While it’s being reported as if it is brand new, United Airlines has offered a great feature since February to upfare your basic economy ticket instead of forfeiting its value called a “Switch to Economy” upgrade.
Don’t Forfeit Your Cheap Ticket: United Airlines “Switch To Economy” Upgrade
United’s systemwide no-change fee policy does not apply to basic economy tickets, the discount tickets meant to compete with ultra-low-cost carriers like Frontier and Spirit. Up until the pandemic, when you bought those tickets, you were locked in: no date or time changes were permitted (they carried a host of other restrictions as well).
During the pandemic, change fees were waived even on basic economy tickets (for tickets issued by April 30, 2021 for domestic travel and July 31, 2021 for international travel), but those restrictions have already returned to domestic tickets.
However, plans do change sometimes and in February, United introduced a “Switch to Economy” upgrade program which allowed passengers to pay a fee in order to upgrade their ticket from basic economy to economy.
The fee will vary based upon the route. You can expect to pay $5.00 more than the cost between basic economy and standard economy class had you purchased the ticket outright. Furthermore, that “upgrade fee” will not count toward the price of your ticket should you book a cheaper fare and collect a residual credit for the difference.
Currently, the option to upgrade from basic economy is limited to domestic tickets and short-haul international flights to Mexico, Central America, and the Caribbean.
An Example
Let’s illustrate with an example. Say you book a basic economy LAX-JFK for $129 instead of $169 for a standard economy class ticket. Now let’s say your travel plans changes and you can no longer travel. Instead of forfeiting the $129, you can pay for a “Switch to Economy” upgrade and make the ticket flexible. Let’s say the upgrade cost is $45, meaning you’ve now paid $174 for the one-way ticket. Your ticket is now flexible and you can change it to what you want, but let’s just say your new ticket is $99. Instead of getting a $75 credit for future travel (the $174 minus the $99) you will instead only receive a voucher for the $30 (the original $129 minus the $99).
Make sense?
Basic Economy Fares Remain Restricted
Keep in mind that although United will let you buy up to regular economy, basic economy tickets remain highly restricted. These fares do not include:
- Complimentary seat assignments
- Premier qualifying credit
- Upgrades
- Full-size carry-on items
While such fares may make sense for very budget-conscious travelers who pack light, I find the difference between basic economy and economy to be almost always worth the cost (and that is by design, of course).
Meanwhile, American and Delta basic economy tickets remain use-it-or-lose-it though both carriers allow full-size carry-on items for basic economy passengers.
CONCLUSION
Basic economy tickets on United Airlines can be saved though a “Switch to Economy” upgrade. In almost all cases, this will make more sense than simply forfeiting your ticket. Hopefully American and Delta will match.
Have you ever purchased a basic economy ticket on United Airlines then purchased a “Switch to Economy” upgrade? What was your experience like?
Think you got AA and UA mixed up regarding premier qualifying credit for BE. UA says you earn PQP but not PQS
https://www.united.com/ual/en/us/fly/help/faq/basic-economy.html
“Are my Basic Economy ticket purchases eligible for Premier qualifying credit toward Premier status?
MileagePlus members will earn Premier qualifying points (PQP) as well as lifetime miles and accrue toward the four-segment minimum — but note that the accruals will be lower than for other tickets. Basic Economy tickets are not eligible for Premier qualifying flights. MileagePlus members will also earn award miles based on the fare and their MileagePlus status. See the Earning Miles on United Flights page for more details.”
What if you use the “future flight credit” to buy a new ticket that is $199. Do you have to pay $25 or $70 when you change the ticket?
Also, can you convert the future flight credit to a travel credit? Would it convert to a $129 travel credit or a $174 travel credit?
It is my understanding that ticket credit does not convert to transferable travel credit unless specifically requested in the case of a cancellation.
You pay the “upgrade” fee when you convert the ticket from basic to regular economy, before you cancel it.
Wonder if this will count as an eligible fee/charge for the Amex Platinum travel credit. My understanding is that change fees are eligible, but “upgrades” are not– would be interested to see how this codes and works out.
When did domestic travel become so complicated? I need to take a class on how to book a ticket. I purchased basic economy before I realized I had no baggage allowance or seat selection. My cheap flight is no longer “cheap”. The airlines got bailed out and they still want to gauge people.
Not sure how in the world you could purchase BE “before you realized” there was no baggage allowance. Every single airline, when you select BE, warns you that you will NOT be allowed to select seats, that your ticket is NOT changeable, and (if applicable) that you will NOT get the standard baggage allowance. You have to literally click a little button saying “Yes, I accept these restrictions” in order to book the ticket.