Unlock the Secrets to Snagging Flight Upgrades for Premium Seats

First- and business-class seats are much sought after by travelers looking for award bookings and elite passengers eager for upgrades. Given the high demand for these higher classes, several airlines have introduced another way to secure unbooked premium seating options: through auctions.

Below is essential information regarding the auction procedure along with details on which carriers provide this service. Additionally, we share advice to assist you in securing seats in premium economy, business class, or first class for significantly lower fares through several top airlines.

The bidding process

The procedure for upgrading through bids is quite similar across different airlines. Once you've finished your reservation and gotten your electronic ticket, either of these situations could kick off the bidding process for you: You might get an email giving you the opportunity to place a bid for an upgrade. Alternatively, upon checking your flight details online, the airline’s site may ask you to participate in a bidding round; this usually appears as a popup invitation or a link allowing you to start the bidding process.

The terms and conditions for bidding on upgrades differ among carriers; however, several common rules typically apply:

• You can only submit a bid once you've made a ticketed reservation.
• Each flight segment has both a minimum and maximum allowable bid amount. Simply bidding a small sum won’t suffice; you must consider others’ potential bids as well.
• You have to provide payment details when making a reservation, however, you will not incur any charges until your offer is approved. Once an offer is accepted, it cannot be refunded except in cases where your trip is cancelled.
• Upon successful upgrade, most programs provide you with the advantages and features associated with your new travel tier, such as lounge access and additional luggage allowances. Exceptions are detailed below.

It’s crucial to remember that although an airline may provide upgrade bidding options, not every route might be included. Certain carriers explicitly list which routes are eligible, whereas some require you to input your booking reference number to check whether your specific flight qualifies for upgrades.

Moreover, upgrade bids typically apply per individual traveler and each leg of your journey. So, if you're traveling from Los Angeles to Paris and continuing on to London, you'll need to place an upgrade bid specifically for both the LA-Paris route and the Paris-London one. In cases where several passengers share the same booking, your bid amount is considered per person. Thus, should two individuals be partaking in this trip and you submit a bid of $200 for upgrading either segment, the total bid would effectively come out to $400.

Based on the airline, specific timeframes for placing bids apply. Typically, most airlines demand that all online bids must be submitted no less than 72 hours prior to departure.

Airlines that permit auctioning for upgrade improvements

A lot of airline bidding systems are managed by the identical corporation. Plusgrade , although each airline might have its own particular restrictions regarding this procedure. Below you'll find some general details about the auction systems used by leading airlines. Keep in mind that numerous additional global carriers provide similar bid opportunities.

Aer Lingus Enables certain flights from Ireland to the U.S. or Canada to be upgrade-eligible, although not all of them qualify automatically. Upgrades can only be requested on trips reserved through Aer Lingus itself. Suitable participants will get an email prompting them to submit their offer.

Air Canada provides the AC Bid Upgrade program, enabling passengers to place bids for premium economy and business class seats up to 48 hours prior to departure. Customers have the option to submit their bids. Aeroplan Points and cash; should their offer win, the payment will be deducted from their credit card, bank account, or loyalty program balance.

Air New Zealand's The OneUp program enables travelers on international routes to ascend one cabin class. This means they can transition from economy to premium economy, or from premium economy to business premier. Should the route feature just two classes, upgrades would be possible from economy directly to business. Passengers have the option to place their bids either through their Air New Zealand account via email—potentially receiving an offer up to three days prior to departure—or by contacting the airline’s call center. Those whose offers are accepted will get notification approximately seven days ahead of the scheduled travel date. Payments for these upgrades can be made using either money or Airpoints Dollars.

Hawaiian Airlines It is the sole U.S.-based airline that provides a bidding system for upgrades. Through their "Bid Up For First Class" feature, passengers have the opportunity to place bids for first-class lie-flat seating options and subsequently modify or retract these bids up until 28 hours prior to departure. Should your bid get approved, confirmation will come via notice within 24 to 48 hours leading up to your flight; conversely, if unsuccessful, notification of this outcome will arrive at least 24 hours beforehand.

Etihad Airways' Selected upgrades are not limited by your travel destination. Nonetheless, specific ticket types such as those obtained through promotional offers, guest seat awards, redemption tickets, complimentary tickets, upgrades made with miles, reservations involving multiple passengers, and bookings that include infants do not qualify for bidding on an upgrade. You have the option to upgrade by one class only—this means you can transition from economy to business class or from business to first class. When upgrading this way, you will still accumulate loyalty points. Etihad Guest Miles at the standard rate along with a 10% boost for class of service will be awarded if your bid succeeds.

Lufthansa enables you to upgrade from economy to either premium economy or business class on long-distance trips. Passengers in premium economy have the option to place bids for an upgrade to business class, while those traveling in business class can bid for access to first class. For shorter routes, economy-class flyers may also participate in bidding for a bump up to business class. To make your offer, visit Lufthansa’s official site and enter your bid details online. Within one to one-and-a-half days prior to takeoff, you'll be informed via email whether your request has been approved.

Related: How to upgrade to first class without spending a ton of money

Singapore Airlines' MySQUpgrade enables you to place bids for an upgrade using U.S. currency (dollars). KrisFlyer Miles within a set distance limit apply for reservations made and managed by Singapore Airlines. You have the option to create, modify, or cancel an offer up to 72 hours prior to your scheduled flight departure. Upgrades using KrisFlyer miles will move you just one class higher. For certain destinations, first-class upgrades may be obtained when opting to pay with cash through MySQupgrade.

Virgin Atlantic Enables you to place a bid for upgrading to the subsequent higher class of service from what you initially reserved—this might allow you to transition from economy to premium, or perhaps from premium to upper-class seating. Direct booking through Virgin Atlantic is necessary, and should your flight qualify, they'll send you an email inviting you to submit a bid. With Virgin Atlantic, you have the option to participate in bidding activities up until 48 hours prior to your planned departure time.

Airline companies that do not provide bidding options for upgrades

These airlines don’t provide the option to place a bid for an upgrade with a custom amount, however, they might permit upgrades at a predetermined price through payment of cash and/or mileage.

• Air France
• American Airlines
• British Airways
• Delta Air Lines
• Emirates
• KLM
• Qatar Airways
• United Airlines

Tips

There isn't a guaranteed approach to secure the winning bid at the most favorable price. Nonetheless, these suggestions may enhance your likelihood of success:

• Use ExpertFlyer Owned by TPG’s parent company Red Ventures, or a comparable tool, you can check the number of remaining premium class seats on your flight.
• Use this formula to determine your bidding price: First, figure out the standard cost of a business-class ticket. Then, deduct the amount you spent on an economy class fare from that. Finally, target setting your bid at approximately 20% to 40% of the difference between these two amounts.
• Consider bidding just above the minimum to get ahead of others because many participants typically opt for the lowest possible bid.

A significant number of premium-level members aren’t fond of their favored airline’s bid proposals, since these often seem like auctions for the privileges they’ve earned through frequent flying. This sentiment is further exacerbated by airlines that provide fixed-price upgrades at both check-in counters and boarding gates, which adds layers of difficulty for premier-tier elites who frequently find themselves near the top of the upgrade queue yet still miss out. Striking this balance proves challenging for carriers as they aim to boost income sources without alienating their most dedicated customers.

TPG contributor Melanie Lieberman successfully bid For a Scandinavian Airlines trip departing from the New York metropolitan area to Oslo, Norway, Lieberman secured an upgrade through their auction-style system. This allows flyers to place bids on upgrades up until 25 hours prior to takeoff for both domestic and European routes. She successfully moved from economy to business class with a payment of 450 euros (which was equivalent to $440 at that time). Based on her investigation, she discovered that numerous fliers manage to secure upgrades simply by offering the lowest possible amount. According to ExpertFlyer’s information, there were ample seats available in the business-class section for this particular SAS journey.

Several of our readers shared their thoughts on the TPG Lounge Facebook page. One mentioned that they often manage to secure flight upgrades using Plusgrade. This service is utilized by many airlines for their upgrade systems, and passengers can explore potential bidding chances as well.

Bottom line

In the end, bidding for upgrades has the potential for great value. By offering up a few hundred dollars, you can find yourself in premium economy or business class for much less than the amount your new seat neighbors paid.

The next time you fly one of these airlines and find yourself with a chance to bid, evaluate whether a bid that's likely to succeed offers enough value to be worthwhile. Hopefully, the strategies above can help you fly in premium classes at less than premium prices.

Related reading:

• Best airline credit cards
• Maximize your airfare: The best credit cards for booking flights
• The best credit cards to reach elite status

Editorial disclaimer: Opinions expressed here are the author’s alone, not those of any bank, credit card issuer, airline or hotel chain, and have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any of these entities.