Any tips for finding Business Class Awards on United now?

[AquaDame]

So it sounds like United devalued their points quite a bit this past January (I don't know if we would have applied for the card for the bonus points had I known that) so I am trying to figure out how the new system works. It sounds like finding the lions share of Saver Business awards are limited to 1K members now, so its not that they aren't there, just that they won't show you them. Are there any tricks to catching these that I should be aware of? We have a 14 hour flight coming up and I cringe at the idea of doing that in an economy seat (though not as much as spending 4K each to pay for it OOP!)

 

[mrsp1030]

My DH is a gold and just turned platinum on United and we've never had an issue finding Business class savers even this month. I wouldn't say they devalued the points just went to process that other carriers have gone to that includes a monetary value in addition to miles to regain status. You could look into upgrading a united award seat to economy plus.

 

[AquaDame]

My DH is a gold and just turned platinum on United and we've never had an issue finding Business class savers even this month. I wouldn't say they devalued the points just went to process that other carriers have gone to that includes a monetary value in addition to miles to regain status. You could look into upgrading a united award seat to economy plus.

As beginners to this we are the lowest of the low.. Platinum also have access to better options: https://www.united.com/web/en-US/content/mileageplus/awards/travel/travelawardbenefits.aspx

I don't see us spending $25,000 on our credit card in a year, so we won't be able to level up that way and take advantage. I'm hoping to find a way to still be able to find seats since it jumps 3x in miles if you can't catch a saver award (50K each way becomes 150K).

 

[SuzanneSLO]

As with most things relating to miles and points, it really depends on where you are travelling and when you are booking. A few weeks back, there was some amazing availability in premium cabins for November and early December when United launched a new route from LA to Melbourne, Australia. But I understand that really doesn't help unless that is where and when you want to fly.

Assuming you are flying overseas, the general rule is to start by looking for available seats for the most difficult flight. Be prepared to break up your trip into segments. For example, you often need to fly through Asia if your destination is Australia.

You may want to try the service offered by Gary Leff at bookyouraward to help you find flights using miles. He charges $150 per ticket to book with your miles. I have been reading his blog for years and his service is included on the list of top travel specialists published in Conde Nast traveler magazine.
-- Suzanne

 

[AquaDame]

You may want to try the service offered by Gary Leff at bookyouraward to help you find flights using miles. He charges $150 per ticket to book with your miles. I have been reading his blog for years and his service is included on the list of top travel specialists published in Conde Nast traveler magazine.
-- Suzanne

I was just reading about this earlier today - I think for us it will be the smartest thing and having you and others recommend it definitely helps with the idea. $150 per ticket is small fry compared to the time sink this could become... its just the two of us so I am very hopeful we can pull it off. I am planning well ahead for September next year, so hopefully he would be able to help us.

Thank you!

 

[SuzanneSLO]

I was just reading about this earlier today - I think for us it will be the smartest thing and having you and others recommend it definitely helps with the idea. $150 per ticket is small fry compared to the time sink this could become... its just the two of us so I am very hopeful we can pull it off. I am planning well ahead for September next year, so hopefully he would be able to help us.

Thank you!

We considered using his service for our trip to London, but I realized that our first choice was on a particular airline with a nonstop flight. Not much room for any creative routing. We ended up finding it on our own. -- Suzanne

 

[MAH4546]

As beginners to this we are the lowest of the low.. Platinum also have access to better options: https://www.united.com/web/en-US/content/mileageplus/awards/travel/travelawardbenefits.aspx

I don't see us spending $25,000 on our credit card in a year, so we won't be able to level up that way and take advantage. I'm hoping to find a way to still be able to find seats since it jumps 3x in miles if you can't catch a saver award (50K each way becomes 150K).

To reach platinum you have to physically fly 75,000 miles. Spending $25,000 on a credit card does zilch.

 

[SuzanneSLO]

To reach platinum you have to physically fly 75,000 miles. Spending $25,000 on a credit card does zilch.

And it won't help the OP. Elites on United can book the more expensive last seat availability Standard awards, the very awards that the OP wants to avoid. -- Suzanne

 

[lost*in*cyberspace]

My husband and I are both 1Ks on United, and it's still hard to find saver award business class. We spent a lot of our award miles booking global first class seats to several cities in Asia for a trip next winter before United raised the redemption rate for miles, but it took a lot of research to find seat availability.

Too bad you missed the recent mini fare war UA had with Delta for business class seats to Europe which lasted a few days last week. I scored two RT BusinessFirst seats from the east coast to Rome for a trip this July for a total of $2,800, less than the cost of coach tickets.

Keep checking, availability changes all the time. If you're traveling soon though, you may be out of luck.

 

[lost*in*cyberspace]

My DH is a gold and just turned platinum on United and we've never had an issue finding Business class savers even this month. I wouldn't say they devalued the points just went to process that other carriers have gone to that includes a monetary value in addition to miles to regain status. You could look into upgrading a united award seat to economy plus.

I'm guessing that you aren't flying very popular routes. It's just about impossible to find saver business awards to very popular destinations, such as SYD.

By the way, economy plus is not an upgrade. If you aren't entitled to select these for free, you can pay for them.