How to Extend Your United Upgrade Expiration Date
One of the most rewarding perks of earning United's top-tier Premier 1K (or Global Services) status is the ability to purchase an economy seat and confirm an upgrade in business class right when you book. The airline issues two types of upgrades — Regional Premier Upgrades (RPUs), which can be used on flights within North America and select international routes, and Global Premier Upgrades (GPUs), which can be applied to any United or Lufthansa-operated flight around the world.
Unfortunately, these upgrades are capacity-controlled, and even if there's a business or first-class seat for sale, you won't always be able to grab it with an upgrade. It's fairly simple to identify flights with upgrade seats available, however, so with a bit of patience you can usually find something that will work.
One major downside to these upgrade certificates is that they expire on January 31 the year after they were issued. So if you qualified for 2015 status based on flights you took in 2014, your upgrades expire at the end of the month. There is one saving grace here, however — United is currently allowing elites who re-qualified for 1K or GS status to extend the expiration of two Global Premier Upgrades, assigning a new expiration date of April 30, 2016. That gives you three more months to use your upgrades, or give them away to a fellow TPG reader in need.
To extend your upgrades, call the MileagePlus Service Center at 800-421-4655. There's a chance you may be able to recover your upgrades even after they expire, but I'd suggest contacting MileagePlus before January 31 just to be sure. After your GPUs are extended, they'll automatically be pulled first (ahead of upgrades expiring in 2017) when you apply them to a reservation.
Did you call United to extend your Global Premier Upgrades?
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| 2X miles | 2 miles per dollar on every purchase |
| 5X miles | 5 miles per dollar on flights and vacation rentals booked through Capital One Business Travel |
| 10X miles | 10 miles per dollar on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Business Travel |
Intro Offer
Earn 200K miles when you spend $30K in the first 3 months, and an additional 200K miles when you spend $150K in the first 6 monthsLIMITED-TIME OFFER: Earn up to 400K bonus milesAnnual Fee
$395Recommended Credit
Credit ranges are a variation of FICO® Score 8, one of many types of credit scores lenders may use when considering your credit card application.740-850Excellent
Why We Chose It
The Capital One Venture X Business Card has all the Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card has to offer and more. It offers an incredible welcome bonus and requires an equally impressive spend to qualify. In addition, the card comes with premium travel perks like annual travel credit. (Partner offer)Pros
- The Capital One Venture X business card has a very lucrative welcome offer.
- In addition, the card comes with many premium travel perks such as an annual $300 credit for bookings through Capital One Business Travel.
- Business owners are also able to add employee cards for free.
Cons
- The card requires significant spending to earn the welcome offer.
- Another drawback is that the annual travel credit can only be used on bookings made through Capital One Business Travel.
- LIMITED-TIME OFFER: Earn up to 400K bonus miles: 200K miles when you spend $30K in the first 3 months, and an additional 200k miles when you spend $150k in the first 6 months
- Earn unlimited 2X miles on every purchase, everywhere—with no limits or category restrictions
- Earn 10X miles on hotels and rental cars and 5X miles on flights and vacation rentals booked through Capital One Business Travel
- With no preset spending limit, enjoy big purchasing power that adapts so you can spend more and earn more rewards
- Empower your teams to make business purchases while earning rewards on their transactions, with free employee and virtual cards. Plus, automatically sync your transaction data with your accounting software and pay your vendors with ease
- Redeem your miles on flights, hotels and more. Plus, transfer your miles to any of the 15+ travel loyalty programs
- Every year, you'll get 10,000 bonus miles after your account anniversary date. Plus, receive an annual $300 credit for bookings made through Capital One Business Travel
- Receive up to a $120 credit for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck®. Enjoy access to 1,300+ airport lounges worldwide, including Capital One Lounge locations and Priority Pass™ lounges, after enrollment
- Enjoy a $100 experience credit and other premium benefits with every hotel and vacation rental booked from the Premier Collection
- This is a pay-in-full card, so your balance is due in full every month