United Fare Classes & Upgrade Order [2024]
United Fare classes, also known as booking codes or fare buckets, are an essential part of United Airline’s pricing strategy. They are alphanumeric codes that United assigns to specify ticket prices, each representing a different level of service, flexibility, and price. These codes help differentiate among various categories and tiers of tickets, such as United Polaris, First Class, Premium Plus, and Economy.
The Different United Airlines Fare Classes
Certain specialty tickets earn miles based on the flight distance and purchased fare class. Specialty tickets are usually bulk fares or group or tour tickets.
| Fare Class | Cabin | Base Miles | Fare Class Bonus | Upgrade Order |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| J | Business or First | 100% | 50% | – |
| C | Business or First | 100% | 50% | – |
| D | Business or First | 100% | 50% | – |
| Z | Business or First | 100% | 50% | – |
| P | Business or First | 100% | 50% | – |
| Y | Economy | 100% | 1* | |
| B | Economy | 100% | 2* | |
| M | Economy | 100% | 3* | |
| O | Premium Plus | 100% | 1* | |
| A | Premium Plus | 100% | 2* | |
| R | Premium Plus | 100% | 3* | |
| E | Economy | 75% | 4 | |
| U | Economy | 75% | 5 | |
| H | Economy | 75% | 6 | |
| Q | Economy | 75% | 7 | |
| V | Economy | 75% | 8 | |
| W | Economy | 75% | 9 | |
| S | Economy | 50% | 10 | |
| T | Economy | 50% | 11 | |
| L | Economy | 25% | 12 | |
| K | Economy | 25% | 13 | |
| G | Economy | 25% | 14 | |
| N | Basic Economy | 25% | – |
* on aircraft with Premium Plus, United processes upgrades to business class for customers who purchased Premium Plus seats first, and then for customers with Economy seats.
United Airlines Upgrade Order
There are many factors that come into play with the order of United’s upgrade list. While your MileagePlus Premier status is most important, fare classes and credit card status also come into play.
- United Global Services
- PlusPoints upgrades and MileagePlus Upgrade Awards
- MileagePlus Premier status
- Premier 1K
- Premier Platinum
- Premier Gold
- Premier Silver
- Fare class
- Chase United MileagePlus Club cardholders and Presidential Plus cardholders
- United Corporate Preferred participants
- United Chase Cardmembers with $25,000 in annual spending
- Date and time of request
Closing Thoughts
United fare classes can be overwhelming and confusing. There are over 20 different codes! They can be important to understand if you are looking to earn elite status with United Airlines. Most fare classes earn towards MileagePlus Premier status, but some come with a Fare Class Bonus that can earn significantly more towards your elite qualification. Your fare class also comes into play with upgrade priority, although it is in the middle of the list.
