Originally Posted by JumboD

Would have to be paid: OP said he's usually on BA metal and up until recently there was no way of upgrading with AA miles, and it's been years since AA miles could be used to upgrade CX tickets. And no other Asian partners have ever allowed it to my knowledge.

Also, he said he's a points qualifier, meaning unless he's only booking full-fare Y or B tickets (often more expensive than I fares) he wouldn't qualify on points.