First time Mileage upgrade options

[mrblack]

Hey all,

Long time member but also have been dormant for the past 10 years of not flying regularly for work.

I've got a work trip coming up for MEL > LAX > DEN in a couple of weeks. Employer has purchased Economy (L).

I'm looking to upgrade to Economy Plus at the very least and can do so online for a couple of hundred dollars.

I can see that a Business upgrade with Miles is available (30,000 + $600) but I have zero miles right now. So would this mean that if an upgrade is awarded, I would have to purchase the miles after the fact?

Also, by buying an upgrade to Economy Plus, if I was to subsequently get the upgrade to Business, would the Economy Plus upgrade be returned/refunded?

If there are any other tips, feel free to share. Like I said, its been a decade since I've had to take this long haul route and I will be doing it twice a year at the very least from now on.

Thanks in advance for your help!

 

[Mattg]

I believe that the upgrade to Business would be confirmed/guaranteed at the time of requesting it. So if it's showing as available, you should receive it. I think you'd have to purchase the 30,000 miles first though.

I've flown both Economy Plus and Polaris business on United long-haul flights over the past year. Economy Plus is basically just a regular economy seat with 5 inches of extra legroom. For me, the legroom did actually make a difference. They're also the last seats in economy to be filled, so I found I had a vacant seat next to me on every occasion except one where the flight was full.

Of course, in business you'd receive a flat bed though so it's a vastly better product. If you can afford to upgrade to business and there is an upgrade available, I would do it.

 

[mrblack]

Thanks for the info. The status shows as Waitlist Only, which makes me think I would be at the back of a (very) long line that this would actually go through for me. I don't have any status etc.

 

[Mattg]

Thanks for the info. The status shows as Waitlist Only, which makes me think I would be at the back of a (very) long line that this would actually go through for me. I don't have any status etc.

Ah right. Waitlist is just another word for "not available" IME. Not worth the hassle.

I would buy the Economy Plus seat.