Originally Posted by
findark
The website pricing a differential to a YBM-up seems to be a bug for elites; perhaps some coder assumed that this option would always be cheaper and didn't check against the cheapest /UPDI fare. People in general have been pretty successful doing buyups like Q->Z on the same flight and getting the change fee waived. Sometimes it helps to mention GG BUYUP, sometimes just HUCA.
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/unite...-gg-buyup.html
ed. - Huh. In your case this raises an interesting philosophical point about GG BUYUP. Looking at the fare chart, seems like you're trying to refare from QAA07AKN to VAA07AKN/UPDI. In one sense it's a buy "up" to Z but in another it's buying "down" to V, as you certainly couldn't have booked the V fare originally. I'm sure all of this would be lost on your first-level phone agent you try to talk into waiving the change fee, but it's interesting on how/when the fee "should" be waived.
HUCA saves the day again. Second call went much smoother - she needed to check on waiving the change fee but it took no more than 5 minutes to come back with a "no problem" and processed the $40 buy up.