EVA Air’s frequent flier program, Infinity MileageLands, is poorly understood. Which makes sense: Outside of Taiwan, which comprises the vast majority of its frequent flyer base, it’s a niche scheme (at best); even the miles and points nerds who claim to use it only do so sparingly.
One of the most egregious misrepresentations of IML? That “award availability is wide-open,” either when compared to the space the airline releases to partners like Air Canada and United, or in general. Ahead of my last trip to Taiwan, in fact, I didn’t see a single seat open up on any of EVA Air’s North America-to-Taiwan flights.
That’s the bad news. The good news? An EVA Air upgrade is much, much easier to come by than an outright award seat. And confirming it is easy too, in spite of the EVA website’s generally questionable performance and reliability.
It’s Surprisingly Easy to Upgrade EVA Air Flights
I’ll be honest: I did not expect that it would be so easy to upgrade an EVA Air flight. As I explained in the intro, I’m pretty cynical about Infinity MileageLands in general, and not just because of questionable award availability. The tech leaves a lot to be desired, even if the website interface is a great deal more modern than it used to be a few years ago. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve been locked out of my account simply for “doing too many searches.”
I was terrified, to be sure, when I decided that upgrading a recent flight from Premium Economy to Royal Laurel (aka business class) would be the best course of action. What if the tool had displayed erroneous upgrade availability? What if a technical snafu prevented me from snagging the upgrade, and someone else got it? What if I paid for an confirmed the upgrade, only to be downgraded at the airport? Thankfully, none of these scenarios ended up coming to pass.
How to Upgrade Your EVA Air Flight
Check how many miles you have
This might sound obvious, but without it, the entire process falls apart. After you consult the EVA Air upgrade chart, you’ll want to make sure you have enough miles. If not, you can transfer them (from Citi’s ThankYou program) or buy them, albeit at a terrible rate, usually $0.04 per point.
Confirm upgrade availability
This might also sound obvious, but you need to do it before you take any nonrefundable steps. First, use this tool to make sure that an EVA Air upgrade is available for the date you want to travel. Be mindful of choosing the right “Travel Class After Upgrade”! The default is “Premium Economy,” which is not what most people want.
NOTE: You can go ahead and click the “Redeem to Upgrade” button if you’ve already purchased your ticket, or are planning to do so imminently.
Book your economy or premium economy ticket
You need to keep two things in mind for this step. First, you need to book a ticket that can be upgraded, which usually excludes the cheapest fare classes; the ticket also needs to be purchased directly from EVA Air. Secondly, make sure you purchase the proper ticket based on the miles you have. You need many fewer miles to upgrade from Premium Economy to Royal Laurel (business) than you do from even a full-fare economy ticket (which may be more expensive).
Apply the upgrade to your itinerary
Once you’ve purchased your ticket, go back to the page the “Redeem to Upgrade” button took you to (you can also find it here), enter your six-digit confirmation number. Once you click “Confirm,” you’ll see your itinerary displayed and, after a couple more clicks, your EVA Air mileage upgrade is confirmed!
TIP: If you are upgrading very close to departure, you might not be able to select a seat, which can feel alarming. But rest assured: Your upgrade is confirmed! You just need to get to the airport a tiny bit earlier than usual.
Enjoy a more luxurious flight
That’s it! It sounds almost too good to be true, given how crappy award availability has been on EVA Air in recent years, and how many tech issues plague their website. But to be honest, EVA Air flights are some of the easiest on which to score confirmed business class upgrades, especially considering how competitive rates tend to be.
Why EVA Air Upgrades Are More Plentiful Than Award Seats
Now, spoiler alert: I don’t have any inside info as to EVA’s corporate logic, nor do I have a personal contact within their office in Taipei. What I can say, however, is that two main logical threads underlie the mismatch between upgrade availability and award availability, and the fact that it almost always falls in favor of upgrades. The first? Only Infinity MileageLands members can upgrade, which means that the upgrade system incentivizes (necessitates, really) loyalty.
Secondly, an EVA Air upgrade award requires you to put down some capital. On long-haul flights, the least you can expect to pay for an upgradeable ticket is typically around $1,000 one-way, and that’s if you are comfortable paying almost as many miles to upgrade as you would for an outright business class award. EVA Air simply stands to gain more (or lose less) from offering upgrades than it does with award seats.
Other FAQ About Upgrades on EVA Air
Can I upgrade an EVA Air flight?
You may be able to upgrade your EVA Air flight if you meet certain requirements. First of all, you need to buy your flight directly from EVA Air, and it needs to be an upgradeable fare class. Secondly, you need to be a member of Infinity MileageLands, and have the requisite amount of miles in your account. If one or both of these are untrue for you, you won’t be able to upgrade your flight.
How to check EVA Air upgrade availability?
EVA Air’s website has a page where you can check upgrade availability. However, you’ll need to be logged into your Infinity MileageLands account to use it. The good news is that if your desired flight is available to upgrade, you can click directly from this tool directly to the upgrade portal, which facilitates a quick and simple process.
What is Premium Economy Up on EVA Air?
Premium Economy “Up” is the highest premium economy fare class on EVA Air. It’s more expensive than Basic or Standard Premium Economy, but also requires fewer miles to upgrade, and has lower fees to change or refund it. If you book far in advance, the difference in price between Up and Basic or Standard might not be as high as you think.
The Bottom Line
An EVA Air upgrade is much easier to score than an award seat to or from Taiwan. And I say that in the context of my general cynicism toward the much-written about “wide-open” availability offered by Infinity MileageLands, which doesn’t even begin to live up to the hype built up around it. Likewise, although EVA Air’s website leaves a lot to be desired in terms of functionality, confirming your upgrade is practically instant, presuming that you have enough miles and have purchased an eligible ticket. Need personalized help sorting out flights in advance of your Taiwan trip, or with putting together the itinerary itself? Consider hiring me to help!
