FCF exclusive lockdown report for elites.
Sheesh. What the lockdown giveth in terms of travel opportunities, it just as quickly taketh away. In this case, I’m talking about United mileage upgrades to Asia, and wouldn’t you know it, the airline isn’t offering them anymore. However, we did find some shining city lights on the far horizon… It’s time to put South America on your vacation bucket list—especially if you want to earn Elite Qualifying Miles and Dollars (EQMs and EQDs).
I’m sure most travelers would be happy with an LEN (lockdown escape now).
An Ode to Using Miles to Upgrade
Alright, this is definitely one of my favorite subjects. FCF LOVES using miles to upgrade, as opposed to using them for free award tickets, which is the default mindset of the average traveler. But like so many default mindsets, it’s not a great idea. There are so many reasons for this. But a big one is that using miles to upgrade opens doors that are usually locked shut. The truth is that airlines have a different amount of availability for using miles to upgrade versus using miles for a free seat.
In United’s case (and they’re not alone here), they generally offer substantially more seats and days for upgrade availability than for awards. Free mileage award tickets can be an availability nightmare on United to most parts of the world, rendering your miles next to useless for Business Class travel. But that’s not often the case with their mileage upgrades. FCF’s daily alerts uncover the best of United upgrade opportunities on an almost weekly basis.
The Exception to United’s Stingy Availability:
South America
Just when things were looking down for United upgrade options, we decided to really look down—all the way down to South America. And lo and behold, opportunity is knocking.
EXAMPLE SAVINGS: Let’s say you’re traveling from Houston to Santiago in April. United’s lowest upgradeable economy fare currently starts at $1,242 round-trip, while Business Class is $7,534. Even with a $1,000 co-pay round-trip, you’ll pay just $2,242 plus 50,000 miles, which you can buy for ~$1,000 when on sale, to fly in Business Class at a savings of $4,292 (or 56%) off the published fare by using miles to upgrade.
If you don’t want to buy miles, you can transfer your Marriott or Chase points to United.
So what’s available right now?
Get a big-picture sense of date clusters using FCF’s Upgrade Alerts (there’s a list of recent ones below).
Sao Paulo, Brazil: Unprecedented United Business Class Upgrade Opportunities from Houston and Many Other U.S. Cities
Buenos Aires, Argentina: Unprecedented United Business Class Upgrade Opportunities from Houston and Many Other U.S. Cities
Santiago, Chile: Unprecedented United Business Class Upgrade Opportunities from Houston and Many Other U.S. Cities
Rio de Janeiro, Brazil: Unprecedented United Business Class Upgrade Opportunities to Rio from Houston and Many Other U.S. Cities
Sao Paulo, Brazil: Unprecedented United Business Class Upgrade Opportunities from Washington, DC and Many Other U.S. Cities
Sao Paulo, Brazil: Unprecedented United Business Class Upgrade Opportunities to Brazil from Chicago and Many Other U.S. Cities
Want to know more about the sweet science of upgrading with miles? Read this special report—it’s a real eye (and cabin door) opener: Ten Reasons Why I’m the Biggest Fan of Mileage Upgrade Awards—and Why You Should Be Too.