Originally Posted by
VegasGambler
I let every single GGU I ever had expire unused, except for two that I gave to someone on this forum. The minimum booking class always made them completely worthless for me; every time there was U space available in advance there was always an economy ticket available for much much cheaper than the upgradeable fare, and the chances were good that I would get upgraded anyway. I'm not sure why I would pay more to confirm the upgrade at booking when I can just wait and get the upgrade for free when the window opens.
On the other hand two SWUs allow me to upgrade from a sub-$1000 economy (or basic economy) round trip ticket to a business class ticket that would cost somewhere in the $3000-$5000 range, on a route where I'm not willing to fly economy, and where there are no complimentary upgrades.
Well, they are exactly that, confirmed. By the time the window opens, there may be no seats left. If I am flying 6.5 hours to Hawaii or Costa Rica would rather be confirmed than "hope" seats are available.I am seeing almost every flight going out of LAX and SAN with first FULL. long before the window opens. So if the opportunity arises, I grab them.