Ideas solicited on how to have SWU awardees pay applicable fees
 

Some of my 8 gifted SWUs have cleared without any additional fees but requests for upgrades via LHR and a few other airports have high fees associated with the upgrades. I don't want to pay for the fees when I do the upgrade for the SWU awardee. What is the best way to have the awardee pay the fees when I call to get the upgrade done?

In the past I've absorbed the fee when the fees were small but I don't want to run the risk of not being reimbursed for high fees such as through LHR when I pay the fees up front.

Ask the person you're upgrading to give you a virtual account number (available on citi cards) if they don't want to give you an actual credit card number

Dumb question but do these work on BA if you are OW Status?

No, you can only use a SWU on AA operated and marketed flights.

For more info: http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/ameri...er-thread.html

An SWU to the U.K. won't require additional fees. An SWU from the U.K. will require paying the Air Passenger Duty unless it's used from paid Business to upgraded First (where the APD would already have been paid).

Some folks have told me that SWUs that are expiring at the end of Feb can still be used, if my coach-to-business upgrade can be confirmed before the Feb expiration date. My travel is March 8, so basically within a week of the end of Feb.

1) Is this true? Any first hand experience with this? Obviously, AA doesn't want to let folks upgrade in April when the SWU expired in Feb, but because it is just a couple days, is that even possible?

2) Taxes: are there typically any additional tax costs associated with destinations when an SWU upgrade is used to fly from the USA?

It is possible. AA will look at your account, and see if they will allow expiring SWU to be used. But C needs to be confirmed prior to expiration.

In my case, AA did not allow it to be used. Mainly because I wasn't flying much anymore, losing status etc.

Just call and let them know which account the SWU is coming from, and they can confirm.

any idea on how much those fees would be? If there are too much fees I would just skip flying AA this time...

i am am talking about the LHR to DFW or to ORD routing, booking class M with American.

Should be 118$ per person Y to J.

Just checked my charge, it was $116.20. LHR-LAX

Current APD: Reduced: £73 (Coach, ~$92) and Standard £146 (Business or First, including upgrades), if departing LHR or connecting longer than 23:59. £42.06 LHR UK Passenger Service Charge is extra.

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/ameri...er-thread.html

I don't think that can be right - it used to be around $118 and the exchange rate has reduced that to about $95, which would suggest the actual fee is about £75-80. Maybe you mis-typed and meant £73 since 146-73 is definitely closer to 73 than 42.

Anyway, I paid it today and it was $95.

And don't forget...
 

And don't forget that there is no APD for upgrades at all when you are just in transit thru LHR. You only have to pay when your trip originates in UK.
And "originates" includes layovers in UK of >24 hours.

Clear. I was actually transiting since I depart from Munich. I guess in this case there is no fee... thank you all!

p.s. When I recently gave an SWU to a fellow FTer, there was an APD of $103, but I wasn't sure what the equivalent GBP rate was that day... I'm guessing 85GBP.