Originally Posted by handspring088

Of course, some do clear. But the benefit was to be able to use them to upgrade with some advance notice. I get that there would be some restrictions, but the reality now is that most requests will not be fulfilled until close to departure, if ever.

I was told by an agent that a passenger who does not have any status would be unlikely to be able to use an SWU in the future. That diminishes it's value, to me.

That changes the value of the SWU. I fly, a lot, and the use of the SWU benefits my family, not me.