Learn how to get upgraded on United Airways flights

On longer flights, seat upgrades may be price their weight in gold — or, no less than, tastier meals, more room and higher inflight sleep. Improve availability is usually strictly restricted, so we advocate reserving the seat you need with factors to keep away from being disillusioned if an improve is not out there. That stated, 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 might have your sights set on United’s premium economic system or luxurious Polaris enterprise class, we’ll share the whole lot it is advisable to find out about improve eligibility, precedence and extra for United Airways.

Looking for United improve stock

Earlier than you possibly can 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 totally different fare courses to indicate improve stock, as follows:

• RN: Upgrades for all passengers
• PZ: Out there for Premier Platinum and 1K members utilizing PlusPoints or mileage awards; additionally applies to Complimentary Premier Upgrades
• PN: Reserved for International Providers members, in addition to instantaneous 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 characteristic, you possibly can see what number of seats can be found in every fare bucket when looking for income flights on United. Typically talking, you may have essentially 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 out there within the PN improve fare bucket. The identical goes for “PZ9” and “RN9.”

It is price noting that improve stock is totally different from common award stock. Nevertheless, since improve area usually 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: Learn how to unlock extra award availability with United Airways

United Improve precedence

Discovering improve stock is just half of the puzzle. You additionally want to know the order during which your improve shall be processed in case it does not clear whenever you e book.

United’s upgrades are cut 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 instantaneous improve when ticketing on choose flights (assuming PZ stock is offered). For Premier 1K and International Providers members, full-fare economic system tickets clear into the PN fare and are relevant to M fares as nicely.

Moreover, prospects making use of miles or a certificates to maneuver as much as the subsequent cabin may also be capable to 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 may find yourself on the waitlist for an improve. This will not be confirmed till just a few days earlier than the flight or might 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 Providers passengers: Whatever the fare class, United will clear upgrades for International Providers members earlier than some other Premier members.

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

3. Improve kind: 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 kind, elite standing is the subsequent 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 shall be prioritized after the bottom paid fare class.

6. United Membership cardholders and Presidential Plus cardholders

7. United Company Most popular members

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 checklist and use fare class as a tiebreaker.

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

United PlusPoints

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

• 40 PlusPoints whenever you attain Premier Platinum
• 280 PlusPoints whenever you attain Premier 1K or International Providers
• 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 good friend with PlusPoints, you may have to log in to your MileagePlus account and have their six-digit affirmation quantity helpful.

Inside PlusPoints, there are two sorts of upgrades and ranging value elements to know.

Waitlist upgrades

You should use PlusPoints to place your self on the waitlist for an improve, just like what we described above. If you go into your journey in your United account, you’ll select the seats you need 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 totally different preferences for every leg of your journey.

Here is what number of PlusPoints you may want for several types 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 the event you discover one, you possibly can 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 manner. In case your itinerary additionally consists of home legs, you may be wait-listed for these — except rapid improve area is offered.

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 larger — they fluctuate 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 must notice that these upgrades are nonrefundable. Which means that as soon as the improve is confirmed, there isn’t any method to get your PlusPoints again when you cancel your flight, and you’ll’t apply them to an improve on one other flight when you change your flight.

So long as you are ticketed within the W fare class or larger, skip-the-waitlist upgrades shall be out there to Premium Plus and Polaris, topic to availability. Nevertheless, you possibly can solely request them 30 or extra days earlier than departure.

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

MileagePlus improve awards

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

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

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

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

In case you have United elite standing, you possibly can reserve a Premium Plus seat at no extra value 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 out there 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 benefit from complimentary Premier upgrades.

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

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

In case your flight does not meet the above standards, you may have to redeem miles or use PlusPoints for an improve.

As famous earlier, choose elite members are eligible for immediate upgrades when booked into the best fare courses, so long as there’s improve stock out there. In the event you aren’t upgraded immediately — or are booked right into a decrease fare class — complimentary upgrades, in concept, 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 possibly can circumvent this rule when you maintain the appropriate United cobranded bank card. Most United playing cards with an annual payment provide you with this privilege.

Associated: Learn how to 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 count on. However even when you do not fly United often sufficient to earn elite standing, you must nonetheless be capable to improve your journey with money or miles.

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