Apr 2, 2017, 9:28 pm
Last edit by: Wigg
Moderator note: Any questions regarding availability/fare buckets on a specific flight or flights should be posted in the fare bucket check request thread. Any such posts in this thread will be deleted.
Q: When should I use eUpgrades, and when should I use AC Bid?
A: For starters, you can use both of them on a single booking. If one upgrade is accepted, the other is cancelled at no cost to you. One thing to consider is that eUpgrade priority is highly influenced by your Aeroplan Elite status and the fare class of the original ticket, but AC Bid is influenced by your bid as compared to other people. If you don't have a high Aeroplan Elite status, AC Bid may be the better choice for you.
Q: If I use a Bid Upgrade do I get additional SQM / SQD now for my flights?
A: No.
Q: If I use a Bid Upgrade on an International Flight leaving YYZ/YVR do I get access to the Signature Lounge?
A: No.
Q: When will I find out if my bid was successful?
A: You will be sent an email within 36 to 48 hours prior to your departure.
Q: If I am successfully upgraded, which baggage limit applies?
A: The baggage rules of the upgraded ticket apply. Note that this is different than eUpgrades, where the original tickets baggage rules still apply.
Q: When do I pay for a bid?
A: Your credit card is only charged when the bid is accepted, which will happen no earlier than 48 hours before departure. Note that if your card is declined, even temporarily for a fraud check, you will lose the bid and will not get another opportunity.
Q: Can I cancel an AC Bid?
A: Yes, but only until 48 hours before departure.
Q: If I cancel the booking after successfully bidding for an upgrade, or if I miss the flight, will I get a refund?
A: No.
Q: If Air Canada rebooks me on another flight, what happens to my AC Bid upgrade?
A: You keep it and Air Canada will put you in the upgraded cabin on the new flight. If the new flight does not have Premium Economy, or if there are not enough Business class seats, then your AC Bid will be refunded.
Q: I have a flight going from XXX to YYY on DD-MM-YY and the minimum bid is $ZZZ - what are my chances / what should I bid?
A: No one here really knows how Plusgrade as implemented by AC really 'decides' which bids to accept.
There are so many potential variables that it's best just to bid what you feel the upgrade is worth to you.
Q: I was successful in a Bid Upgrade to the PY cabin. Can I now use my e upgrades to attempt to upgrade to J?
A: No. Only 1 upgrade is allowed. The same applies to a last minute upgrade to PY.
AC Bid Upgrade - FAQs
If your upgrade request is accepted, the fare conditions for the original ticket you purchased shall remain in effect and will be applicable with respect to cancellation policies, change fees, conditions for minimum and maximum stay, and rules relating to the accrual of frequent flyer miles. All other conditions will be per the upgraded fare class.
On the AC website:
"AC Bid Upgrade - Your opportunity to travel in a higher cabin class"
https://upgrade.plusgrade.com/offer/AirCanada
Q: When should I use eUpgrades, and when should I use AC Bid?
A: For starters, you can use both of them on a single booking. If one upgrade is accepted, the other is cancelled at no cost to you. One thing to consider is that eUpgrade priority is highly influenced by your Aeroplan Elite status and the fare class of the original ticket, but AC Bid is influenced by your bid as compared to other people. If you don't have a high Aeroplan Elite status, AC Bid may be the better choice for you.
Q: If I use a Bid Upgrade do I get additional SQM / SQD now for my flights?
A: No.
Q: If I use a Bid Upgrade on an International Flight leaving YYZ/YVR do I get access to the Signature Lounge?
A: No.
Q: When will I find out if my bid was successful?
A: You will be sent an email within 36 to 48 hours prior to your departure.
Q: If I am successfully upgraded, which baggage limit applies?
A: The baggage rules of the upgraded ticket apply. Note that this is different than eUpgrades, where the original tickets baggage rules still apply.
Q: When do I pay for a bid?
A: Your credit card is only charged when the bid is accepted, which will happen no earlier than 48 hours before departure. Note that if your card is declined, even temporarily for a fraud check, you will lose the bid and will not get another opportunity.
Q: Can I cancel an AC Bid?
A: Yes, but only until 48 hours before departure.
Q: If I cancel the booking after successfully bidding for an upgrade, or if I miss the flight, will I get a refund?
A: No.
Q: If Air Canada rebooks me on another flight, what happens to my AC Bid upgrade?
A: You keep it and Air Canada will put you in the upgraded cabin on the new flight. If the new flight does not have Premium Economy, or if there are not enough Business class seats, then your AC Bid will be refunded.
Q: I have a flight going from XXX to YYY on DD-MM-YY and the minimum bid is $ZZZ - what are my chances / what should I bid?
A: No one here really knows how Plusgrade as implemented by AC really 'decides' which bids to accept.
There are so many potential variables that it's best just to bid what you feel the upgrade is worth to you.
Q: I was successful in a Bid Upgrade to the PY cabin. Can I now use my e upgrades to attempt to upgrade to J?
A: No. Only 1 upgrade is allowed. The same applies to a last minute upgrade to PY.
AC Bid Upgrade - FAQs
If your upgrade request is accepted, the fare conditions for the original ticket you purchased shall remain in effect and will be applicable with respect to cancellation policies, change fees, conditions for minimum and maximum stay, and rules relating to the accrual of frequent flyer miles. All other conditions will be per the upgraded fare class.
On the AC website:
"AC Bid Upgrade - Your opportunity to travel in a higher cabin class"
https://upgrade.plusgrade.com/offer/AirCanada
Air Canada Bid Upgrade Program
Dec 23, 2016, 6:57 am
#151
Join Date: Dec 2006
Location: Lima Sierra Zulu Hotel
Programs: AC*SM, M&M SEN, BA Gold, DL Gold; Marriott Titanium
Posts: 777
Dec 23, 2016, 7:07 am
#152
Suspended
Join Date: Sep 2014
Programs: AC SE100K-1MM, NH, DL, AA, BA, Global Entry/Nexus, APEC..
Posts: 18,877
Dec 23, 2016, 7:10 am
#153
Join Date: Nov 2012
Location: YWG
Posts: 2,273
Dec 23, 2016, 12:02 pm
#154
Join Date: Jan 2015
Location: YQB
Programs: AC SE100K-1MM, Bonvoy Gold, HHonors Diamond, VIA Premier, NEXUS/GE
Posts: 817
J seems wide open while PY and Y seem pretty full. Go figure.
Maybe you can only check availability for flights 1 week out?
Dec 23, 2016, 12:06 pm
#156
Join Date: Aug 2015
Programs: AC Aeroplan, AS MileagePlan, AirMiles Gold
Posts: 37
AC IT being a little crazy? I wonder if the blocks become available to different services at differing intervals. Would be nice to have an official "flight timeline" for when all the different upgrades from bids, eUp and AP redemptions all occurred.
Dec 23, 2016, 12:51 pm
#157
Join Date: Sep 2014
Programs: AC SEMM
Posts: 1,379
YHZ-LHR only operates 4 or 5 times a week and just before Christmas it seemed likely there were a lot of Tango pax on this route who were not prepared to pay for advance seat selection.
As SEMM I figured I would be at the top of the list for an opUp under these circumstances.
The gamble paid off
Dec 23, 2016, 1:56 pm
#158
Join Date: Jan 2016
Location: YYZ
Programs: Only J via Peasant Points, 777HDPeasant or The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance and Narcissism.
Posts: 5,973
My next upgrade will be the 8AM tuesday flight on Jan 3rd
Being 40J, it should be a easy kill and I would probably be peeved if I am wait listed then receives the bidding email.
Being 40J, it should be a easy kill and I would probably be peeved if I am wait listed then receives the bidding email.
Dec 23, 2016, 3:19 pm
#159
Join Date: Nov 2012
Location: BGI (ex-YYC, YYZ)
Programs: AC*G-E100K (once again)
Posts: 1,701
Why does Air Canada need to outsource their upgrading bidding system to Plusgrade?
http://www.plusgrade.com/
http://www.plusgrade.com/
Dec 23, 2016, 3:25 pm
#160
Join Date: May 2013
Location: YYT/YYC/TPE
Programs: AC SE, UA, National Exec Elite, Nexus, GE
Posts: 1,810
Why does Air Canada need to outsource their upgrading bidding system to Plusgrade?
http://www.plusgrade.com/
http://www.plusgrade.com/
Dec 23, 2016, 3:26 pm
#161
Join Date: Jan 2016
Location: YYZ
Programs: Only J via Peasant Points, 777HDPeasant or The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance and Narcissism.
Posts: 5,973
Why does Air Canada need to outsource their upgrading bidding system to Plusgrade?
http://www.plusgrade.com/
http://www.plusgrade.com/
Dec 23, 2016, 3:51 pm
#162
Suspended
Join Date: Sep 2014
Programs: AC SE100K-1MM, NH, DL, AA, BA, Global Entry/Nexus, APEC..
Posts: 18,877
Why does Air Canada need to outsource their upgrading bidding system to Plusgrade?
http://www.plusgrade.com/
http://www.plusgrade.com/
AC did not outsource. The program belongs to Plusgrade and they signed up the airline customers
.
Dec 24, 2016, 6:57 am
#165
Join Date: Jan 2015
Location: YHZ
Programs: AC 75K
Posts: 50
I had an Aeroplan reward booking for YHZ-YYZ. Received an offer to bid. Range was $150-400; I bid $160. Accepted. Flight was J9 R9 before my bid was accepted; J9 R8 after.
At the gate on the day of, the GA scanned my BP and then said, "Hmm. I've never seen this upgrade code before." I mentioned the bidding and she said, "Ohhh. Right."
At the time I bid on the outbound flight I also bid $160 on the return YYZ-YHZ. The range was the same, $150-400. However, I looked at the offer again on the bidding site last night and the range had increased to $245-700. This morning it's $250-700. Flight is J4 R1.
I didn't receive a notification that my bid is now below the current minimum, which would seem like an obvious way to encourage people to revisit the site and up their bids if, like me, they weren't aware that the bidding range changes over time. I'm leaving it at $160 to see what happens.
At the gate on the day of, the GA scanned my BP and then said, "Hmm. I've never seen this upgrade code before." I mentioned the bidding and she said, "Ohhh. Right."
At the time I bid on the outbound flight I also bid $160 on the return YYZ-YHZ. The range was the same, $150-400. However, I looked at the offer again on the bidding site last night and the range had increased to $245-700. This morning it's $250-700. Flight is J4 R1.
I didn't receive a notification that my bid is now below the current minimum, which would seem like an obvious way to encourage people to revisit the site and up their bids if, like me, they weren't aware that the bidding range changes over time. I'm leaving it at $160 to see what happens.