How to Upgrade to First Class Using Credit Card Points
Terms apply to American Express benefits and offers. Visit americanexpress.com to learn more.
Welcome to the Points Pro, where I answer your credit cards and travel rewards questions each week. If you have a question you’d like answered, you can submit it here.
This week, CNBC lead reporter Jasmin asks:
How can you get an upgrade from economy to first class with your credit card or credit card points? (This question has been edited for clarity and brevity.)
You can upgrade to a premium cabin with points or miles, and certain credit cards can help you unlock access to upgrades. However, if you want to upgrade using rewards, there are many variables to consider, and the availability or value of these upgrades can be hit or miss.
What to consider when planning to upgrade with points
The specifics of upgrading flights vary by airline. It’s important to understand the upgrade process before booking your flight because you may accidentally limit (or eliminate) your chances of securing a better seat.
Keep in mind, the option to upgrade with points or miles is dependent on upgrade award seat availability, and you may be added to the waitlist. In general, here are a few key questions to ask if you’re looking to use points to upgrade your flight:
(Note that there are exceptions and nuances to much of this advice, but it’s not practical to cover every airline’s details.)
Pay attention to the ticket fare
The type of ticket you buy can impact whether you can upgrade your flight and the cost of upgrading. Usually, basic economy tickets and award tickets aren’t eligible for upgrades with miles or points.
Airlines also offer different types of fares, which can affect your upgrade options. This is the part of the process that can be the most confusing because there is a difference between the cabin you’re flying in and the fare class of your ticket.
You could be booked in the economy cabin, but your ticket fare could be basic economy, discounted economy or full fare economy. The more expensive full-fare tickets typically have the most upgrade flexibility and are usually fully refundable.
Simply put, when you pay more for your initial flight, you increase your chances of upgrading with miles and may even pay less for the privilege.
Single cabin upgrades
You can typically only upgrade from one cabin to the next (i.e., economy to premium economy or premium economy to business class). This is only relevant if you’re traveling on a long-haul international flight and want to turn your economy seat into a lie-flat business or first-class seat. In that case, you typically can’t purchase an economy seat and upgrade beyond the middle-tier premium economy cabin.
Upgrade prices and fees
Just like with standard award flights, some airlines have a fixed award chart for miles upgrades and others have dynamic prices, which means each upgrade is priced differently. Upgrading with miles may also require a cash copay in addition to the miles, and the fees you pay to upgrade can vary based on the fare class of your ticket and whether you have elite status with the airline.
Certain airlines even allow mileage upgrades with specific partners. While partner upgrades can cost fewer miles than upgrading directly through the airline you’re flying with, it’s not always available, and similar restrictions apply (fare restrictions, etc.).
Other ways credit cards can unlock upgrades
The cheapest way to get upgraded is by having elite status with the airline or airline alliance you’re traveling with. While complimentary elite status upgrades are amazing, it’s not something you can rely on, and there’s a hierarchy to navigate. If you have a low-level status, your upgrade priority is behind anyone with top-tier status.
A cobranded airline credit card can be helpful in this regard because you can often earn elite status credit with credit card purchases. While you can earn elite status without flying, an airline credit card is typically more useful as a supplement to the elite credit you earn in other ways. If you’re close to the next tier of status, the right airline credit card can help you get there.
For example, the Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card comes with a $2,500 MQD Headstart (Medallion® Qualification Dollars) every Medallion Qualification Year, which is half of what you need to qualify for Medallion Silver status. You also earn $1 MQD for every $10 in purchases you make with your card.
The Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card’s array of premium benefits make it a perfect fit for the most loyal Delta flyers, including elite status boosts, rideshare credits (enrollment required) and airport lounge access.
- Access to airport lounges, including Amex Centurion lounges
- Up to $560 in annual statement credits (Enrollment may be required)
- 15% discount for eligible Delta award flights (Not applicable to partner-operated flights or to taxes and fees.)
- High annual fee
- No bonus spending categories outside of Delta purchases
Highlights
Highlights shown here are provided by the issuer and have not been reviewed by CNBC Select’s editorial staff.
- You may be eligible for as high as 100,000 Bonus Miles after you spend $5,000 in eligible purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months of Card Membership. Welcome offers vary and you may not be eligible for an offer. Apply to know if you’re approved and find out your exact welcome offer amount – all with no credit score impact. If you’re approved and choose to accept the Card, your score may be impacted.
- Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card Members receive 15 Visits per Medallion® Year to the Delta Sky Club® when flying Delta and can unlock an unlimited number of Visits after spending $75,000 in purchases on your Card in a calendar year. Plus, you’ll receive four One-Time Guest Passes each Medallion Year so you can share the experience with family and friends when traveling Delta together.
- Enjoy complimentary access to The Centurion® Lounge in the U.S. and select international locations (as set forth on the Centurion Lounge Website), Sidecar by The Centurion® Lounge in the U.S. (see the Centurion Lounge Website for more information on Sidecar by The Centurion® Lounge availability), and Escape Lounges when flying on a Delta flight booked with the Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card. § To access Sidecar by The Centurion® Lounge, Card Members must arrive within 90 minutes of their departing flight (including layovers). To access The Centurion® Lounge, Card Members must arrive within 3 hours of their departing flight. Effective July 8, 2026, during a layover, Card Members must arrive within 5 hours of the connecting flight.
- Receive $2,500 Medallion® Qualification Dollars with MQD Headstart each Medallion Qualification Year and earn $1 MQD for each $10 in purchases on your Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card with MQD Boost to get closer to Status next Medallion Year.
- Enjoy a Companion Certificate on a Delta First, Delta Comfort, or Delta Main domestic, Caribbean, or Central American round-trip flight each year after renewal of your Card. The Companion Certificate requires payment of government-imposed taxes and fees of between $22 and $250 (for itineraries with up to four flight segments). Baggage charges and other restrictions apply. Delta Basic experiences are not eligible for this benefit.
- $240 Resy Credit: When you use your Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card for eligible purchases at over 10,000 qualifying U.S. Resy restaurants, you can earn up to $20 each month in statement credits. Enrollment required.
- $120 Rideshare Credit: Earn up to $10 back in statement credits each month after you use your Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card to pay for U.S. rideshare purchases with select providers. Enrollment required.
- Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card Members get 15% off when using miles to book Award Travel on Delta flights through delta.com and the Fly Delta app. Discount not applicable to partner-operated flights or to taxes and fees.
- With your Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card, receive upgrade priority over others with the same Medallion tier, product and fare experience purchased, and Million Miler milestone when you fly with Delta.
- Earn 3X Miles on Delta purchases and earn 1X Miles on all other eligible purchases.
- No Foreign Transaction Fees. Enjoy international travel without additional fees on purchases made abroad.
- $650 Annual Fee.
- Terms Apply.
- See Rates & Fees
The United℠ Explorer Card is worth it even if you only fly with United Airlines once or twice a year because you can take advantage of two United Club℠ passes per year when the primary cardmember or authorized user is traveling and you can receive free checked bags.
- No annual fee for the first year
- Unlocks upgrades for elite members on award flights
- Two free United Club airport lounge passes every year
- Valuable United Airlines perks, such as in-flight purchase discounts and the ability to earn elite status credit through credit card spending
- First checked bag free benefit requires you to pay for the flight with the card
- United Airlines has a dynamic award chart which can limit the value and flexibility of your miles
Highlights
Highlights shown here are provided by the issuer and have not been reviewed by CNBC Select’s editorial staff.
- Earn up to 80,000 bonus miles
- $0 introductory annual fee for the first year, then $150
- NEW! 9x total miles on eligible United flights and 3x miles on all other eligible United® purchases
- 2x miles on dining and hotel stays when booked with the hotel. 1x mile on all other purchases.
- Free first checked bag – a savings of up to $160 per roundtrip. Terms Apply. Plus, priority boarding on United® flights.
- 2 United Club one-time passes per year – over a $100 value
- Over $500 in partner credits each year
- NEW! Save at least 10% when booking flights with miles. Premier members earn even more.
- Member FDIC
Subscribe to the CNBC Select Newsletter!
Money matters — so make the most of it. Get expert tips, strategies, news and everything else you need to maximize your money, right to your inbox. Sign up here.
Why trust CNBC Select?
At CNBC Select, our mission is to provide our readers with high-quality service journalism and comprehensive consumer advice so they can make informed decisions with their money. Every personal finance article is based on rigorous reporting by our team of expert writers and editors with extensive knowledge of financial products. While CNBC Select earns a commission from affiliate partners on many offers and links, we create all our content without input from our commercial team or any outside third parties, and we pride ourselves on our journalistic standards and ethics.
Catch up on CNBC Select’s in-depth coverage of credit cards, banking and money and follow us on TikTok, Facebook, Instagram and X to stay up to date.
For rates and fees of the Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card, click here.
Editorial Note: Opinions, analyses, reviews or recommendations expressed in this article are those of the Select editorial staff’s alone, and have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any third party.
