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 ServicesSM members) are exempt from this co-pay when flying within the continental U.S., Alaska and Canada.

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 continental U.S., Alaska and Canada.
• Mileage Plus Upgrade Awards are good for:
  • One-way, one-cabin upgrade on flights operated by United® or United Express®
• Upgrade availability and confirmation policy:
  • You can request a Mileage Plus Upgrade Award as early as the time of ticketingif 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, tickets booked in G booking code 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: 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.

Learn about the co-pay
Have questions about the co-pay? For your convenience, we've gathered all the important information on one page, including how the co-pay is calculated and when you will or won't be charged a co-pay. Learn more about the co-pay.

Premier, Premier Executive, 1K and Global Services members will not be charged a co-pay when using miles to upgrade on flights within the continental U.S., Alaska and Canada for flights on or after May 20, 2010.

What if I requested my upgrade before the co-pay was added (Jan. 12, 2010)?
If you requested your Mileage Plus Upgrade Award prior to Jan. 12, 2010, you will not be charged a co-pay. Please refer to the previous award chart (45 KB) for details on the mileage levels in effect when you requested the upgrade.

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If you make voluntary changes to an itinerary that was booked before Jan. 12, 2010, and these changes require United to re-issue your ticket, you may be charged a co-pay for your Mileage Plus Upgrade Award. The new award chart would apply.