Originally Posted by JDiver
Plato90s and venk are
both right (!), IMO. A recent series of flights pretty much worked that way. Upgrades requested some time in advance, but DFW-ZRH was oversold, so I flew in 13G
and no money changed hands. ZRH-DFW, a connecting Mumbai pax didn't make it, the Gate Angel secured my upgraded seat, cost $75.
It is about when the certificate number for the miles upgrade gets generated and attached to your PNR. That is when you pay $75 (unless you have been on the waiting list for 21 days and still are). Now, if you never clear, then that number never gets generated (your first case). If that number is generated and you are subsequently upgraded then you are charged the $75 (your second case).
But there is a small time window in many flights where, there are no seats to upgrade released and it will be too close to the flight when released for the agent to go through the electronic number generation by calling AAdvantage. Most gate agents will not want to bother even if they can (and many gate agents do not have a clue as to how to do this). This is the situation where you can ask to get an upgrade certificate number attached to the PNR ahead of the seats being released even though an upgrade is not guaranteed at the time.
As the OP noted it is a gamble at that point because if you don't clear, you have to return the "used" certificate back for which they charge you $100.
So the method that worked for me several times was to hang around the gate at the point where they are willing to release the seats and they have one for you. Tell them that you have a certificate number but there seems to be a problem since they cannot find it in the PNR, ask them to hold the upgrade seat while you just verify with the desk, call the desk who is more than willing to allocate you one for $75 and then get the gate agent to upgrade it. Often, the gate agent is too busy or not familiar with the system to tolerate the above so that is when you suggest that you will get the AC staff to do it for you if they will hold the seat (most gate agents will agree to just get you off their back!). That is when you run to the AC calling the PLT desk on your cell phone on the way and getting the certificate released by the time you get to the AC. That is why the procedure differs from airport to airport. I had the ORD routine down pat. In some airports, you can ask the AC staff to call the gate to let them know when a seat is released so they can do the above for you while you are sipping a cold one in the AC rather than doing the gate-AC shuffle.
If you do a transatlantic run as often as I did last year, it becomes almost automatic!
