Originally Posted by EricUSC

Will any AA phone agent tell me my position on the upgrade list before the 12 or 24 hour mark? I've tried asking that question before but the agent says she couldn't tell me even though this data is critical in my decision on whether or not I will buy up to first class.

I've been getting very attractive buy-up offers lately, but the offer always seems to disappear at the 24 hour mark. I've been getting pretty good at estimating whether or not my upgrade will clear through studying ExpertFlyer (I count empty J seats and occupied MCE seats), but there are edge cases where I'm tempted to buy-up but don't want to risk losing money on an upgrade that will clear anyways. Basically, I feel like some of these buy-up offers are a no-brainer for me if I didn't have status, but it's like gambling when I do have status, so I'd like to have the upgrade data available well before the 12 hour mark like what UA does.