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Learn about the co-pay
If you request a Mileage Plus® Upgrade Award on certain United Economy® or United Business® tickets, you may have to supplement the miles for your premium cabin experience with a co-pay. Elite members (Premier®, Premier Executive®, 1K® and Global ServicesSM members) are exempt from this co-pay when flying within the 49 United States and Canada, and between the 49 states/Canada and Hawaii, Mexico, Central America, Caribbean and Northern South America.
What are the rules for elite member co-pay exemption?
- Mileage Plus elite members will not be a charged a co-pay.
- All routes within the 49 United States and Canada, and between the 49 states/Canada and Hawaii, Mexico, Central America, Caribbean and Northern South America.
- General members and non-members are also exempt when traveling on the same reservation as an elite member.
- However, general members and non-members who are sponsored by an elite member who is not traveling on the same reservation will still pay the co-pay.
How much is my co-pay?
- Co-pay amounts vary based on your purchased booking codes and regions of travel.
- For full-fare economy or business class tickets: You won’t be charged a co-pay when traveling in any region.
- For discounted tickets: You’ll be charged a co-pay. Higher booking codes may require lower co-pays.
- For travel to Hawaii or international regions: Your co-pay will be more than the co-pay for travel within the continental U.S., Alaska and Canada.
- For elite members: Co-pays will not be charged when using a Mileage Plus Upgrade Award on flights within the 49 United States and Canada, and between the 49 states/Canada and Hawaii, Mexico, Central America, Caribbean and Northern South America. When traveling in other regions, a co-pay may be applicable.
- Check this chart to look up your co-pay by region of travel and booking code.
When will I not be charged a co-pay?
- For most business class tickets: If you purchased a business class ticket in booking codes J, C or D.
- For full-fare economy class tickets: If you purchased an economy class ticket in booking codes Y or B.
- For elite members traveling within the 49 United States and Canada, and between the 49 states/Canada and Hawaii, Mexico, Central America, Caribbean and Northern South America.
- For other types of upgrades: Co-pays apply on Mileage Plus Upgrade Awards only. All other types of upgrades do not have co-pays.
How do I pay the co-pay?
- Forms of payment: Credit cards or debit cards are accepted.
- U.S. dollars only: Even if your upgraded flight originates outside the U.S., you’ll be charged in U.S. dollars—not in the country’s local currency.
- Receipt of payment: You may view the amount you were charged by logging in to My Reservations on united.com. We will also send a receipt to the email address you have on file with United, or to the email address you provide when purchasing your ticket.
- When payment is charged: Due to our system conversion*, when payment is charged depends on your flight date and when you are requesting the upgrade:
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I requested my upgrade prior to system conversion* |
I will request my upgrade on or after system conversion* |
| My flight departs prior to sytem conversion* |
Payment information is collected when you check in with United online, curbside or at the airport with an Easy Check-in® kiosk or an airport agent. Payment is charged after your upgrade has been confirmed and your flight departs. |
n/a |
| My flight departs on or after system conversion* |
Contact United Reservations after system conversion* to provide payment |
The co-pay will be collected when you request the upgrade. If you are not successfully upgraded, the co-pay will be refunded and your miles recredited for no fee. |
What if we don’t receive your payment?
If we do not receive your payment, we will contact you for a valid credit card number. If we do not receive payment within 60 days of flight activity, we will try to resolve the issues by taking the following steps:
- We will involve United’s collections department to attempt to collect the debt.
- If our collections department is not able to obtain proper payment, you’ll be penalized double the miles of the original upgrade award request. For example, if the original Mileage Plus Upgrade Award was 15,000 miles, the additional penalty would be 30,000 miles for a total of 45,000 miles.
- We will flag your account so you cannot obtain any more awards. You’ll continue to earn miles, but you won’t be able to use any miles until the issue has been resolved.
* The system conversion date is the day the United MileagePlus and Continental OnePass technology systems are converted to a single system. This transition will occur in late in the first quarter of 2012.
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