How to book partner award upgrades

How do partner award upgrades work?

Two different things sit behind the phrase. One is an award seat bought with miles; the other is an upgrade applied to a ticket the member already holds. On Turkish Airlines, Thai Airways International and TAP Air Portugal, MileagePlus members can use miles to book regular award flights and can also upgrade a ticket with Star Alliance Upgrade Awards. [5] [6] [7] On Virgin Australia, United's page covers award flights booked with miles and the airport benefits that Premier members receive. [4]

Award tickets on these carriers cannot be issued at the airport, so the booking has to be completed before travel. [4] [5] [6] [7] United also says there may be service charges, varying with the type of ticket, the travel dates and the member's MileagePlus status. [4] [5] [6] [7]

Booking class is where partner flying gets technical. United states that award miles accrued on codeshare flights are based on the operating carrier and its equivalent fare class, that this can differ from the booking class purchased, and that the flown class determines base miles and Premier qualifying credits. [4] [5] [6] [7] On the Turkish Airlines, Thai Airways International and TAP Air Portugal pages, United separates tickets bought directly from United from tickets bought elsewhere. For a ticket bought directly from United (ticket number starting "016"), United's page instead sets out earnings based on the fare price and MileagePlus status. [5] [6] [7] The fare-class earning tables apply where the ticket was bought from another airline, a third-party website or a travel agency, not directly from United. [5] [6] [7] In those tables, the "No mileage credit" rows list F, G, I, N, P, R, U, W and X for Turkish Airlines-operated flights [5]; E, I, L, O, N, R and X for Thai Airways-operated flights [6]; and F, I, N, R and X for TAP Air Portugal-operated flights [7]. The same terms add that all other fare classes do not accrue mileage. [5] [6] [7]

The conditions described here are United MileagePlus conditions for flights on these four carriers. [4] [5] [6] [7]

Which partners can you upgrade with United miles?

What do Premier members get on a partner-operated flight?

United's pages for Turkish Airlines, Thai Airways International and TAP Air Portugal say that MileagePlus members with Premier status flying those carriers receive Star Alliance Gold or Silver benefits. [5] [6] [7] On Virgin Australia the benefits are listed one by one: priority check-in, boarding and security clearance where available, one additional free checked bag, and access to Virgin Australia-operated lounges. [4] The additional free checked bag for Premier Gold, Platinum and 1K members does not apply on Virgin Australia Economy Lite fares. [4]

Bag rules can also diverge from United's. United's partner pages advise that the operating carrier may have different carry-on rules and that travellers should check that carrier's policy before reaching the airport. [4] [5] [6] [7]

What limits apply to partner award flights and upgrades?

• No airport issue. Award tickets on Virgin Australia, Turkish Airlines, Thai Airways International and TAP Air Portugal cannot be issued at the airport. [4] [5] [6] [7]
• Possible service charges. Charges may apply depending on the type of ticket, the travel dates and MileagePlus status. [4] [5] [6] [7]
• Excluded operator. Flights operated by AJet are not eligible for MileagePlus mileage accrual or redemption. [5]
• Fare-brand exclusion. The additional free checked bag for Premier Gold and higher does not apply to travel on Virgin Australia Economy Lite fares. [4]
• Date-based tables. The partner pages split fare-class earning tables by travel date, with separate before-and-after tables around 1 June 2026 for TAP Air Portugal [7], 1 July 2026 for Thai Airways International [6], and 24 June 2026 for Virgin Australia [4]. United and each partner reserve the right to change the eligible fare classes without notice. [4] [5] [6] [7]

Frequently asked questions

Can United miles upgrade a flight on Turkish Airlines?

United's MileagePlus page for Turkish Airlines says miles can be used to upgrade a ticket with Star Alliance Upgrade Awards, and that flights operated by AJet are not eligible for MileagePlus mileage accrual or redemption. [5]

Can a partner award ticket be issued at the airport?

No. United's pages for Virgin Australia, Turkish Airlines, Thai Airways International and TAP Air Portugal all state that award tickets cannot be issued at the airport. [4] [5] [6] [7]

Do partner awards and upgrades carry extra charges?

United says there may be service charges depending on the type of ticket, the travel dates and the member's MileagePlus status. [4] [5] [6] [7]

Do Premier members get lounge access on partner flights?

On Turkish Airlines, Thai Airways International and TAP Air Portugal, United says Premier members receive Star Alliance Gold or Silver benefits. [5] [6] [7] On Virgin Australia, Premier Gold and above get access to Virgin Australia-operated lounges, priority check-in, boarding and security clearance where available, and one extra free checked bag, which does not apply on Economy Lite fares. [4]

Related pages

Guide: partner award booking checklist. Terms: alliance status recognition, upgrade awards, systemwide upgrade, waitlist upgrade. More: frequent flyer glossary.

Sources

Sources accessed on 18 October 2026. Only United MileagePlus partner flying on these four carriers is covered; partner upgrade conditions for other programmes and alliances are not covered here.

1. United MileagePlus: earn miles on Virgin Australia, checked 18 October 2026
2. United MileagePlus: earn miles on Turkish Airlines, checked 18 October 2026
3. United MileagePlus: earn miles on Thai Airways International, checked 18 October 2026
4. United MileagePlus: earn miles on TAP Air Portugal, checked 18 October 2026