Am I the last to find out that you can mix Y buckets if you only want to upgrade one leg? I've just bought LHR-JFK/EWR-LHR: EC out (O), UC back (M-to-G) for £595 and 20k miles. Detailed explanation below...
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I'd needed to book a short-notice, unplanned LON-NYC return trip, but I'd burned down to my last 35k miles, i.e. just short of the 40k needed for my favoured M-to-G upgrade for both legs (FYI: priced at £950).
I didn't really want to spend another £90 or so on the extra 5k miles, even with the 25% bonus on right now (so actually buying only 4k miles) - i.e. total £1,040, and leaving me with zero miles in my account.
In any case, I really didn't mind doing the ex-LHR daytime flight in Economy, but I really wanted UC on the overnight from EWR.
Economy M fare return was coming in at £750 (against non-upgradeable Y at £400), so I assumed upgrading the return leg only would cost the tax difference of around £100 (+ 20k miles) - i.e. £850 total. Not a great deal, really...
So I phoned up FC to check, whereupon I was asked whether I thought I would ever need to upgrade the outbound. I said no, especially as I'd have CH access and could wangle extra legroom or a bulkhead via my Au status.
The FC representative said, "then we'll look for O out and M back, and we'll upgrade the M to G. That comes in at £595 and 20k miles, sir."
Interestingly, the change fee is the standard M bucket (lower) fee of £100, even if I wanted to change the O leg.
And the bonus? The ex-EWR is the VS2 on a 787.
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I'd needed to book a short-notice, unplanned LON-NYC return trip, but I'd burned down to my last 35k miles, i.e. just short of the 40k needed for my favoured M-to-G upgrade for both legs (FYI: priced at £950).
I didn't really want to spend another £90 or so on the extra 5k miles, even with the 25% bonus on right now (so actually buying only 4k miles) - i.e. total £1,040, and leaving me with zero miles in my account.
In any case, I really didn't mind doing the ex-LHR daytime flight in Economy, but I really wanted UC on the overnight from EWR.
Economy M fare return was coming in at £750 (against non-upgradeable Y at £400), so I assumed upgrading the return leg only would cost the tax difference of around £100 (+ 20k miles) - i.e. £850 total. Not a great deal, really...
So I phoned up FC to check, whereupon I was asked whether I thought I would ever need to upgrade the outbound. I said no, especially as I'd have CH access and could wangle extra legroom or a bulkhead via my Au status.
The FC representative said, "then we'll look for O out and M back, and we'll upgrade the M to G. That comes in at £595 and 20k miles, sir."
Interestingly, the change fee is the standard M bucket (lower) fee of £100, even if I wanted to change the O leg.
And the bonus? The ex-EWR is the VS2 on a 787.
