Related: United Will Fly To Tahiti Year-Round!
United has excellent nonstop award availability between North America and Tahiti in coach, especially for Chase United cardholders who have access to greatly expanded award availability. However nonstop business class award space between North America and Tahiti is notoriously scarce on all airlines.
This flight is operated on a 787-8 with the pre-merger Continental lie-flat seats in a 2-2-2 configuration. Business class seats include United’s newly launched Polaris business class service with Saks Fifth Avenue bedding and pillows. Savvy travelers will also request a Saks Fifth Avenue mattress pad, gel cooled pillow, slippers, and pajamas, as those are not proactively offered by flight attendants as there aren’t enough of them for everyone.
There is business saver award space from San Francisco to Papeete on:
- 11/20/18: (0 saver award seats for all members, 1 saver award seats for Platinum/1K elites, 6 upgrade seats available for all members)
- 12/9/18: (1 saver award seat for all members, 2 saver award seats for Platinum/1K elites, 5 upgrade seats available for all members)
- 1/10/19: (0 saver award seats for all members, 2 saver award seats for Platinum/1K elites, 7 upgrade seats available for all members)
- 3/26/19: (0 saver award seats for all members, 4 saver award seats for Platinum/1K elites, 9+ upgrade seats available for all members)
- 4/2/19: (7 saver award seats for all members, 7 upgrade seats available for all members)
- 4/9/19: (7 saver award seats for all members, 7 upgrade seats available for all members)
- 4/23/19: (5 saver award seats for all members, 5 upgrade seats available for all members)
- 5/7/19: (7 saver award seats for all members, 7 upgrade seats available for all members)
- 5/21/19: (7 saver award seats for all members, 7 upgrade seats available for all members)
There is business saver award space from Papeete to San Francisco to on:
- 11/6/18: (6 saver award seats for all members, 8 upgrade seats available for all members)
- 12/4/18: (8 saver award seats for all members, 9+ upgrade seats available for all members)
- 12/23/18: (6 saver award seats for all members, 9+ saver award seats for Platinum/1K elites, 9+ upgrade seats available for all members)
- 1/17/19: (1 saver award seat for all members, 5 saver award seats for Platinum/1K elites, 9+ upgrade seats available for all members)
- 3/30/19: (7 saver award seats for all members, 7 upgrade seats available for all members)
- 4/2/19: (7 saver award seats for all members, 7 upgrade seats available for all members)
- 4/16/19: (7 saver award seats for all members, 7 upgrade seats available for all members)
- 4/23/19: (7 saver award seats for all members, 7 upgrade seats available for all members)
- 4/30/19: (5 saver award seats for all members, 5 upgrade seats available for all members)
- 5/7/19: (7 saver award seats for all members, 7 upgrade seats available for all members)
- 5/21/19: (7 saver award seats for all members, 7 upgrade seats available for all members)
Upgrade awards:
You can always waitlist for an upgrade award, but the dates above have flights that are confirmable now by calling United.
If you have a paid ticket, the cost of an upgrade varies based on your ticket’s fare class as follows:
In other words, it will cost 30K United miles plus $600 for a one-way upgrade from most discounted coach tickets to business class.
Business saver class award booking options:
-You can transfer miles from Chase Ultimate Rewards to United (1:1 ratio) instantly and book these on United.com. United charges 35K one-way in coach or 70K one-way in business class for United flights to Tahiti. Awards can be cancelled for free within 24 hours. United never collects fuel surcharges. After 24 hours, non-elites will pay $75 to cancel awards more than 60 days before a flight or $125 within 60 days of a flight. Awards can be booked online.
You can also redeem 75K United miles for business class even when there is only coach available. Read this post for how to do that via “Plan B”.
Having a Chase United card greatly expands the saver award space that you can book. United.com only shows the lowest available award rate when you’re logged in, so a cardholder may see a 35K rate while a non-cardholder will see the standard rate. Cardholders also have the ability to book the last seat available in any class with Standard/Everyday awards.
–ANA charges 75K miles in coach or 120K miles in business class round-trip, one-way awards aren’t available. There are no fuel surcharges for United awards. It can take 1-3 days to transfer points from AMEX to ANA (1:1 ratio) and transfers from Marriott to ANA (60K:25K ratio) can take 2-10 days.
Hotel options:
From Papeete you can take a ferry or short flight to the beautiful island of Moorea, to the stunning resorts of Bora Bora, or to the many other islands of French Polynesia.
Unfortunately the arrival times into Papeete mean that you will have to overnight there as there are no later flights to connect to other islands in French Polynesia. That’s a shame.
Bora Bora and the Maldives are both famous for luxury resorts with incredible overwater bungalows. I’ve been to the W Maldives and the S. Regis Maldives, but I’ve yet to go to Bora Bora. That’s been partially due to how easy it is to find amazing business and first class awards to the Maldives, point deals that I’ve taken advantage of, and the ideal Maldives weather taking place during winter in the US.
IHG has 2 properties in Bora Bora, Marriott has 2 properties, and Hilton has 1 hotel there. If you can find award availability at the InterContinental Bora Bora Resort Thalasso Spa you can book right into an overwater villa.
You can book stays in the Le Meridien or the S. Regis on the Marriott app for just 60K Marriott points/night, though it won’t be in an overwater villa.
IHG has hotels in Papeete and Moorea and Hilton has a Moorea property as well.
Papeete even has a Jewish community and an Orthodox shul, though unfortunately it’s not within walking distance of the Intercontinental Tahiti. There’s little information about it online, so I’d love to hear about it if you’ve been there.
Have you been to French Polynesia? Do you have plans to go in the future?
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22 Comments On "United Polaris Business Class Saver Awards Are Available To Tahiti!"
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“This flight is operated on a 787-8 with the pre-merger Continental lie-flat seats in a 2-2-2 configuration”
Wasn’t the merger complete before United took delivery of any 787s? in any case, I don’t recall there ever being any CO 787s. If you are trying to say they put the same seats on the 787 as CO had on their aircraft, that’s an interesting way of writing that.
They are the pre-merger Continental lie-flat seats. Not sure what’s confusing about that.
Continental also ordered those 787s and seats are decided at that point. Hence why they don’t have United style seats.
Unclear part was that the 787 plane that CO ordered pre merger was accepted post merger by UA into their service with their seats. That’s news to me. I didn’t care for those seats
how much would aegean charge?
We went for our honeymoon and spent two shabbos at the shul. Small community very warm and hospitable there are some hotels within very easy walk of shul but it is a more downtown setting then beach.
They also had a mikvah.
They had all minyanim on shabbos.
They try to have a daily minyan but not reliable.
Getting to Tahiti with points isn’t the issue. Finding award availability at hotels in Bora Bora is…especially if you’re looking for an overwater villa.
We went about 7 years ago but Hilton and S Regis in bora bora I think only had overwater so that worked with points.
Also moorea is great and the Hilton rooms not overwater have private pools.
Would anyone know how I can reach Dan with a points question?
I’d suggest posting on https://forums.dansdeals.com/
Does Dan get to see it there?
I’m not the only person in the world that can answer a points question…
כל אחד מיוחד ואתה במיוחד
Dan, Please realize that its a trust you’ve earned yourself & that’s why he wants “your” opinion.. Now I know ur busy.. That’s something else..
St Regis & Four Seasons will provide you Kosher food upon request
Anyone know more details about the kosher meals at the SR?
Butler told me that you can arrange to have Kosher meat at each restaurant with advance notice. We will eat dairy out so decided that was a safer bet then assuming they know what do to and not cross contaminate
Didn’t cross my mind that it was a possibility, I’ll reach out to them to ask.
Thanks!
Hi, has anyone been to the Kosher all inclusive in Dominican Republic recently? Dansdeals forum only had posts 3 or 4 years old or older…
I was there last year
Nice. How was it? Would you go again? Recommend? What’s ur email or # to ask a few questions- we are looking to go soon…
in the posting you wrote that the united credit card gives you increased availability for saver awards. Is that true only for awards when flying on united itself or is there increased availability even on partner awards that you can book on their website for example air canada .Would greatly appreciate a response
How Can I get a one way from ewr Po PPT through SFO with points on United? Website won’t allow me to search that itinerary. And can I do plan b if there’s economy”lowest rate available” not “saver”