Reader Success Story: How 1 reader took advantage of free elite status to score an upgrade on his 2nd United flight

Editor’s note: Brian Kelly, founder of TPG, is an advisor and investor of Bilt.

I wanted to share a short story from reader Ryan Kassanoff, who was upgraded to United’s first class for free thanks to a Challenge United Airlines status on Bilt Hire Day. What’s even more impressive is that this is Ryan’s second flight at United – and he’s not paying the rent with Bilt.

So how did Ryan do it?

Coming from Dallas, my travels are usually in the US or Southwest. I hold intermediate status with both carriers, so I have only flown United once in my life. However, that changed when flying on a group trip to Israel with a Lufthansa flight from Washington’s Dulles International Airport (IAD) to Tel Aviv’s Ben Gurion Airport (TLV) via Frankfurt Airport (FRA). .

My day begins with a navigation flight from Charlotte Douglas International Airport (CLT) to Dulles. Given the frequency from CLT to United’s IAD hub, I bought a ticket on United. A few days after booking a United flight, I read a TPG article about Bilt’s promotion to get Premier Silver status. Although Kyle warned me that United’s free upgrades were few and far between (especially for United’s lower elites), I signed up for the ranked match.

I checked the upgrade listing 36 hours before the flight. To my surprise, I was first on the upgrade list with three vacant seats. Immediately after checking in for my flight, my upgrade was deleted — and I’m glad I got it. United’s standard check-in counter was overloaded with more than 50 passengers queuing.

Thanks to Bilt, Kyle and TPG status matching, I was able to quickly drop off my free baggage and get priority baggage handling and security. And, of course, a comfortable first class seat on the Charlotte to Dulles flight is another plus.

On the first day of each month, Bilt runs Promotion day rental. In general, you can earn double Bilt points for non-rent purchases. However, in November, Bilt teamed up with United to offer Blue members 120 days. Premier Silver Status Challenge. Bilt Silver, Gold and Platinum members have enjoyed the 120-day Premium Gold status challenge.

Bilt’s Green Tier is open to the public even if you don’t have one Bill Mastercard®. So when Ryan reads Our November Rent Day articlehe signed up with Bilt and then took the status challenge with United Premier Silver.

We love this story from Ryan. His story reminds us all that entry-level elite status can make travel significantly more enjoyable. With his Premier Silver status, Ryan earned extra United miles on his transatlantic Lufthansa flights. Now, he’s looking for a way to qualify Premier League Gold Awardgiving him perks like lounge use on more flights, Savings Plus at the time of booking and Marriott Bonvoy Gold Elite Status.

While Bilt no longer offers this status match, use this article as a reminder to take advantage of future status matches and challenges. We keep a running list of Ongoing offer in this post.

View Bilt Mastercard rates and fees here.
View Bilt Mastercard rewards and benefits This.