United makes upgrading to business class on Turkish Airlines cheaper
This post contains references to products from one or more of our advertisers. We may receive compensation when you click on links to those products. Terms apply to the offers listed on this page. For an explanation of our Advertising Policy, visit this page.
United Airlines is using the downtime during the coronavirus to make a bunch of adjustments to its MileagePlus program.
We’ve seen the carrier extend elite status, remove its partner award chart, make it harder to qualify for status through Star Alliance flights and raise the cost of partner awards across the board.
Today, however, the carrier is introducing a positive update.
As a member of Star Alliance, United has long offered the ability to redeem United miles for one-cabin upgrades on many Star Alliance partners. Though there have always been a bunch of terms and conditions associated with these upgrades, one of the most limiting is that you could only process upgrades on an expensive coach fare.
For more travel tips and news, sign up for our daily newsletter!
What’s changing
As of July 28, United added four new upgrade-eligible fare classes for flights operated by Turkish Airlines. United’s website has been updated to reflect this policy update.
In addition to tickets in the Y and B fare classes, you can now upgrade M, A, H and S discounted coach tickets as well. This makes upgrading a Turkish ticket much more affordable than before.
Related: What airline fare classes tell you about your ticket
Let’s take a look at an example. For a round-trip ticket from New York to Istanbul, a B-class fare would run you about $2,325.20
An S-class ticket on the exact same flights is going for $1,485, or about $840 less. The same logic applies across the board — an S-class ticket is going to be significantly more affordable than one in B class.
United didn’t change the number of miles required for an upgrade. So in addition to the $1,485 ticket, you’ll need to shell out 25,000 United miles in each direction to upgrade to business class. This could actually represent a good deal, depending on how much the underlying S-class coach ticket costs.
If you were to outright redeem United miles for a Turkish business class seat on this route, you’d need to shell out 154,000 miles round-trip. By redeeming an upgrade instead, you’d be out 50,000 miles and $1,485 for the coach ticket (and you’d still be eligible to earn miles on the ticket).
Related: The best websites for searching Star Alliance award availability
Of course, you could book the Turkish flight via another Star Alliance partner but redeeming an upgrade is certainly an option for those who have lots of United miles. It could also make sense if you’re sitting on a stockpile of transferable Chase Ultimate Rewards points, or if the S-class fare is quite reasonable.
Note that award and upgrade availability is capacity controlled. Pro tip: Use ExpertFlyer (owned by TPG’s parent company, Red Ventures) to set an alert.
United has been busy tweaking some of the upgrade details with its other Star Alliance partner airlines. The airline made it easier to redeem upgrades with miles and PlusPoints on ANA by expanding the upgrade window to nearly a year before departure. United made a similar change with Ethiopian Airlines earlier this month.
Related: A review of Turkish Airlines’ 787-9 in business class
Bottom line
By adding more eligible fare classes, United is making it significantly more affordable to upgrade flights with Turkish Airlines.
Previously, you’d need to purchase a flexible coach ticket in order to redeem an upgrade. Now that United’s expanded the eligible fare classes, upgrading your Turkish Airlines flights with United miles has definitely become something worth considering.
Featured photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images
Sign-up Successful!
Welcome to The Points Guy!
WELCOME OFFER: 80,000 Points
TPG'S BONUS VALUATION*: $1,600
CARD HIGHLIGHTS: 3X points on dining and 2x points on travel, points transferrable to over a dozen travel partners
*Bonus value is an estimated value calculated by TPG and not the card issuer. View our latest valuations here.
- Earn 80,000 bonus points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening. That's $1,000 when you redeem through Chase Ultimate Rewards®.
- Enjoy benefits such as a $50 annual Ultimate Rewards Hotel Credit, 5x on travel purchased through Chase Ultimate Rewards®, 3x on dining and 2x on all other travel purchases, plus more.
- Get 25% more value when you redeem for airfare, hotels, car rentals and cruises through Chase Ultimate Rewards®. For example, 80,000 points are worth $1,000 toward travel.
- With Pay Yourself Back℠, your points are worth 25% more during the current offer when you redeem them for statement credits against existing purchases in select, rotating categories
- Count on Trip Cancellation/Interruption Insurance, Auto Rental Collision Damage Waiver, Lost Luggage Insurance and more.
Disclaimer: The responses below are not provided or commissioned by the bank advertiser. Responses have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by the bank advertiser. It is not the bank advertiser’s responsibility to ensure all posts and/or questions are answered.
Editorial Disclaimer: Opinions expressed here are the author’s alone, not those of any bank, credit card issuer, airlines or hotel chain, and have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any of these entities.