How many points do I need to upgrade to first Class on United Airlines
50% Traveling for Miles
50% FrequentMiler
Upgrading to United First on a domestic or North‑American flight typically costs 20 PlusPoints — United’s own “points” that elite members can use for upgrades.
- For short‑haul flights (U.S., Canada, Caribbean, etc.) the upgrade from economy to United First is 20 PlusPoints per way Traveling for Miles .
- The same 20‑PlusPoint cost applies to short‑haul upgrades to business class, while long‑haul upgrades require more points FrequentMiler .
So, if you have the required PlusPoints balance, you’ll need 20 of them to move from economy to United First on a qualifying domestic route.
Traveling for Miles Huge News: United Is Eliminating Old Upgrades & Introducing “PlusPoints”
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FrequentMiler United adds new ways for elite members to use PlusPoints
One of the benefits that United Airlines Premier Platinum and Premier 1K members receive is PlusPoints, which can be used to confirm upgrades in advance. Members earn 40 PlusPoints when they reach Premier Platinum and 280 more when they reach Premier 1K. 1K members can then earn 20 more PlusPoints for every 3,000 Premier qualifying points (PQP) they get beyond 22,000. The number of PlusPoints required to upgrade a flight depends on the distance and fare class being upgraded. Generally, economy to business class costs 20 PlusPoints each way on short-haul flights or 40 PlusPoints on long-haul flights (though