Forget dressing smartly or trying to charm flight attendants. Those tactics for getting upgraded on flights are myths.
Instead, heed the advice here from frequent fliers who reveal tips that actually work for securing upgraded air travel.
Our experts are Gilbert Ott, Founder of travel site godsavethepoints.com; Zach Griff, senior reporter at The Points Guy; and JT Genter, Editor-In-Chief of the AwardWallet blog.
Read on and you’ll learn why checking in at the last second can yield a better seat — but only on certain airlines. And why booking premium economy is one of the best ways of getting bumped up to business class.
Booking tips for a seat at the pointy end
If you can afford to book a premium economy seat, you’ve also landed yourself a good chance of being bumped up to business class, says Gilbert.
He tells The Independent: “It’s the smallest cabin on the plane and the one the airline wants to ‘upsell’ economy passengers into the most.
“They love to oversell this cabin with upgrades, effectively selling a seat on the plane twice to someone. And since it’s such a small cabin, here you’re most likely to receive a complimentary bump to business or first class.”
If budget airlines are more your price point, Zach recommends checking in at the very last second.
He explains: “If you’re flying on one of the ultra-low-cost budget airlines such as Spirit or Ryanair, I typically recommend checking in at the last second.
“They often fill their planes back-to-front and reserve the most premium seats until the last minute to see if they can convince people to upgrade to them.
“If they end up going unsold, it’s possible they might assign them to the last people checking in.”
Does the same trick work for more expensive airlines?
It can, says Zach, but he warns that “those carriers often fill their better seats with elite members”.
Stay loyal
Enroling in an airline loyalty program and staying loyal significantly increases your chances of a better seat.
JT explains: “The best way to get an upgrade to business or first class is to be loyal to that airline.
“Generally, upgrades are going to go to a program’s elite members.”
Zach agrees, telling The Independent that rewards also include the ability to “reserve extra-legroom seats at no cost or at a highly discounted rate”.
The downside?
“You’ll need to spend thousands of dollars a year flying with that airline,” says JT.
Volunteer to take a later flight if yours is oversold — and negotiate an upgrade
Gilbert reveals that Delta has offered passengers as much as $10,000 each to transfer from an oversold flight to a later one.
And if there’s no cash offer, negotiate for an upgrade.
He adds: “Airlines regularly oversell flights, so letting them know at check-in and at the gate that you’d be very willing to volunteer — and holding out for a decent offer — is a great tactic.”
Collect air miles
Collecting air miles through credit-card spending is one of the classic tactics to snare a more luxurious seat.
Gilbert recommends the Bilt Reward Card as it “allows people to earn points for paying rent, typically the largest monthly expense, and there’s no annual fee, so it’s an easy way to jump into the game”.
He adds: “Plus, the more transactions and spend, the better your rewards.”
Zach is a fan of cards that allow customers to earn flexible travel points “that aren’t aligned with a specific airline or hotel chain”.
He explains: “This way, you can transfer points to a partner airline or hotel.”
Zach says that American Express, Chase and Capital One all offer cards with this feature.
JT’s pro tip here is to avoid spending thousands on existing cards and instead continually sign up to new cards to take advantage of sign-up bonuses.
He says: “These bonuses will earn you points much faster than through everyday spending alone.
“Done right, this strategy can help you earn hundreds of thousands of points each year. In fact, my wife and I have earned more than seven million points and miles through sign-up bonuses alone.
“Just be mindful of card issuer application restrictions and be strategic about your card applications.”
Avoid peak season
The magic months for the cheapest business-class flights are early November and December, and mid-late January and February, says Gilbert.
He reveals: “These are low periods for airlines and airlines are willing to sell relatively cheap tickets — think $2,000 for a business-class London-to-New York round trip — if you’re willing to book far in advance and accept no flexibility for changes or cancellation.
“If you can stick to it, take advantage of it.”
