If you don't have an AA number then you won't get on any AA upgrade list. The only exception to this would be IRROPS where you missed your flight and / or it was cancelled and you have been rebooked into a lower cabin. Then you can list as DSR for whatever was your originally booked cabin. For AA long-haul flights you'd need to use a SWU or miles & copay to be upgraded. I have had only one upgrade on a long-haul AA flight as a BAEC member and that was LHR - LAX and to this day I don't understand why my wife and I were upgraded. We were booked in PE and our seats changed while we were in line to board. When I looked back into PE after we'd taken off it wasn't a full cabin and there was no-one in our seats. I can only assume there was some operational reason to move us. However, to reiterate the point above, on long-haul flights you will generally only be upgraded if there's an operational need to do so. The experience of xenole matches mine. I have never been able to be added to the AA upgrade list as a BAEC member outside of a couple of occasions where we misconnected and so I was at the top of the list as DSR to be reaccommodated in First if available. I have had a few upgrades on domestic AA flights over the years but these have been few and far between.