The truth about the frequent flyer upgrades
I thought I was clever when I booked a Delta flight $ 698 round trip from New York to London with the idea of doing an upgrade of 50,000 frequent flyer miles. But when I went to the site of Delta to complete the process of upgrading, I was informed that I was not eligible. I called a Delta agent to ask why.
"You bought a cheap ticket, the officer said. It turns out that I had a rate T, which are not eligible for an upgrade. For that I should buy a more expensive ticket M, B, Y or the economy, "she said. The officer was ready to re-register me at the best price for a ticket evolutionary: $ 2,393. Besides that, I had to use 50,000 SkyMiles (value $ 1000 based on the commonly accepted value of 2 cents per mile) for a cash equivalent of $ 3,393. Here's the kicker: I could buy a business class ticket on the same flight for only $ 2800 – $ 600 less the upgrade would cost.
Frustrated as I was with Delta, this situation could occur with any airline fare codes that have become increasingly difficult to decipher. So what are the restrictions? It depends on the support: American, Continental and U.S. Airways have little or no restrictions on fares in economy class Delta and United have more rules.
Even with a ticket eligible, you may find your flight has already reached its limit of updates ("capacity controlled" in the company-speak). And tickets qualification require higher co-pays ( $ 500 each way) or more miles than others. The reason? Too many folders with too many miles, thanks in part to a credit card promotions and other non-air-travel.
Another strategy would be to redeem miles for a business class ticket rather than an upgrade, it might be a better value. But if you decide to upgrade, you'll want to calculate the actual cost (plus airfare miles further co-pay) to decide if it's worth it. You may find a bargain, especially on domestic flights. More likely, you'll be as surprised as me to discover that, increasingly, the upgrade with miles is not the market it once was.
What it costs to upgrade using miles in addition to your fare economy, here's what you can expect to pay to upgrade on major airlines.
American Airlines domestic Miles *: 30,000 (or $ 600) Co-Pay: $ 150 Cost: $ 750 plus airfare
Europe * Miles: 50,000 (or 1000) Co-Pay: $ 700 Cost: $ 1700 plus airfare
Continental Airlines * within Miles: 30,000 (or $ 600) Co-Pay: $ 350 Cost: $ 950 plus airfare
Europe * Miles: 40,000 (or $ 800) Co-Pay: $ 1,000 Cost: $ 1800 plus airfare
Miles inland delta *: 25,000 (or $ 500) Co-Pay: no co-payment Cost: $ 500 plus airfare
Europe * Miles: 50,000 (or $ 1,000) Co-Pay: no co-payment Cost: $ 1,000 plus airfare
* U.S. domestic Miles: 30,000 (or $ 600) Co-Pay: $ 100 Cost: $ 700 plus airfare
Europe * Miles: 40,000 (or $ 800) Co-Pay: $ 1,000 Cost: $ 1800 plus airfare
U.S. Airways domestic Miles *: 30,000 (or $ 600) Co-Pay: no co-payment Cost: $ 600 plus airfare
Europe * Miles: 60,000 (or $ 1,200) Co-Pay: $ 600 Cost: $ 1,800 plus airfare
* Based on the cash value of 2 cents per mile to the lowest qualifying tickets.
Updating policies of major national carriers Each of the major domestic airlines has its own rules and restrictions on obtaining an upgrade using frequent flyer miles. States, for example, has the highest co-pays up to $ 500 each way on flights to Asia, Africa, Europe, Middle East and Australia. Delta, on the other hand, has no co-pays, but charge higher limit upgrades. And on all airlines in some rates upgrade requires more miles and more co-pays than other qualification rates for the same flight.
But there is only one way to know with certainty if your ticket is eligible for an upgrade and if so, how much you will pay: Go to the airlines' websites and check their policies to upgrade.
Copyright © 2011 American Express Publishing Corporation
More Source:
The Truth About Frequent-Flier Upgrades - Articles | Travel + LeisureFrequent Flyer - Using Points - Flight Upgrades - About Flight - Qantas
The truth about frequent-flier upgrades - CNN
Flight Availability | Upgrades | Frequent Flyer Information
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Submited at Wednesday, February 9th, 2011 at 4:00 am on Tips by john
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