Originally Posted by
sbm12
It is possible, but not online. When looking at booking, make sure that you're getting the value for the H fare. If the upgrade isn't available to confirm immediately then you may end up throwing away money for a couple thousand EQMs, probably not a good deal. Even if the upgrade is available to confirm immediately the H fare may be more than the discounted fare + copay.
This is very good advice. I'd like to build on this, and add to it. What you should really do is look at all the fare classes between the lowest available and the H fare, as well as the copay schedule, and try to determine the sweet spot to get the best value.
In this case, I picked some random dates for EWR-FRA. While the H fare is slightly cheaper than the lowest fare available on the date (B fare) + copay, your best value is actually in the middle: an M fare. Below are are one-way base fares:
H fare = $826 + $0 copay = $826
B fare = $490 + $350 copay = $840 (lowest base fare for this date)
M fare = $565 + $200 copay = $765
So unless you need the refundability of the H fare, or you have an employer (or someone else) paying for your ticket, the lowest cost way to get into BF on this flight is the M fare + copay. But as
sbm12 has pointed out, when buying up a fare class, you risk paying for a higher fare class and getting nothing, should your upgrade not be immediately confirmable.
What would I do with these data points?
Well, the M fare is only $75 more than the lowest in the market, so that's a risk I'd be willing to take. I would
notbuy the H fare, as it's $336 more than the lowest fare, and if your upgrade does not clear, you have nothing to show for it other than a few more EQMs (which you may or may not need). Should the M fare clear you into BF, you will have gotten into BF for $61 cheaper than the lowest in the market.