jackal

There are two different fare buckets that First Class seats come out of:

F: Full fare First Class. This is generally equal to the number of unsold First Class seats in the cabin.
U: Upgradeable First Class. This is a subset of F and is either equal to or less than F.

If U is greater than zero and you (as an MVP) buy a Full Flex fare, then you should be upgraded instantly into an F seat.

If U is zero and you buy a Full Flex fare (as an MVP), then you will be automatically placed on a waitlist and, assuming you're high enough on the list, then as soon as more F seats are released into U, then you will be upgraded. This can happen any time from the moment you buy your ticket all the way until the boarding door is closed for departure. This is a completely separate waitlist from the normal 48-hour waitlist for MVPs. It's theoretically a higher-priority waitlist than the 48-hour one. Also, Alaska indicated at a recent event that they are working on a system that will "force" an upgrade if there are any unsold F seats within a few days of departure, even if U is zero (i.e. if F2 U0 but you're an MVP on a Full Flex fare, you'll still be upgraded). I am not sure if that is in process yet.

Note that the real First Class fare is often not much more expensive than Full Flex, and considering the benefits you get when booking a real First Class (F) fare--free Board Room access, 1.5x miles (both RDMs--redeemable miles--and EQMs--elite qualifying miles, which get you to MVP), and the best handling in the case of irregular operations--you might consider just booking true F tickets.

If you book anything less than Full Flex, then you are put on another waitlist (separate from the one mentioned above). This waitlist does not become active until 48 hours before flight. At that time, if there is any inventory open in the U fare bucket, the waitlist will be processed and the top x people on that waitlist (based on date/time the ticket was bought) will be upgraded. Note that this waitlist is lower priority than both the Full Fare waitlist mentioned above as well as the MVPG75K and MVPG waitlists, so those waitlists all have to be empty before the MVP waitlist kicks in. That said, MVPs can get upgrades easily on many routes; the transcons, Hawaii, and Alaska flights are much more difficult, though.

Nope. Calling in upgrades usually refers to applying the MVPG Upgrade Certs that MVPGs get (and can give away). These cannot be waitlisted (for now--they're supposed to become electronic and waitlistable perhaps next year), so many people here will set alerts online and watch for F seats to be released into U space and then call to claim the upgrade. If you're booking a Full Flex fare or just relying on the 48-hour complimentary upgrade, you're on the waitlist and everything should be handled automatically. (The operative word there is "should," though, and sometimes there is a delay between when seats are placed in the U bucket and when the waitlists are actually run. The more intrepid among us will often still set alerts and call in when space is opened to either try to jump the queue, in case they're not already #1, or just try to prevent someone else from jumping in front of them. (They'll call and ask the agent, "I see U space is open but my upgrade wasn't processed. Can you fix it?" The agent will usually say, "Gee, wow, I have no idea why that could possibly be the case! I'll go ahead and process your upgrade and move you up to First Class right now.")

That link will allow you to view your reservation online and modify your seats or make online changes to your itinerary. You cannot obtain any upgrades at that link.* When you book your ticket, you are automatically placed on the waitlist for First Class (either on the instant upgrade waitlist, if you book a Full Flex fare, or on the 48-hour-out waitlist, if not).

*One exception would be if you book an itinerary before you qualify for MVP but then subsequently qualify, you can place yourself on the waitlist at that link.

If you're that close to MVP (7,000-ish miles?), I'd see if you can make it work. The bonus miles you earn while flying and the occasional upgrade even on the lowest bargain-basement fare really do make it worth having.

Indeed!