Upgrade Award Guidelines

With WorldPerks, you have the option of using your WorldPerks miles to upgrade your purchased ticket to First Class or World Business Class.

You can use miles to upgrade when you purchase a qualifying ticket on Northwest, KLM or Continental. Upgrades start as low as 5,000 miles.

1. You can choose to upgrade for one-way or roundtrip travel. Please refer to the Award Chart for details about mileage requirements.
2. You may request your upgrade award up to four days before travel by calling 1-800-44PERKS (1-800-447-3757).
3. US and Canadian residents can purchase tickets and redeem miles for upgrades all in one transaction on nwa.com. Online upgrade awards are only available on new Northwest and KLM itineraries. If you have an existing reservation and would like to upgrade using miles please call 1-800-44PERKS.

Eligibility

• Non-Elite WorldPerks members may no longer use miles to upgrade to First Class on domestic itineraries when purchasing Northwest T and K type fares or Continental V, Q, T, S and L type fares.
• Effective March 1, 2005, WorldPerks mileage upgrades for trans-Atlantic and trans-Pacific itineraries are only available on eligible paid Northwest Y and B type fares, Continental Y and H type fares, and on KLM S and B type fares.
• Only select fares will be eligible for mileage upgrades on Continental-operated flights. For flights to/from Hawaii operated by Continental, only Y fares may be upgraded.
• To determine if a ticket is eligible for WorldPerks mileage upgrades, check fare rules before you purchase or ask a Reservations Sales Agent.
• In order to claim an upgrade, the upgraded seat must be available for the entire segment. A segment is defined as all travel under a single flight number, even if it involves multiple stops.

Changes

• Changes made to revenue tickets that have already been issued and upgraded with miles will be subject to both the revenue change fee as well as the WorldPerks administrative fee.
• If you have upgraded a revenue ticket with WorldPerks miles and choose to downgrade the ticket to coach class, you will be required to cancel the entire reservation, redeposit the mileage, and rebook a new itinerary. You may apply the value of the revenue ticket towards the price of the new itinerary and it will be subject to the fare rules and to the WorldPerks administrative redeposit fee as well as the change fees associated with the revenue ticket. Platinum Elite members will be exempt from the WorldPerks administrative fee, but will be subject to the revenue change fee.
• Effective for award tickets issued on or after April 15, 2005, Northwest has made a policy adjustment to the change and redeposit timeline. Click here for applicable details.