MileagePlus Upgrade Awards

Fly in a premium cabin using your miles to upgrade.

Mileage Plus® Upgrade Awards let you use your miles to upgrade into United First® and United Business® on most paid tickets. In exchange for that flexibility, upgrades from some discounted booking codes will require both miles and a co-pay. Mileage Plus elite members (Premier®, Premier Executive®, 1K® and Global Services^SM 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.

The facts

• More upgradable booking codes. You can now use your miles to upgrade anywhere United flies and from most booking codes, including all paid business classes (even Z). That means upgrading just got easier! See explanation of booking codes.
• Fewer miles to upgrade. For many booking codes and regions, we’ve reduced the number of miles required for an upgrade.See this chart for miles required. *
  

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• You may be charged a co-pay. If you request an upgrade on certain economy class or business class of service tickets, you may be asked to pay a supplementary co-pay. Elite members are exempt from this charge 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.
• Mileage Plus Upgrade Awards are good for:
  • One-way, one-cabin upgrade on flights operated by United® or United Express®
  • See our destination guide for a list of countries and regions.
• Upgrade availability and confirmation policy:
  • You can request a Mileage Plus Upgrade Award as early as the time of ticketing—if a seat becomes available at any point before your flight, your request can be confirmed.
  • Upgrade availability depends on the demand for paid premium cabin tickets, which are often purchased just days before departure. We may not know if these seats are available for upgrade until the day of your flight.
  • If upgrade seats are unavailable at the time of your request, you’ll be placed on a wait list. If upgrade seats become available, they will be assigned to those on the wait list based on Mileage Plus® status and purchased booking code.
• Restrictions:
  • You cannot request or use Mileage Plus Upgrade Awards with award tickets or tickets for which you’ve already received a confirmed upgrade.
• Using miles to upgrade someone else: You can use your miles to upgrade anyone you choose, even if they’re not traveling with you. Log in to Sponsor an upgrade. At check-in, the traveler will need to provide a credit card for the co-pay.


• Earning miles: You’ll earn miles based on the booking code you purchased, not the one into which you upgraded.


• Miles re-deposit policy:
  • If your upgrade request cannot be accommodated, please allow 7-10 business days for miles to be re-deposited into your account. If your miles still haven’t been re-deposited after 10 business days,let us know.
  • If your upgrade request is confirmed and prior to travel you choose to cancel the upgrade, the miles will be returned to your account and a fee may be charged.
    Learn more about award fees.