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[edit] Summary
A Confirmed Regional Upgrade (colloquially known as a CR-1) is an upgrade certificate that allows a one-cabin upgrade on eligible flight wholly within Region 1. (Note: The term "CR-1" is used by frequent flyers, but not by United; when speaking with a United representative, it is recommended to refer to these as Confirmed Regional Upgrades, or just Regional Upgrades - these are the official names of the certificates according to United.)
UA.com CR1 links: Regional Upgrades | CR-1 T&Cs | Regional Upgrade FAQs | Check upgrade balance
[edit] Earning CR-1s
CR-1s are deposited electronically to the member's account. There are no paper CR-1s.
[edit] 1K Mileage Plus members
Mileage Plus 1K members earn 2 CR-1s for every calendar quarter (Jan-Mar; Apr-Jun; Jul-Sep; Oct-Dec) in which they fly at least 10,000 miles on revenue tickets on flights operated by United or United Express. Flights operated by other carriers do not qualify. (Example: a flight marketed by US Airways but operated by United will count towards the mileage requirements for earning CR-1s; a flight marketed by United but operated by US Airways, or any other carrier, does not count.) The class-of-service bonus for premium fares does not apply to the mileage requirements for earning CR-1s, nor does any other bonus, although the 500-mile minimum applies. N.B. CR-1 earning is based solely on actual miles flown (subject to the 500-mile minimum) and is not based on EQMs or EQSs. A maximum of 2 CR-1s may be earned per quarter this way; flying additional miles beyond the requisite 10K per quarter does not earn additional CR-1s.
[edit] CR-1 sweeps
CR-1s are deposited on the second Saturday of the month, directly following the credit of the 10,000th eligible mile flown, except in January (when CR-1s are not deposited). Although not officially published, in practice, this sweep does not occur until after a member has also received his/her first e500s for the quarter.
[edit] Mileage "clock"
As officially published, the mileage counter for earning CR-1s resets at the beginning of each quarter, so that a member must fly at least 10,000 actual miles during each quarter to earn that quarter's CR-1s. In practice, the counter only resets on Jan 1, so a member must only fly the 10,000th mile (rather than all 10,000 miles) during the quarter in order to receive that quarter's CR-1s. (Example: A member flies 15,000 miles in January and receives 2 CR-1s for Q1. If the member flies only 5,000 miles in April, s/he will still receive 2 CR-1s for Q2 since the 10,000th mile was flown during Q2.) This does not affect the maximum number of CR-1s that can be earned, however, which remains only 2 per quarter. (FT, Post #3)
N.B. Because of the above, a non-1K member who qualifies for 1K status will receive 2 CR-1s for the quarter in which s/he attains 1K status and has crossed a 10,000 boundary (even if before achieveing 1K status), even though this is not officially published.
[edit] Million-mile rewards
A Mileage Plus member who surpasses 1 million lifetime miles will receive 2 CR-1s at the beginning of each year after passing the milestone. These 2 CR-1s do not count against the 2-per-quarter limit from flying.
[edit] Other earning methods
CR-1s are not available for purchase, but they may be given as compensation for certain irregular operations scenarios, e.g. voluntary denied boarding. CR-1s are also not directly transferable, but may be used to sponsor an upgrade for someone other than the CR-1's owner (see below).
[edit] Using CR-1s
The full terms and conditions that govern CR-1s are available on united.com.
[edit] CR-1 reservation process
Upon request for upgrade, the CR-1 will go into reserved status and is removed from the E-Upgrade (Balance) Summary regardless if cleared or waitlisted. The CR-1 will not be available for a different flight unless request is cancelled or waitlist does not clear for the original flight. If not used, the CR-1 will re-deposited (and re-appear) in Upgrade Summary in a few days. If the CR-1 does clear, the original reserved CR-1 will be used. This is true even if an earlier expiring CR-1 had been re-deposited. It will take a call to United to switch expiration dates.
[edit] Valid carrier
CR-1s may only be used on flights operated by United or United Express and only on multi-cabin aircraft. CR-1s may not be used on codeshare flights operated by other carriers. Upgrade requests for flights marketed by and operated by United or United Express may be made as early as time of booking and may be confirmed immediately, subject to space availability. Upgrade requests for flights marketed by other airlines but operated by United may only be made at the airport on the day of travel.
[edit] Valid routing
CR-1s may be used only for flights wholly within Region 1. A single CR-1 can be used to upgrade all eligible flights in a single direction (e.g. between a single origin and destination), regardless of the number of connections, except if the itinerary contains a stopover (a between-flight break of 12 hours or longer) or routes a second time through a specific airport. A single CR-1 can upgrade all eligible flights on either side of the stopover; upgrading the entire itinerary requires multiple CR-1s.
[edit] Upgradeable fares
A CR-1 may be used to upgrade from the following booking classes: United Business - C, D; United Economy - Y, B, E, M, U, H, Q, V, W, S, T, K, L.
[edit] Sponsored upgrades
CR-1s are not directly transferable but may be used to sponsor an upgrade for someone other than the CR-1s' owner. This is most easily done online at united.com, but can also be done over the phone with Reservations. However, if an upgrade is sponsored over the phone, the sponsor may be required to sign an Auditor's Coupon (a "bluey") at the airport to complete the authorization; this signature must be obtained prior to flight.
[edit] Expiration
CR-1s are valid through the end of the month one year after issuance. They must be used (not just applied) by the date of expiry, i.e. the scheduled departure date and time of an upgraded flight must be prior to the expiration date of the CR-1. Expired CR-1s cannot be reinstated and do not convert to miles.
[edit] Switching upgrade instruments
- You can switch upgrade instruments (e.g. from a CR-1 to a SWU) over the phone (FT), but this can sometimes be difficult.
- Before the upgrade has cleared & before the flight goes to airport control, it may be prudent to avoid switching instruments. Once on airport control, upgrades clear (first) by status so switching is probably okay. (FT)
- After the upgrade has cleared... (FT)
[edit] Profile for Regional upgrades
The policy governing CR-1s is detailed in S*PMO/UG-REGIONAL.
