Using points and miles for upgrades is a perfect way to improve the passenger experience. Many airline loyalty programs offer members the opportunity to upgrade after their ticket has been booked, even up until the time of the flight. Upgrades can be to premium economy or business class, offering things like more legroom, priority boarding, and a better inflight service offering.
Securing an upgrade is not often as simple as using points and miles. To maximize the chances of landing an upgrade, it is important to be strategic. Every airline’s policies vary, meaning passengers should familiarize themselves with each airline’s program.
Some airlines offer passengers the opportunity to use points to upgrade during the booking process, and others may only offer upgrades closer to the travel date. Being flexible with travel plans can also increase the chances of an upgrade, as flying during off-peak times means flights are not as full.
Booking directly with the airline is key, and so is holding some sort of status within an airline or alliance. Holding status can increase the chances of upgrades, sometimes even complimentary. However, holding status also means one has priority over passengers without status.
1
American Airlines
Rates vary on distance of flight
American Airlines’ AAdvantage
program offers passengers the opportunity to upgrade using miles at varying rates, dependent on the distance of a flight. According to the airline, miles can be used for upgrades on British Airways and Iberia also. With American, there are three main benefits to upgrades:
- better seats – You can enjoy additional legroom, a wider seat or a lie-flat seat, depending on the aircraft and cabin you’re upgraded to.
- priority privileges – Speed through check-in, security and boarding at the airport, based on your upgraded cabin.
- added bag allowance – You may be able to check additional bags at no charge when upgraded to First or Business.
On flights operated by AA, upgrades start at 5,000 miles. But for long-haul premium economy upgrades, the cost to upgrade is 15,000 points. As seen in the table below, flights to the southernmost countries in South America, Asia, the Pacific, Europe, and Africa fall in the 15,000-point range.
If a passenger has a discount economy ticket and wants to upgrade on the long-haul flights, the charge is 25,000 points and $350.
2
United Airlines
Rates vary on the distance of the flight
United Airlines offers four ways to upgrade for Mileage Plus members: MileagePlus Upgrade Awards, Complimentary Premier Upgrades, PlusPoints, and Star Alliance Upgrade Awards.
Photo: United Airlines
Requesting an upgrade is a simple three-step process:
- Sign in to your MileagePlus account
- Enter your search criteria
- Choose “MileagePlus Upgrade Awards” as your award type in the advanced search settings
In addition to making a request online, United offers members two other channels to request upgrades. The first is to call the reservations line or the Premier Priority Desk number on the digital membership card. The second is to talk to an agent at the airport check-in counter or at the gate.
Though United passengers can upgrade with miles, there are certain restrictions. Below is a list of the ticket types not eligible for upgrades with Miles:
- Award tickets
- promotional tickets
- tickets containing a Basic Economy fare or Economy (first bag charge/no changes allowed) fares
- Money + Miles tickets are not eligible
Rates for upgrades vary based on the distance of the flight and the booking fare. For a flight originating in the mainland U.S., Alaska, and Canada, flying to Southern South America (Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Paraguay, and Uruguay), the cheapest possible upgrade is 10,000 miles. This is available for passengers with a booking in the Y fare class.
3
Delta Air Lines
Rates unavailable
Delta offers SkyMiles members the opportunity to upgrade with Miles during the booking process and after. All passengers, regardless of status, can use Miles for upgrades. Though the process is simple for upgrading on Delta, the airline does not publish upgrade rates on its website.
What the airline does publish is that within the United States, using miles to upgrade during the booking process can be done in four steps:
- Log in at delta.com
- Select a ticket
- If your reservation is eligible, you’ll see the option to Upgrade with Miles in your Trip Summary before you complete your purchase.
- Once selected, use miles to upgrade all passengers in your reservation.
4
Air France
Air France and KLM form the Air France-KLM group, which uses the Flying Blue frequent flyer program. According to the program website, until check-in opens, upgrades are only bookable via the Flying Blue customer service and are payable in MIles. If a passenger wants to upgrade after check-in, upgrades are available online and even onboard. These last-minute upgrades can be done in Miles, cash, or both.
Before check-in opens, passengers can upgrade:
- By phone – Before check-in opens, you can only book your upgrade via our Customer Service
After check-in:
- Online – After check-in opens, you can book your last-minute upgrade by logging in to your reservation on the airfrance.com or klm.com website using your Flying Blue account.
- At the airport – Request your upgrade at the airport before boarding
- On board – On Air France and KLM flights, upgrade using Miles after boarding by speaking with a flight attendant.
- By phone – After check-in opens, you can still book your upgrade via our Customer Service
It is important to note that those traveling on award tickets can only upgrade after check-in opens. Like Delta, Air France does not list the upgrade costs online.
Just last week, Air France announced it was rebranding its Premium Economy product and calling it Premium. The new seat is already available on select Boeing 777 and Airbus A350 aircraft, and by the end of 2025, will be available on nearly 80% of the fleet.
5
British Airways
British Airways’ frequent flyer program is called Executive Club. The carrier uses the Avios currency, which is also used by Iberia and Qatar Airways. Like other airlines, BA offers passengers the chance to upgrade during and after the booking process.
Photo: Jonathan E Hendry | Simple Flying
British Airways calculates the cost for an upgrade based on the cost of reward flights in the cabins a passenger is upgrading from and to. The price also depends on whether the flight is during peak or off-peak dates. The formula is:
- Avios for the cabin you wish to upgrade to – Avios for the cabin you make your booking in = Avios required to upgrade one way
Upgrades can be done in two ways:
- Upgrade a new flight as you book – Use our ‘book and upgrade’ form to search for availability and make your booking. Select the class of travel you wish to upgrade from when searching.
- Upgrade an existing booking – Log in to Manage My Booking, select your flight and choose “Upgrade this flight with Avios” to see if your flight can be upgraded.