Originally Posted by
Gig103
Do I understand correctly, that if I reach gold (looking at a challenge), I could buy some 500mi upgrades and request to use them at booking time to go from Econ to First, but being only Gold, I'd be behind all the EXP and Plat who want to upgrade, so the $40 is far from a sure thing. At check-in time I could still grab a MCE seat if available.
500-mile upgrades for Golds clear at T-24 hours, if inventory is available. Plat's have a 72-hour window, and EXP's get 100 hours. SWUs can clear at anytime from booking to boarding. If you are on an elite popular flight, there is a chance, but probably slight chance of getting an upgrade. The MCE seat assignment can happen if you happen to be online right after someone moves out of an MCE seat (cancel or upgrade).
Buying the 500-mile upgrades may be the worst cost wise, but the upside is they never expire, even if you loose status.