We’re getting ready to head back to the states in April and have decided to get smart on upgrade options. This includes digging through all the credit cards that offer miles as well as figuring out the travel classes that allow you to upgrade.
As self proclaimed Travel Snobs, our goal is always to avoid the crowds! When we started traveling with Woody’s company, we discovered the glorious world of business class! There’s nothing like strapping into one of those big comfy seats and enjoying all that comes with the price of it. Glass of champs in hand, warm towel to clean my hands and a menu with choices of a hot meal to pair with pretty good wines…and yes, less crowds!
Those coveted business class tickets were only issued for house hunting and relocating to the foreign domiciles, any travel back to the states were on us, so to the back of the plane I go. It would take all my will power to walk past those extra large seats with their little pillow and blankets tucked neatly into the reclining chairs.
I don’t wear designer clothes or carry brand name bags but oh those seats! It’s more than just reclining and watching a show, it’s the thrill of sharing an adventure so we’ve decided to figure out how to book not just one upgrade but two!
Here are a few things we’ve learned so far about upgrading on United/Lufthansa
-it takes anywhere from 25k miles to 50k miles to upgrade one leg.
-you can’t upgrade to premium (thats ok with me…sorry Woody 😉 )
-there are 3 categories you can upgrade from, economy B and Y class (35k miles)
Premium economy A class (30k miles) and premium economy O class (20k miles)
The Untied site says you can upgrade from O-class to their new Polaris Business class for 15k miles. I’ve never tried the Polaris Business…wonder what you get there?
We follow a few travel blogs and found Expert Flyer can notify you of upgrades avail. And you can check availability of business class seats there. “God save the points” (blog) says it’s a game changer, we plan on signing up and will let you know how well it works.
We’ve decided to use the Discover Card with 3x the points but might sign up for the Chase MileagPlus card. We just booked tickets for the kids to come out during their spring break and earned some miles…now to figure out how to claim those miles! We’ll keep you posted.
Take some Advice from a Dumb Blonde, traveling Business class without paying the huge ticket price is the only way to travel (albeit I haven’t experienced first and don’t see that as an option after all, how much fun can one person have?).
Advicefromadumbblonde.com 