How to Upgrade from Coach to Business Class on Transcontinental Flights
Update: Some offers mentioned below are no longer available. View the current offers here.
When it comes to transcontinental flights there is a lot of competition. United, American, Delta, Virgin America, and JetBlue all fly transcontinental routes which are typically JFK-LAX/SFO. Since there are so many options I thought it would be a good idea to over ways to be able to upgrade into First or Business Class on these routes.
Many of these airlines are also enhancing their offerings on this route making upgrading with miles or systemwide upgrades more desirable. I recently flew JFK-LAX on United's new business class product and had a good experience overall. Delta is adding lie-flat seats to their BusinessElite cabin on this route and American is replacing their current planes with three class A321's which will be used on their transcontinental flights. With all these new improvements flying upfront is becoming more important on these routes.
American
American will upgrade Executive Platinum (100,000 EQM level) flyers starting at 100 hours before departure. Upgrades are prioritized by the time the upgrade was requested. Gold (25,000 EQM) and Platinum (50,000 EQM) flyers earn four 500-mile upgrades for every 10,000 miles flown. Those upgrades can be used on the premium routes – upgrading a JFK-LAX itinerary would cost five 500-mile upgrades, since the flight is just under 2,500 miles, but JFK- San Francisco is 2,586 miles so requires six 500-miles upgrades. The new A321 will be featured on JFK-LAX and JFK-SFO, which are considered American's premium routes from New York.
Executive Platinum members may request complimentary upgrades when traveling on any purchased, published fare on eligible flights so they would not need to use 500 mile upgrades on these routes.
500 mile upgrades can only be used routes within and between the U.S., Canada, Mexico, the Caribbean, the Bahamas, Bermuda, and Central America.
Non-elite status members or elites who want to upgrade in advance can upgrade from coach to business class by either buying 500-mile upgrades at $30 each or using miles and a cash copay. For most fares, an upgrade from coach to business class costs 15,000 miles and $75. Full fare economy (Y and B fare classes) to business only requires 5,000 miles each way. You can also upgrade from business to first class for 15,000 miles and $175 or only 15,000 miles if booked into full fare business class (J,D and R fare classes).
You can request an upgrade when making your flight reservations on AA.com or through the phone. If your upgrade has not been confirmed as of the time of check-in, you will automatically be given the opportunity to be added to the Airport Upgrade Standby List while checking in. The date and time of your original request, along with your elite status level, will determine your priority on the Airport Upgrade Standby List.
Delta
While Delta allows customers to upgrade with miles, this is nearly impossible. The reason is because there is hardly ever any upgrade space open in advance on their transcontinental routes and mileage upgrade requests usually do not carry over to the day of departure so if you are not upgraded in advance you would be out of luck on these routes making mileage upgrades not an option.
However if upgrade space ever opened up, passengers would need a coach fare booked in Y, B, M, S, H, Q, or K class which are higher- and full-fare coach fare codes. Discounted or low-level fares in L, U and T classes are not eligible for mileage upgrades on these routes. The cost to upgrade from those would be 12,500 SkyMiles each way with the exception of those booked in a Y fare class, which would only require 5,000 SkyMiles each way.
Delta does do Medallion upgrades, but only at the gate, minutes before departure. Medallions are cleared first by Y fares (full Fare) starting with Diamonds and finishing with Silvers. Then those in all other eligible fare classes are cleared based on Medallion level, fare class and whether they hold the Delta Reserve or are trying to upgrade companions (those clear last).
United
United p.s. flights are not valid for complimentary Premier upgrades (whereas Delta does allow complimentary Medallion upgrades and American for Executive Platinum members). Customers wishing to upgrade must use regional premier upgrades or global premier upgrades to upgrade. Premier members will earn two Regional Premier Upgrades when they reach 75,000 premier qualifying miles or 90 premier qualifying segments, plus two more for each 25,000 PQM or 30 PQS earned thereafter. Regional premier upgrades can also be used on all flights between the continental U.S. and Hawaii, as well as all p.s.flights between New York (JFK) and Los Angeles (LAX) or San Francisco (SFO).
Premier 1K (100,000 elite miles) members earn 6 one-way systemwide upgrades at hitting 100,000 EQMs, and then 2 more for each additional 50,000 elite miles earned. These are valid on any fare class and are transferable to others and eligible on Copa flights as well. You will also earn two more for each 50,000 PQM or 60 PQS earned after reaching Premier 1K. Each global premier upgrade is valid for a single one-way, one-cabin upgrade so you can’t upgrade from economy to first, only economy to business, or business to first. In the case you have both regional upgrades and global upgrades it makes more sense to use a regional premier upgrade on this route.
United is also known for selling upgrades in advance so you can always log in to united.com to view your reservation and see if it offers you a “buy-up” to business class. There is a big Flyertalk talk that talks about "buy-up" successes and what fares and routes these typically are available on.
Virgin America
For the airline’s long-haul transcontinental routes, the price to upgrade from Main Cabin to First Class is $399 each way. This option can be much more affordable than purchasing First Class outright. A sample first class fare will run around $2,000 each way vs. a coach fare which could be as little as $150 each way, meaning even paying the $399 to upgrade you'll still save around $1,500 each way from upgrading as opposed to buying the First Class fare outright.
You can get one of these upgrades in a few different ways. Beginning 6 hours prior to departure, you can upgrade when you check-in at the airport or online. To upgrade while checking in online, you should enter your travel information and select the flight you’re checking into. You will have to choose a seat in your current cabin before starting the upgrade process. Then you will see an option to upgrade to First Class if available, at which point you can pay for the upgrade. Note, if there are no remaining seats available in your current cabin, you will not be able to upgrade online and will have to try at the airport.
Those checking in at the airport can upgrade at a kiosk or the counter, or for the procrastinators out there, you can even do it onboard. Once onboard, if there is a First Class seat available that you’re interested in, point it out to the flight attendant to confirm it’s available, and he or she should be able to seat you there and you can then upgrade by swiping your credit card through the seat’s RED personal entertainment system.
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- Earn 3X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on flights booked directly with airlines or on AmexTravel.com.
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| 4X | Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on purchases at restaurants worldwide, on up to $50,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year. |
| 4X | Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent at US supermarkets, on up to $25,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year. |
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Why We Chose It
There’s a lot to love about the Amex Gold. It’s a fan favorite thanks to its fantastic bonus-earning rates at restaurants worldwide and at U.S. supermarkets. If you’re hitting the skies soon, you’ll also earn bonus Membership Rewards points on travel. Paired with up to $120 in Uber Cash annually (for U.S. Uber rides or Uber Eats orders, card must be added to Uber app and you can redeem with any Amex card), up to $120 in annual dining statement credits to be used with eligible partners, an up to $84 Dunkin’ credit each year at U.S. Dunkin Donuts and an up to $100 Resy credit annually, there’s no reason that foodies shouldn’t add the Amex Gold to their wallet. These benefits alone are worth more than $400, which offsets the $325 annual fee on the Amex Gold card. Enrollment is required for select benefits. (Partner offer)Pros
- 4 points per dollar spent on dining at restaurants worldwide and U.S. supermarkets (on the first $50,000 in purchases per calendar year; then 1 point per dollar spent thereafter and $25,000 in purchases per calendar year; then 1 point per dollar spent thereafter, respectively)
- 3 points per dollar spent on flights booked directly with the airline or with amextravel.com
- Packed with credits foodies will enjoy
- Solid welcome bonus
Cons
- Not as useful for those living outside the U.S.
- Some may have trouble using Uber and other dining credits
- You may be eligible for as high as 100,000 Membership Rewards® Points after you spend $6,000 in eligible purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months of Card Membership. Welcome offers vary and you may not be eligible for an offer. Apply to know if you’re approved and find out your exact welcome offer amount – all with no credit score impact. If you’re approved and choose to accept the Card, your score may be impacted.
- Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on purchases at restaurants worldwide, on up to $50,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year.
- Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent at US supermarkets, on up to $25,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year.
- Earn 3X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on flights booked directly with airlines or on AmexTravel.com.
- Earn 2X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on prepaid hotels and other eligible purchases booked on AmexTravel.com.
- Earn 1X Membership Rewards® point per dollar spent on all other eligible purchases.
- $120 Uber Cash on Gold: Add your Gold Card to your Uber account and get $10 in Uber Cash each month to use on orders and rides in the U.S. when you select an American Express Card for your transaction. That’s up to $120 Uber Cash annually. Plus, after using your Uber Cash, use your Card to earn 4X Membership Rewards® points for Uber Eats purchases made with restaurants or U.S. supermarkets. Point caps and terms apply.
- $84 Dunkin' Credit: With the $84 Dunkin' Credit, you can earn up to $7 in monthly statement credits after you enroll and pay with the American Express® Gold Card at U.S. Dunkin' locations. Enrollment is required to receive this benefit.
- $100 Resy Credit: Get up to $100 in statement credits each calendar year after you pay with the American Express® Gold Card to dine at U.S. Resy restaurants or make other eligible Resy purchases. That's up to $50 in statement credits semi-annually. Enrollment required.
- $120 Dining Credit: Satisfy your cravings, sweet or savory, with the $120 Dining Credit. Earn up to $10 in statement credits monthly when you pay with the American Express® Gold Card at Grubhub, The Cheesecake Factory, Goldbelly, Wine.com, and Five Guys. Enrollment required.
- Explore over 1,000 upscale hotels worldwide with The Hotel Collection and receive a $100 credit towards eligible charges* with every booking of two nights or more through AmexTravel.com. *Eligible charges vary by property.
- No Foreign Transaction Fees.
- Annual Fee is $325.
- Terms Apply.