Key Takeaways
- Chase Ultimate Rewards dominates: 1:1 transfer to United MileagePlus makes Chase cards the best option for Polaris upgrades.
- Upgrade costs vary significantly: Roughly 20,000-30,000 miles + $350-700 cash co-pay from economy, though pricing changes frequently.
- Success rates depend heavily on route: Some routes like SFO-NRT seem to clear more often, while SFO-LHR is notoriously difficult.
- Elite status still matters: Premier 1K members get priority even when using transferred credit card miles
The Chase Points That Actually Worked
Had 62,000 Chase Ultimate Rewards points burning a hole in my account while booking SFO-NRT for a client meeting. Economy was $1,200, Polaris was $6,800 – that premium felt insane for an 11-hour flight. But those Chase points had been sitting there for months while I kept waiting for the “perfect” redemption.
Finally pulled the trigger on something I’d been researching forever. Transferred 35,000 Chase points to United (which happened surprisingly fast), booked Premium Plus for $1,600, then immediately submitted the mile upgrade request. Got position #4 on the waitlist.
Three days later – it cleared. Paid $300 co-pay and found myself in a lie-flat Polaris seat. Not gonna lie, felt pretty smug walking past the Premium Plus cabin to my business class seat. The math worked out to roughly 18 cents per Chase point, way better than typical 1.2-1.5 cent values I’d been seeing.
That success got me hooked on figuring out which routes actually work for credit card mile upgrades versus which ones are just expensive disappointments waiting to happen.
Chase vs Amex vs Citi: What Actually Transfers
Chase Ultimate Rewards: The Easy Button
Direct 1:1 transfer to United MileagePlus makes Chase cards the obvious choice. Takes literally 2 minutes on their website, no fees, and the points instantly become regular United miles with identical upgrade privileges.
The transfer happens almost immediately during weekdays, though weekend transfers sometimes wait until Monday. I learned that the hard way when trying to book a last-minute upgrade on a Sunday night.
Current Chase card bonuses (these change constantly):
- Sapphire Preferred: Usually around 60,000 points after spending requirements
- Sapphire Reserve: Similar bonus structure with higher annual fee
- Ink Business Preferred: Often has higher bonuses around 80,000-100,000 points
Those bonuses alone give you enough for multiple international upgrade attempts.
Amex: Possible But Annoying
No direct United transfer drives me crazy since I have a bunch of Amex points. You can work around this by transferring to Star Alliance partners like Singapore Airlines or ANA, then booking United-operated flights through their systems.
Tried this once transferring 45,000 Amex points to Singapore Airlines for a United flight. Worked eventually but required three phone calls to Singapore customer service (fun times with the Asia timezone) and about 2 hours on hold. The upgrade cleared, but honestly the hassle wasn’t worth it when Chase makes it so simple.
Citi: Why Bother?
Limited transfer partners for United upgrades. You can route through Turkish Airlines or Singapore, but it’s the same complexity as Amex without the strong earning rates. Unless you’re swimming in Citi points for some reason, stick with Chase.
What Upgrades Actually Cost (Hint: It Varies A Lot)
Economy to Polaris: The Full Jump
Based on what I’ve seen and community discussions, costs seem to run:
Transatlantic routes (SFO-LHR, SFO-FRA):
- Miles needed: Around 20,000-30,000 depending on your fare class
- Cash co-pay: Usually $400-700, though I’ve seen higher during peak times
- Success odds: Pretty terrible on popular routes like London
Transpacific routes (SFO-NRT, SFO-ICN):
- Miles needed: Maybe 25,000-35,000 miles
- Cash co-pay: $350-600 range typically
- Success odds: Better than Europe, especially Tokyo
SFO-Australia:
- Miles needed: 35,000+ miles (expensive route)
- Cash co-pay: $500-800
- Success odds: Not great due to limited flights and high demand
These numbers shift around constantly based on United’s mysterious revenue management algorithms, so take them as rough estimates.
Premium Plus to Polaris: Much Better Deal
Significantly cheaper across the board:
- Miles needed: Usually 15,000-25,000 (way less than economy)
- Cash co-pay: Often $250-450
- Success odds: Noticeably better clearing rates
- Backup plan: Still get decent Premium Plus experience if it doesn’t work
Premium Plus makes so much more sense as a base fare when you’re gambling on upgrades. Higher fare class gets you better treatment in the upgrade queue, plus you’re not miserable if it fails.
Which Routes Actually Work (And Which Ones Don’t)
SFO-NRT: The Sweet Spot
This route seems to have the best upgrade success from what I’ve observed. Daily flights, reasonable business demand mixed with leisure travelers, and the 777-300ER aircraft has 60 Polaris seats which helps with inventory.
My upgrade cleared here, and several people I know have had success too. Obviously no guarantees, but if I had to pick one route to attempt a credit card mile upgrade, this would be it.
SFO-LHR: The Black Hole
Avoid this route for upgrades. Seriously. Bay Area tech companies book confirmed Polaris months ahead with unlimited corporate budgets. Your transferred miles are competing against Google and Apple expense accounts that don’t care about cost.
Multiple people have burned significant miles on this route with nothing to show for it. If you must go to London, consider Virgin Atlantic or connecting through other European cities.
SFO-SIN: Limited But Possible
Newer route with less predictable patterns. The 787-9 aircraft only has 28 Polaris seats, so inventory is tight. But lower overall corporate demand might give you better odds than established business routes.
Winter months seem better when Asian leisure travel drops off.
SFO-FRA: Mixed Results
The 747-8 has 68 Polaris seats – highest capacity in United’s fleet. That should help with upgrades, but the aircraft is older and some people avoid it. German business travel patterns are different from UK routes, which might work in your favor.
Elite Status Still Runs the Show
Don’t expect transferred miles to bypass United’s hierarchy. The upgrade clearing order stays exactly the same:
- Global Services: These folks clear from almost any position
- Premier 1K: Major advantage, often clear from positions that leave others disappointed
- Premier Platinum: Decent priority, need reasonably good positions
- Gold/Silver: Basic priority, better than nothing
- General members: Back of the line regardless of mile source
Watched a 1K member clear position #6 with transferred Chase points while I sat stuck at position #3 with Gold status. Elite status trumps everything, including how you got the miles.
Fare class hierarchy within each tier: Premium Plus full fares beat discounted Premium Plus, economy Y class beats sale fares, basic economy can’t upgrade at all.
Timing Strategy That Seems to Work
The 5-8 Day Window
Best sequence I’ve found:
- Book Premium Plus 5-8 days before departure
- Transfer credit card points to United same day
- Submit upgrade request immediately after transfer completes
- Cross fingers and wait for clearing 48-72 hours before departure
This timing gets you into United’s processing queue when they make final capacity decisions, ahead of last-minute panic requests but after corporate booking patterns settle.
Processing Quirks
Chase transfers happen fast during business hours but can delay over weekends. Learned this the hard way trying to transfer points Sunday night for a Monday departure – had to wait until Monday morning processing.
Plan around these delays if you’re cutting it close on timing.
What Doesn’t Work (Expensive Lessons)
Hoarding Points for “Perfect” Redemptions
Kept my Chase points sitting around for over a year waiting for some mythical perfect 2+ cent per point redemption that never materialized. Meanwhile, passed up multiple upgrade opportunities that would have delivered 15-18 cent per point value.
The perfect redemption is often the one you actually use.
Waiting for “Confirmed” Availability
Upgrade space disappears without warning when United’s revenue management decides to close inventory. Transfer points and submit requests immediately rather than waiting for guaranteed availability that might never come.
Assuming Miles Change the Game
Transferred miles compete in United’s normal upgrade hierarchy. They don’t get special treatment, bypass elite status requirements, or magically clear from impossible routes like SFO-LHR.
Advanced Strategies That Actually Work
Premium Plus Insurance Policy
Always book Premium Plus when attempting mile upgrades. The slightly higher base fare improves your clearing odds, reduces mile requirements, and provides decent fallback comfort if things don’t work out.
Calculate total cost (Premium Plus + co-pay + point value) against direct Polaris booking to make sure the economics make sense.
Chase Card Stacking
Multiple Chase cards can feed the same Ultimate Rewards pool:
- Sapphire Reserve: 3x points on travel
- Freedom Unlimited: 1.5x on everything
- Ink Business Preferred: 3x on travel, higher bonus categories
Pool points across cards for larger upgrade attempts, though honestly most international upgrades only need 20,000-35,000 points anyway.
Asia Route Focus
Asian routes give you 12-16 hours of Polaris experience versus 7-10 hours to Europe. Calculate value per hour of premium experience when choosing where to burn your transferred miles.
When Credit Card Miles Beat Other Options
Peak Season Economics
Summer Europe pricing gets absolutely insane. Direct Polaris upgrades can hit $2,000-3,500 on top of base fares, while mile upgrades stay relatively stable at 25,000 points + $500 co-pay.
Credit card miles often provide better value than cash during peak periods when United’s pricing goes completely nuts.
PlusPoints Shortage
Once you burn through your annual PlusPoints (which happens fast if you actually try to use them), credit card miles provide unlimited upgrade attempts. No earning caps, no waiting for the next year – just transfer points and try again.
The Bottom Line on Credit Card Mile Upgrades
Chase Ultimate Rewards makes this easy with direct United transfers. Other programs work but add unnecessary complexity.
Route selection matters more than anything else – transferred miles follow the same terrible clearing patterns on SFO-LHR and decent patterns on SFO-NRT regardless of how you got the miles.
Premium Plus booking improves your odds significantly while providing insurance against upgrade failures.
The reality check: Credit card mile upgrades work on certain routes when you understand the game, but they’re not magic bullets that bypass United’s revenue-focused upgrade system.
FAQ: Credit Card Mile Polaris Upgrades
Can I use Chase points directly for United upgrades?
No, transfer them to United MileagePlus first at 1:1 ratio. Once transferred, they work like any other United miles for upgrades.
How much do mile upgrades cost?
Roughly 20,000-35,000 miles plus $350-700 cash depending on route and fare class, though pricing changes frequently.
Which routes have better success rates?
SFO-NRT seems to clear more often based on community observations, while SFO-LHR is notoriously difficult due to corporate demand.
Does elite status matter with transferred miles?
Absolutely, Premier 1K members get priority over lower tiers even when using identical transferred miles.
When should I transfer points and request upgrades?
5-8 days before departure works best, immediately after booking your base fare for optimal waitlist positioning.
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