Frequent Flyer Mile Upgrades Are Pricier

In case you haven’t been paying attention, it’s getting more expensive to use your Frequent Flyer miles to get either an upgrade or a “free” premium seat.

This comes at a time when airplanes are more crowded as the airlines cut back on routes to keep their costs down. Thankfully, Ed Perkins just wrote Upgrading With Frequent Flyer Miles Still Possible, But Pricey.

Here’s an excerpt from Ed’s article:

Originally, the process was very simple: You bought a cheap ticket, then had the frequent flyer program upgrade it, usually with no hassle. Now, however, the big airlines act as if they want to discourage ordinary coach/economy traveler from upgrading. They applied two main barriers:

– Many of them now limit upgrades to some of the more expensive coach/economy fares.
– More recently, they’re adding cash payments along with miles to upgrade.

Along with shrinking seat allocations, these rules have made upgrading both harder and more expensive than in earlier times. Still, you can do it.

You can read the rest of Ed’s article here.