and then off to Bangkok again in April. Are you going to come to the birthday bash???

What newsletter? And what birthday bash?..

hi carol, thinking about london or frankfurt in oct. will be in bangkok just after songkran, but have to leave just before the bb. too bad again. when in april will you be there.

btw, will try again to see how to get the swu fare.

yestravel, not sure what newsletter you are asking about.

Ken, I'm arriving on the 19th (late). Yestravel, I also don't know what newsletter? The birthday bash is son Brad's party in Bangkok at Tawandang, our favorite nightclub.

London, Frankfurt? I'll be in Germany, but not until the end of November (T'giving time) and not FRA.

Re: sponsoring upgrades... I've not tried that one yet. I have no idea! I'm just beginning to play around with the new UA site, so I've pretty much a novice thus far.

Oh... we got a new 64-? IPad today. Guess I'll have a new toy to try to learn. It's DH's... but he knows NOTHING about how to use gadgets.... he just LOVES new gadgets! ugh...

Oops, sorry-I misread new letters for newsletter.

Love my iPad...have fun playing with your new one

I'm a complete newbie with this upgrade stuff. Fares to Italy finally dropped today and I promptly booked a flight and then went to do the upgrade. As I was looking at the plane configuration on Seat guru and Seat expert it looked like they were not flat bed seats and there was no mention of flat bed seats. I don't mind paying for the newer seats, but am not keen on doing that for the old style biz seats. I called UA and was told I could upgrade. I then asked about the type of seats and after waiting forever for the person to check out how the seat types I was told that this is a 3 class plane, 2 of which are biz class and 1 is economy. Only one of the biz classes has flat bed. SInce I purchased a coach class seat I could only upgrade 1 level to the non flat seat biz class. I changed my flight to one that has flat bed biz class and cancelled the first reservation. Hopefully they won't be swapping the planes. So will this be how it is with what I assume are the Continental planes? Do Continental planes have any flat beds in biz class? Any ideas on this? thanks!

What flight number, what date?