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[edit] Summary
A Confirmed Systemwide Upgrade (colloquially known as a SWU) is an upgrade certificate that allows a one-cabin upgrade on eligible flights throughout the United route system, including both Region 1 and Region 2. (Note: The term "SWU" is used by frequent flyers, but not by United; when speaking with a United representative, it is recommended to refer to these as Confirmed Systemwide Upgrades, or just Systemwide Upgrades - these are the official names of the certificates according to United.)
UA.com SWU links: Systemwide Upgrades | SWU T&Cs | Systemwide Upgrade FAQs | Check upgrade balance
[edit] Earning SWUs
SWUs are deposited electronically to the member's account, although paper SWUs are also available for use on Lufthansa (see below) or occasionally when issued at the airport as compensation.
[edit] 1K Mileage Plus members
Mileage Plus 1K members earn 6 SWUs at the beginning of every year if they earned 100,000 Elite Qualifying Miles (EQMs) or 100 Elite Qualifying Segments (EQSs) during the previous calendar year. (SWUs are not given during the year that a member qualifies for 1K.) Two additional SWUs are earned for every 50K EQMs beyond the first 100K or for every 50 EQSs beyond the first 100.
[edit] Early deposit
In previous years, United has offered a promotion to re-qualifying 1K members to allow an early deposit of 4 of the next year's SWUs. This promotion was generally offered beginning on October, good through the end of the year. When offered, members who had re-qualified for 1K status for the following year could contact Mileage Plus to have exactly 4 (no more, no less) of the next year's SWUs deposited into their account immediately. The remaining 2 SWUs would be deposited normally in January. SWUs deposited early have correspondingly earlier expiration dates.
N.B. The early deposit promotion is not guaranteed and is not a published benefit; United may or may not make this promotion available in future years.
[edit] Million-mile rewards
A Mileage Plus member who surpasses 1 million lifetime miles will receive 3 SWUs upon passing the milestone. Members who surpass 2 and 3 million lifetime miles will receive 4 SWUs upon passing the respective milestone.
[edit] Other earning methods
SWUs are not available for purchase, but they may be given as compensation for certain irregular operations scenarios, e.g. voluntary denied boarding. SWUs are also not directly transferable, but may be used to sponsor an upgrade for someone other than the SWU's owner (see below).
[edit] Using SWUs
The full terms and conditions that govern SWUs are available on united.com.
[edit] SWU reservation process
Upon request for upgrade, the SWU will go into reserved status and is removed from the E-Upgrade (Balance) Summary regardless if cleared or waitlisted. The SWU 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 SWU will re-deposited (and re-appear) in Upgrade Summary in a few days. If the SWU does clear, the original reserved SWU will be used. This is true even if an earlier expiring SWU had been re-deposited. It will take a call to United to switch expiration dates.
[edit] Valid carrier
SWUs may only be used on flights operated by United or United Express and only on multi-cabin aircraft. SWUs may not be used on codeshare flights operated by other carriers, except for flights operated by Lufthansa, which require special procedures (see below). 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
SWUs may be used for flights in or between Region 1 and/or Region 2. A single SWU 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 SWU can upgrade all eligible flights on either side of the stopover; upgrading the entire itinerary requires multiple SWUs.
[edit] SWU-upgradeable fares
For travel wholly within Region 1, a SWU 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.
For travel including (i.e. to, from, or wholly within) Region 2, a SWU may be used to upgrade from: United Business - C, D; United Economy - Y, B, E, M, U, H, Q, V, W.
[edit] Lufthansa
SWUs may be also used on flights operated by Lufthansa, with some important restrictions.
[edit] Paper SWUs
Electronic SWUs cannot be used on Lufthansa; they must be converted to paper SWUs. A request to convert a SWU to paper must be made at least 14 days prior to the applicable flight, to allow time for conversion and mailing. Members must contact Mileage Plus to request paper SWUs.
[edit] Upgrade request
Upgrades on Lufthansa with paper SWUs may only be made on a standby basis on the day of flight, subject to space availability - upgrades with paper SWUs cannot be confirmed in advance.
[edit] Valid fares
Paper SWUs may be used to upgrade any eligible Lufthansa flight except when booked in LH booking classes X, I, R, N, W, S and E. LH booking classes L and T are also excluded for intra-Europe flights. In contrast with usage on United, a single paper SWU will upgrade only a single LH segment; multiple segments require multiple SWUs, regardless of the segment length. (FT)
[edit] Sponsored upgrades
SWUs are not directly transferable but may be used to sponsor an upgrade for someone other than the SWUs' 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
SWUs 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 SWU. Expired SWUs cannot be reinstated and do not convert to miles.
In previous years, Mileage Plus has offered a promotion to allow 1K members to extend the expiration of a single SWU. Prior to 2009, this promotion extended the validity of 1 SWU for an additional year. In 2009, the extension lasted only through April 2009. Members were required to contact Mileage Plus in order to extend their SWU; this did not happen automatically.
N.B. The expiration-extension promotion is not guaranteed and is not a published benefit; United may or may not offer this promotion in future years.
[edit] Switching upgrade instruments
- You can switch upgrade instruments (e.g. from a SWU to a CR-1) 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 Systemwide upgrades
The policy governing SWUs is detailed in S*PMO/UG-SYSTEM.
