Can I book flex and then call in and pay the upgrade to business?
Feb 24, 2017, 10:24 am
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Feb 2017
Posts: 30
Can I book flex and then call in and pay the upgrade to business?
Random question, I've got to book a trip to LAX for June, Dates are fixed and short of natural disaster nothign is changing these dates. Company is paying for flex and that's the receipt I will need to submit. Can I book flex and then call in and pay the upgrade to business? So I still have my original receipt to submit for expenses. I don't want to take chances on the LMU.
I've done this flight before in economy and it's a special kind of hell and if a couple hundred dollars buys my comfort and sanity so be it.
I've done this flight before in economy and it's a special kind of hell and if a couple hundred dollars buys my comfort and sanity so be it.
Feb 24, 2017, 10:34 am
#3
Join Date: Apr 2011
Location: YYC
Programs: AC 50k 1MM, Marriott LT Titanium Elite
Posts: 3,400
Yes, no problem at all with the AC side. Only issue may be if your corporate travel agent controls the ticket, you may have to do the upgrade with them. Still should be no problem having them accept a separate credit card to pay the fee difference (I have done this many times with American Express corporate travel for example).
Feb 24, 2017, 10:42 am
#4
Original Poster
Join Date: Feb 2017
Posts: 30
Yes, no problem at all with the AC side. Only issue may be if your corporate travel agent controls the ticket, you may have to do the upgrade with them. Still should be no problem having them accept a separate credit card to pay the fee difference (I have done this many times with American Express corporate travel for example).
Feb 24, 2017, 10:53 am
#5
Join Date: Nov 2005
Location: YSC (and all its regularly scheduled flights)
Posts: 2,520
I have done this in the past by submitting a screenshot of the price in Y and in J on the same day, then I booked the J ticket and they just re-imbursed the Economy price. I asked in advance and they had no problem, though it wasn't a particularly tough policy to start!
Dr. PITUK
Dr. PITUK
Feb 24, 2017, 11:36 am
#6
Join Date: Jan 2003
Location: AC SE, SPG Lifetime Plat, ACMM
Posts: 3,535
You can also try this: Book the flight in Flex and before you make the payment you will have the flights and costs--print that page and then go back and book the business class ticket and submit for reimbursement.
Feb 24, 2017, 12:10 pm
#7
Join Date: Mar 2015
Location: Toronto
Programs: MileagePlus 1K, Marriott Platinum, MPC Green
Posts: 43
Another option is buy the ticket on economy and cancel it within 24 hours. They refund you relatively quickly (and sometimes don't even charge if you do it quickly). That way, you have the receipt. I do it all the time. I didn't know about calling them and upgrading. I'll try it next time.
Feb 24, 2017, 12:16 pm
#8
Suspended
Join Date: Sep 2014
Programs: AC SE100K-1MM, NH, DL, AA, BA, Global Entry/Nexus, APEC..
Posts: 18,877
@DaniGirl03 and escherfan
See this thread on "Upselling a Fare" on AC. Read posts 16-29
Change Fees for Up-fare
Feb 24, 2017, 12:17 pm
#9
Join Date: Sep 2005
Location: YOW
Programs: AC E75K *G
Posts: 7,107
You won't have any trouble with AC doing this.
If you don't specify, the most likely way they'll do it is to cancel your flex booking and book a new J ticket. So your boarding pass ticket number will be different from the ticket number on your flex receipt.
If your employer isn't fussy, you'll be good to go.
But if your employer is fussy, make sure they do a change to the original booking rather than a cancellation-then-rebook.
If you don't specify, the most likely way they'll do it is to cancel your flex booking and book a new J ticket. So your boarding pass ticket number will be different from the ticket number on your flex receipt.
If your employer isn't fussy, you'll be good to go.
But if your employer is fussy, make sure they do a change to the original booking rather than a cancellation-then-rebook.
Last edited by zorn; Feb 26, 2017 at 11:49 am
Feb 24, 2017, 12:18 pm
#10
Join Date: Sep 2000
Location: OGG, YYC
Programs: AA, AC
Posts: 3,697
Random question, I've got to book a trip to LAX for June, Dates are fixed and short of natural disaster nothign is changing these dates. Company is paying for flex and that's the receipt I will need to submit. Can I book flex and then call in and pay the upgrade to business? So I still have my original receipt to submit for expenses. I don't want to take chances on the LMU.
I've done this flight before in economy and it's a special kind of hell and if a couple hundred dollars buys my comfort and sanity so be it.
I've done this flight before in economy and it's a special kind of hell and if a couple hundred dollars buys my comfort and sanity so be it.
Feb 24, 2017, 12:34 pm
#11
Join Date: Jan 2016
Location: YYZ
Programs: FOTSG Tangerine Ex E35k (AC)
Posts: 5,612
Doesn't YXE-LAX involve at least one flight > 4 hours?
I concur that $200 is insufficient even if you have somehow booked into high-flex for a flight in 4 months. It's probably less depending upon whether your YVR/YYC/YYZ is a pod of course. Most are not.
I concur that $200 is insufficient even if you have somehow booked into high-flex for a flight in 4 months. It's probably less depending upon whether your YVR/YYC/YYZ is a pod of course. Most are not.
Feb 24, 2017, 2:14 pm
#12
Original Poster
Join Date: Feb 2017
Posts: 30
nope yxe to lax is $780 each way business. It's only a difference of a couple hundred each way to go from flex to lowest class paid business. LMUs that i've been watching are often more and not always available.
I'm not gonna stress about $4-500 when it comes to me functioning at me best and making more money when i'm there.
I'm not gonna stress about $4-500 when it comes to me functioning at me best and making more money when i'm there.
Feb 24, 2017, 2:23 pm
#13
Join Date: Apr 2015
Location: YVR
Programs: UA Premier Platinum
Posts: 3,759
@DaniGirl03 and escherfan
See this thread on "Upselling a Fare" on AC. Read posts 16-29
Change Fees for Up-fare
See this thread on "Upselling a Fare" on AC. Read posts 16-29
Change Fees for Up-fare
Feb 24, 2017, 2:27 pm
#14
Join Date: Sep 2000
Location: OGG, YYC
Programs: AA, AC
Posts: 3,697
nope yxe to lax is $780 each way business. It's only a difference of a couple hundred each way to go from flex to lowest class paid business. LMUs that i've been watching are often more and not always available.
I'm not gonna stress about $4-500 when it comes to me functioning at me best and making more money when i'm there.
I'm not gonna stress about $4-500 when it comes to me functioning at me best and making more money when i'm there.
Feb 24, 2017, 2:32 pm
#15
Suspended
Join Date: Sep 2014
Programs: AC SE100K-1MM, NH, DL, AA, BA, Global Entry/Nexus, APEC..
Posts: 18,877
Your company may or may not care but IMO upselling is the way to do because many companies want the actual receipt of the item that was actually purchased for reimbursement, not just a receipt indicting what Flex costs but from a transaction that you didn't actually go through with or subsequently refunded.
Also, when I "upsell" the fare, I have to pay for it personally. If I feel the difference is reasonable for the flight length, I will do it. I've also used my upgrades for the same reason.