9 Best Ways To Upgrade to Business or First Class on Your Next Flight

You can upgrade to business or first class with elite status benefits, miles or cash upgrades, and award bookings. This guide shares 9 upgrade methods across 4 major U.S. airlines: Alaska Airlines, American Airlines, Delta Air Lines, and United Airlines.

Upgrade availability and rules vary by airline and route. For the best results, review the elite status section and quick overview below before choosing an upgrade strategy.

Quick Overview: How To Upgrade to Business or First Class

Upgrade policies, pricing, and eligibility vary by airline and route, particularly for international flights. Elite status offers the most consistent access to complimentary upgrades, especially on domestic routes.

All travelers, regardless of status, can purchase upgrades with miles or cash, though availability may be limited. Discounted business class fares can sometimes cost less than economy, and award tickets guarantee your premium class seat rather than depending on upgrade availability.

How To Upgrade to Business Class: Method Comparison

1. Achieve Airline Elite Status

Qualifying for an airline’s elite status is the best way to receive complimentary upgrades. Whether it’s domestic upgrades, regional upgrade certificates, systemwide upgrade certificates, or upgrades with miles, elite members have priority over those without status.

Not all domestic routes qualify for complimentary upgrades, and select coast-to-coast flights and flights to Hawaii are excluded with some airlines. Airlines offer specific routes with complimentary regional upgrades. Complimentary upgrades on long-haul international flights are rare, but elite members frequently have the opportunity to earn them.

Here’s how you can receive upgrades with elite status on Alaska, American Airlines, Delta, and United.

• Alaska Airlines: Elite members receive complimentary upgrades in order of elite status level on all Alaska Airlines flights (Source: Alaska Airlines).
• American Airlines: American AAdvantage elite members receive complimentary upgrades. Executive Platinum elite members can earn systemwide upgrade certificates, which cover up to 3 flights in 1 direction of travel and can be used to upgrade from economy to business class or business class to first class (Source: American Airlines).
• Delta Air Lines: All Delta Medallion elite members qualify for complimentary upgrades, granted in order of elite status level (Source: Delta Air Lines). Delta Platinum and Diamond Medallion elite members can choose regional upgrade certificates each year.
• United Airlines: Upgrades for Premier elite members are offered on a space-available basis on certain United-operated domestic flights, granted in order of elite status level. PlusPoints earned by Premier Platinum and 1K members can be used to confirm upgrades on some flights (Source: United Airlines). Premier 1K members receive 6 systemwide global upgrades for one-way, one-cabin upgrades when Premier 1K elite status is achieved, and additional global upgrades when meeting higher Premier Qualifying levels.

2. Receive Instant Upgrades When Purchasing Certain Fare Class Tickets

You can be upgraded immediately if you purchase a high-fare class ticket. In most cases, the airline requires you to have elite status to be eligible.

• Alaska Airlines: Atmos Rewards Silver members purchasing Y or B fares receive an immediate upgrade. Atmos Gold members purchasing Y, B, H, or K fares receive an immediate upgrade. Atmos Platinum and Titanium members receive immediate upgrades when purchasing Y, B, H, K, or M fares.
• American Airlines: Although full-fare, Y- and B-class tickets do not receive an immediate upgrade, the higher fare class gets upgrade priority over lower fare classes.
• Delta Air Lines: Medallion elite members can receive an immediate upgrade when purchasing a full-fare, Y-class ticket.

3. Upgrade Your Flight With Miles

You can secure an upgrade to business or first class when purchasing your ticket or on an existing reservation.

• American Airlines: With AA’s Instant-Confirm Upgrades, the cost of upgrading your ticket with miles is priced dynamically. You see the cost of an upgrade with miles during the booking process. Discount economy fare tickets (but not basic economy tickets) can be upgraded on American Airlines and American Eagle-marketed or Eagle-operated flights. You can upgrade an existing reservation by managing your reservation online.
• Delta Air Lines: Delta’s Upgrade with Miles is available in the trip summary when you purchase eligible domestic main cabin flights (Source: Delta Air Lines). Mileage Upgrade Awards are available for existing reservations and can be secured by calling Delta SkyMiles (800-323-2323).
• United Airlines: When searching for flights, select all search options, then select MileagePlus Upgrade Awards. For existing reservations, redeem an upgrade to buy up to a premium cabin, use a regional or global upgrade if available, or use miles and cash for the upgrade. You may also request a MileagePlus upgrade at the airport or by calling 800-421-4655.

4. Buy an Upgrade

Most airlines allow you to purchase upgrades, which may be reasonably priced.

• Alaska Airlines: All travelers may purchase first class upgrades based on availability 24 hours prior to departure.
• American Airlines: Upgrades purchased for flights may be offered on the day of departure, subject to availability.
• Delta Air Lines: Upgrades are often available for purchase in advance, but further-discounted upgrades may be available at check-in.
• United Airlines: Sign in to your MileagePlus account and access your existing reservation. Select redeem upgrade to buy up to a premium cabin, use a regional or global upgrade if available, or use miles and cash for the upgrade. You may also request a MileagePlus upgrade at the airport or by calling 800-421-4655.

Hot Tip: Always check for low-priced upgrade purchase opportunities at check-in and at the gate. 

5. Buy Discounted Business and First Class Fares

Some discounted premium cabin tickets can be priced lower than economy, though it can be challenging to find these fares. Fare alerts with Google Flights, Kayak.com, and other flight deal alert tools notify you when a good fare becomes available for your itinerary or destinations with price reductions. The Google Flights Explore map can help you find destination pricing, and the ITA Matrix allows you to search multiple airlines at once.

6. Upgrade With Miles on Partner Airlines

• Alaska Airlines: You can earn and use miles with Alaska’s 32 partner airlines, but you can’t use Atmos Rewards points for partner airline upgrades.
• American Airlines: You can use miles to upgrade on British Airways and Iberia flights, but you must purchase at least a full-fare economy ticket to upgrade with miles. Systemwide upgrades can be used on some British Airways flights.
• Delta Air Lines: Global upgrade certificates earned by Delta Medallion elite members can be used on partner airlines Air France and KLM. Mileage Upgrade Awards are available on some Virgin Atlantic-, Air France-KLM-, and Aeromexico-operated flights.
• United Airlines: United has over 35 Star Alliance and nonalliance partners that participate in mileage upgrades. Book your ticket, then request the upgrade under the option that says “redeem upgrade.”

7. Purchase Business or First Class Award Tickets With Miles

Purchasing an award ticket in business or first class is one of the best ways to ensure flying up front. Read our guides to booking award flights with miles:

• Best ways to redeem American Airlines miles
• Best ways to redeem Delta SkyMiles
• Best ways to redeem United MileagePlus miles
• Best ways to redeem Alaska Airlines Atmos Rewards points

Hot Tip: Read this in-depth guide to finding award space. 

8. Carry an Airline-Branded Credit Card

Airline-branded credit cards that offer improved upgrade priority include:

Hot Tip: Premium travel cards such as the Platinum Card^® from American Express and the Chase Sapphire Reserve^® offer lounge access, airline credits, Global Entry credits, and additional travel benefits (some benefits require enrollment). 

9. Get Sponsored for an Upgrade

Sponsored upgrades allow an elite member to sponsor another traveler for an upgrade using upgrade certificates or companion upgrade benefits. Here’s how they work:

• Alaska Airlines: Silver, Gold, Platinum, and Titanium members can upgrade up to 1 companion traveling on the same reservation and the same fare class.
• American Airlines: American Airlines allows elite members who have earned upgrade certificates to use them for any traveler. Companion upgrades are available on paid tickets for all elite members. Companions qualify for complimentary upgrades with the same elite status priority as the elite member.
• Delta Air Lines: Travelers accompanying Delta elite members on the same itinerary receive equal elite status priority for complimentary upgrades, and Delta elite members who hold global or regional upgrade certificates can use them to upgrade a travel companion on the same itinerary.
• United Airlines: Premier elite members holding global and regional upgrades may use them to upgrade other travelers, even if the elite member is not traveling with the person receiving the upgrade. One companion traveling on the same paid reservation as the Premier member is eligible for a complimentary upgrade with the same priority as the elite member. Members can call for more than 2 travelers on the same reservation.

How To Find Out if Upgrade Space Is Available

Here’s how to find out if upgrade space is available:

• Alaska Airlines: Search for flights and look for “upgrade fare type.” fares shown with an “F” in a solid blue box are available for upgrades.
• American Airlines: Travelers with ConciergeKey or Executive Platinum status with American Airlines can view availability for using systemwide upgrade certificates when searching for a flight. All other travelers have to call to check whether upgrade space is available.
• Delta Air Lines: Delta’s website lets you search for upgrade space.
• United Airlines: Search for flights using United’s expert mode, which you can activate in your MileagePlus account profile under search preferences.

Final Thoughts

Purchasing a business or first class flight with miles, points, or cash is the best way to get a seat at the front of the plane. Elite status is the next best way to get a flight, as top elites receive complimentary upgrades and earn exclusive upgrade certificates.

If you have a stash of frequent flyer miles and purchase a qualifying fare class ticket, you can use those miles to try to purchase an upgrade. If none of these are doable, elite member friends or family with companion benefits may offer sponsorship.