I fly YVR-DFW-BWI on a coach award ticket and I have Gold status. For the heck of it, I asked at the gate on DFW-BWI if there were any business class seats available since I have status. The gate agent upgraded me without asking if I wanted to use 25,000 miles (what I was told over the phone it would cost to upgrade -- can't use 500-mile upgrades on an award ticket) or 500-mile upgrades.

When I looked at my account a few days later, I saw that neither miles nor 500-mile upgrades had been deducted. Even better, I earned miles on the DFW-BWI leg, including the 25% Gold bonus!

A lucky one-time occurrence or a strategy to finagle miles out of award tickets?

*flew. Forgive me.