Checking upgrade availability

Can someone explain or point me to where it is explained; how exactly do I check whether an upgrade is available.
I am planning a trip Feb 2015 and want to buy economy and upgrade on miles to UC. LGW TO MCO

I have searched and seen phrases like, 'check daily' and make a dummy miles booking, but don't know exactly what this means.

Dick D

Hi there,

I'm going to assume you want to burn miles with the upgrade so my advice is slightly tailored to that!

An easy way to check is to use http://www.rewardseats.com and select the route from LGW to MCO and search for the dates that you are flying to see if there are any reward seats available. The site has had a bit of a upgrade so it will now present M&M and Reward and Cash fares so it helps with your task!

http://www.rewardseats.com/rewards/vs/

Actually purchasing the upgrade gets a bit complicated, as you need to check what class of ticket you have purchased and then check to see if there is reward seat availability in Upper (known as a G class).

the-toolbox/fare-codes

Upgrade path is as follows to go from PE to Upper:

K > S or W > G

You buy a K class ticket, pay the fare difference to get to a S or W and then use miles to upgrade to the G in Upper. You always need to buy into the fare class that gives you the option to use miles for a upgrade

Sometimes its just cheaper to buy a S or a W and sometimes its cheaper to buy a Z class (lowest priced Upper ticket) but its all a matter of testing the different options to get the best cost or milage use.

Have fun!

You can also check upgrade availability on the VS website.

Simply pretend you're booking a full reward flight, selecting Upper Class and 'spend miles' instead of 'money'.

That'll tell you if there's 'G' reward availability on your chosen dates - if not, it should show a calendar showing when there is availability.

Ignore the price in miles it gives you. That's for a full reward flight. If you want to buy economy and upgrade you'll need to ask for an upgradable 'M' class fare which is more expensive than the cheapest economy fare.

Thanks Ryan,
that reward seats site helps a lot.

Dick D

Agree with gumshoe. Upgrading a qualifying (lower class) fare with comes from the same availability bucket as a fully miles-paid fare.

So you check the Virgin site as frequently as you have patience for (such as, daily) by setting it up for a booking using "Spend Miles" in the class you actually want to fly (eg Upper Class) and suitable dates.

Depending on availability vs. the dates you choose, it will offer you either nothing or available nearby dates for a "Spend Miles" fare. You will have greater success if you are able to fit your chosen dates to suit availability, rather than needing to fly on specific dates.

Once you see "Spend Miles" availability on dates that suit, call VA and book the same flights/dates by requesting an upgradeable fare and to upgrade with miles.

This is exactly how I got a round trip to Hong Kong for around GBP1070 plus 60k miles. That's about GBP800+ for the lowest upgradeable Economy fare inc. Economy taxes, plus another GBP250+ for the extra taxes.

Thanks Gumshoe and Harper.
Harper, your explanation is exactly what I'm after.
I can be flexible by a day or two so it now sounds much better.
Last year we bought the economy tickets then upgraded two months later so it was a very nervous wait.
I love to plan ahead. We booked our accommodation for Feb 2015 back in Nov 2013
Dick D

If it were me, I wouldn't book the upgradeable Econ fare first and then hope to upgrade later. reason: if you never get a suitable date available for the miles upgrade, you have then paid over the odds for the Econ fare (unless, of course, you want the for a fee change flexibility it offers). Better to await availability in your chosen cabin and then call to book it. But this of course also brings the risk of losing a lower fare in the lesser cabin in the event no reward availability ever comes up in the better cabin. Depends on your priorities.....

If it were me, I wouldn't book the upgradeable Econ fare first and then hope to upgrade later. reason: if you never get a suitable date available for the miles upgrade, you have then paid over the odds for the Econ fare (unless, of course, you want the for a fee change flexibility it offers). Better to await availability in your chosen cabin and then call to book it. But this of course also brings the risk of losing a lower fare in the lesser cabin in the event no reward availability ever comes up in the better cabin. Depends on your priorities.....

I understand that now thanks to your last post.
I have just paid the same price for PE this year as I did last year for an upgradeable Economy.
I shall keep checking for UC on miles for next year and not book until I see them.
Many thanks again.
Dick D