I had two short haul flights earlier this week. It was a one way ticket at fully flex Y. The Y ticket was $745. A J class ticket was $1445.

the promotional offer to buy straight away was $765 for the first flight and $465 for the second flight. The upgrade bid for the first flight ranged from $425 to $795 and ranging from $375 to $525 for the second flight.

I called ET customer services and got upgraded into D class for the whole itinerary for $720. There were spare seats in J on both flights so had I put the minimum bids in, I wouldn’t have paid much more but would not have got the miles/points.

If bid prices or instant upgrade prices look stupidly high, I would advise taking the chance and calling ET to ask how much to up-fare.