Last edit by: ZZ100
Is it possible to buy a (cheap) upgrade on Cathay Pacific upon check-in?
The short answer is no.
Cathay, as a general rule, does not allow you to purchase last minute upgrades if there are empty seats in Y+, J or F. The only way to upgrade a ticket is to pay the fare difference between your current ticket, and an available fare class in the higher cabins. Note that if your current ticket has restrictions (cancellation fees, non-refundable) these still apply.
There are been stories of people who have been offered cheap upgrades by Cathay, but this is more an exception than a common occurrence.
If I upgrade my ticket using asia miles, do I still earn miles?
Yes, you will earn miles for the original fare class that you booked, not the upgraded cabin.
How do I get a free upgrade / operational upgrade (op-up)?
Cathay Pacific does not upgrade passengers just because there are empty seats in higher classes. Upgrades will only occur where there is overbooking in lower classes.
The order of upgrades when required is believed to be:
I am travelling on an award ticket. Will I still be considered for a free upgrade?
Yes - there are many stories of passengers on award tickets, or who upgraded a class using miles, getting (additional) upgrades.
What happens if the aircraft has 4 or 3 cabins, but is only selling Business and Economy seats?
It is likely if you have Marco Polo status, and to a lesser extent oneworld status, you may be able to sit in either First Class seats (if booked in J) or Premium Economy (if booked in Y) with service of the original cabin. There doesn't appear to be consistency yet as to how these semi-upgrades are allocated. Some people have been able to choose seats in the higher cabin during online check-in, or some will get them on request at check-in. However, there is no entitlement to these seats.
Will I get an upgrade on my Birthday, or for my membership anniversary, or for reaching xx number of lifetime club miles?
Please see this link for members' experience with these kinds of upgrades: Marco Polo Anniversary Upgrades
I want to use Asia Miles to upgrade a BA flight. How do I do this?
As of 22 June 2018, it is no longer possible to upgrade BA flights with Asia Miles.
How do I upgrade a CX flight using miles?
If you already have issued your original ticket:
If you have not made any booking yet, and you want to check availability:
If you don't receive a new e-ticket before departure, call up Marco Polo club to double check if the upgrade has been issued.
The short answer is no.
Cathay, as a general rule, does not allow you to purchase last minute upgrades if there are empty seats in Y+, J or F. The only way to upgrade a ticket is to pay the fare difference between your current ticket, and an available fare class in the higher cabins. Note that if your current ticket has restrictions (cancellation fees, non-refundable) these still apply.
There are been stories of people who have been offered cheap upgrades by Cathay, but this is more an exception than a common occurrence.
If I upgrade my ticket using asia miles, do I still earn miles?
Yes, you will earn miles for the original fare class that you booked, not the upgraded cabin.
How do I get a free upgrade / operational upgrade (op-up)?
Cathay Pacific does not upgrade passengers just because there are empty seats in higher classes. Upgrades will only occur where there is overbooking in lower classes.
The order of upgrades when required is believed to be:
- VIP (Heads of State, Government Bodies, or Canto Pop/Movie stars)
- CX Diamond Plus
- CX Diamond Invitation, Diamond
- CX Gold
- CX management staff on travel duty
- oneworld Emerald
- CX staff on duty nominees , other airline staff nominees, CX staff on personal travel
- oneworld Sapphire
- CX Silver
- oneworld Ruby
- CX Green
- Asia Miles
- Non status
I am travelling on an award ticket. Will I still be considered for a free upgrade?
Yes - there are many stories of passengers on award tickets, or who upgraded a class using miles, getting (additional) upgrades.
What happens if the aircraft has 4 or 3 cabins, but is only selling Business and Economy seats?
It is likely if you have Marco Polo status, and to a lesser extent oneworld status, you may be able to sit in either First Class seats (if booked in J) or Premium Economy (if booked in Y) with service of the original cabin. There doesn't appear to be consistency yet as to how these semi-upgrades are allocated. Some people have been able to choose seats in the higher cabin during online check-in, or some will get them on request at check-in. However, there is no entitlement to these seats.
Will I get an upgrade on my Birthday, or for my membership anniversary, or for reaching xx number of lifetime club miles?
Please see this link for members' experience with these kinds of upgrades: Marco Polo Anniversary Upgrades
I want to use Asia Miles to upgrade a BA flight. How do I do this?
As of 22 June 2018, it is no longer possible to upgrade BA flights with Asia Miles.
How do I upgrade a CX flight using miles?
If you already have issued your original ticket:
- Try upgrading using Manage My Booking on the website (not always successful)
- If self-service doesn't work, try calling Marco Polo hotline to check availability
- If there is availability, you will need to issue the upgrade immediately to secure it. They may give you a few days grace before isssuing the upgrade, but this is now rarely given.
- In a few days, or longer if they are busy, your miles will be deducted, and you will be emailed a new e-ticket with the upgrade class details on it, and your online booking for your original booking class will disappear.
If you have not made any booking yet, and you want to check availability:
- Call Marco Polo club to check for availability on the flights/dates you want, or check for normal redemption availability on the website.
- Book a revenue ticket in the class of service for which you will be paying. Do NOT do this via the website -- call a CX telephone sales number/travel agent.
- Put the booking on hold.
- Call the Marco Polo/Asia Miles Service Center. Have them book the upgrade and give you a deadline to have the ticket issued. (It's usually about 72 hours).
- Have telephone sales/travel agent issue your revenue ticket.
- Call Marco Polo/Asia Miles back. Give them the revenue ticket number against the PNR and ask them to issue your upgrade.
- In about two or three days, you'll get a new ticket with the upgrade showing.
If you don't receive a new e-ticket before departure, call up Marco Polo club to double check if the upgrade has been issued.
The Ultimate Upgrade Question thread
#1051
Join Date: Nov 2013
Programs: AS Gold, Hyatt Diamond, Starriott LTPP
Posts: 341
[mod hat on] I merged your thread with this existing one because you may find some of your answers here.
cxfan1960
CX CoMod
[mod hat off]
I did that many times. The passenger does not need to be a family member, but must be on your redemption list. If you are not traveling with the passenger, you must confirm and ticket the upgrade before hand (no instant upgrade at airport in this case).
Yes, you can waitlist. I usually call to do upgrade or waitlisting, but some good TAs can also handle that for you. Wait time for call can be very long depending on your CX status. I am CX GO and my wait time is usually none or very short.
cxfan1960
CX CoMod
[mod hat off]
I did that many times. The passenger does not need to be a family member, but must be on your redemption list. If you are not traveling with the passenger, you must confirm and ticket the upgrade before hand (no instant upgrade at airport in this case).
Yes, you can waitlist. I usually call to do upgrade or waitlisting, but some good TAs can also handle that for you. Wait time for call can be very long depending on your CX status. I am CX GO and my wait time is usually none or very short.
Separate question: the AM terms indicate no upgrade awards on travel agency, bulk, discount tickets, etc. Does anyone know if this applied to Chase UR, Citi TYP, etc. redemptions that apply such that you're ticketed in an upgrade-eligible date class?
Thanks in advance for your help! Very unfamiliar with the program and hoping to have an additional person join during travel.
#1052
Join Date: Sep 2005
Location: TPE / HSZ
Programs: CX GO (=SPH), IHG Diamond Amb, Hertz 5*, Accor, Hilton, National
Posts: 6,437
Regarding waitlist for upgrading someone in your redemption group... Are the miles deducted from AM account when you add to waitlist, or when upgrade clears? If it's the latter, what would happen if you didn't have enough miles in your account? Asking because I would like to transfer in enough miles only if upgrade clears -- any way to make that work?
Separate question: the AM terms indicate no upgrade awards on travel agency, bulk, discount tickets, etc. Does anyone know if this applied to Chase UR, Citi TYP, etc. redemptions that apply such that you're ticketed in an upgrade-eligible date class?
Thanks in advance for your help! Very unfamiliar with the program and hoping to have an additional person join during travel.
Separate question: the AM terms indicate no upgrade awards on travel agency, bulk, discount tickets, etc. Does anyone know if this applied to Chase UR, Citi TYP, etc. redemptions that apply such that you're ticketed in an upgrade-eligible date class?
Thanks in advance for your help! Very unfamiliar with the program and hoping to have an additional person join during travel.
I believe as long as the ticket is booked in J/C/D/I/W/R/Y/B/H/K/M/L/V class, it can be upgraded. I have upgraded myself on TA-issued tickets multiple times. However, I have no experience with the channels you mentioned.
#1053
Join Date: Dec 2016
Programs: CX MPC DM
Posts: 416
Regarding waitlist for upgrading someone in your redemption group... Are the miles deducted from AM account when you add to waitlist, or when upgrade clears? If it's the latter, what would happen if you didn't have enough miles in your account? Asking because I would like to transfer in enough miles only if upgrade clears -- any way to make that work?
Separate question: the AM terms indicate no upgrade awards on travel agency, bulk, discount tickets, etc. Does anyone know if this applied to Chase UR, Citi TYP, etc. redemptions that apply such that you're ticketed in an upgrade-eligible date class?
Thanks in advance for your help! Very unfamiliar with the program and hoping to have an additional person join during travel.
Separate question: the AM terms indicate no upgrade awards on travel agency, bulk, discount tickets, etc. Does anyone know if this applied to Chase UR, Citi TYP, etc. redemptions that apply such that you're ticketed in an upgrade-eligible date class?
Thanks in advance for your help! Very unfamiliar with the program and hoping to have an additional person join during travel.
Regarding required miles, I believe the rules have changed recently and waitlisting an award requires a minimum of 70% of the miles needed for the award. As part of the ticketing process, the miles are deducted from your balance. If you are short, within 70%, you can top off your balance, see Topping of Asia Miles,
I don't really understand your second question. I convert upgrade awards on travel agent purchased tickets all the time and there is no restriction as long as the ticket is within the required fare class for upgrading, for PEY that is R or W class. If you are talking about using Credit Card points for upgrading, the only currency available is Asia Miles, so those points need to be converted to Asia Miles. Very frequently MPC will give you a few days to transfer miles into your account. However with the new rules, you still in 70% in order to apply for the upgrade award.
If you are speaking about tickets purchased with points on Chase or Citi travel websites, I don't see an issue with that provided that tickets are in the appropriate fare class for upgrading. However for AA codeshare tickets, I don't believe those are upgradeable. I have colleagues who buy AA PEY tickets to HKG from the US on AMEX travel where they sometimes get a very good rate, but those are AA tickets on CX metal and are not eligible for upgrade.
#1054
Join Date: Nov 2013
Programs: AS Gold, Hyatt Diamond, Starriott LTPP
Posts: 341
Miles are deducted at the time the upgrade ticket is processed which is after the upgrade clears. When the upgrade clears, MPC will send you a message via email and SMS to your registered contact information. At that point there is an alloted time to do the ticketing which I believe is 48 hours (I am probably wrong about that, someone else can correct). To do the ticketing you need to contact MPC. If there is any fee to pay (airport tax, etc) the ticketing office will try to contact you on your registered phone number. Occasionaly, I have had to contact ticketing office myself when I am in HKG and my US phone number doesn't work. If there are no fees, the MPC agent will working with ticketing office and you will get an email within a day or so with your new e-Ticket. Also Manage My Booking will reflect the new ticket and you won't see the old ticket anymore.
Regarding required miles, I believe the rules have changed recently and waitlisting an award requires a minimum of 70% of the miles needed for the award. As part of the ticketing process, the miles are deducted from your balance. If you are short, within 70%, you can top off your balance, see Topping of Asia Miles,
I don't really understand your second question. I convert upgrade awards on travel agent purchased tickets all the time and there is no restriction as long as the ticket is within the required fare class for upgrading, for PEY that is R or W class. If you are talking about using Credit Card points for upgrading, the only currency available is Asia Miles, so those points need to be converted to Asia Miles. Very frequently MPC will give you a few days to transfer miles into your account. However with the new rules, you still in 70% in order to apply for the upgrade award.
If you are speaking about tickets purchased with points on Chase or Citi travel websites, I don't see an issue with that provided that tickets are in the appropriate fare class for upgrading. However for AA codeshare tickets, I don't believe those are upgradeable. I have colleagues who buy AA PEY tickets to HKG from the US on AMEX travel where they sometimes get a very good rate, but those are AA tickets on CX metal and are not eligible for upgrade.
Regarding required miles, I believe the rules have changed recently and waitlisting an award requires a minimum of 70% of the miles needed for the award. As part of the ticketing process, the miles are deducted from your balance. If you are short, within 70%, you can top off your balance, see Topping of Asia Miles,
I don't really understand your second question. I convert upgrade awards on travel agent purchased tickets all the time and there is no restriction as long as the ticket is within the required fare class for upgrading, for PEY that is R or W class. If you are talking about using Credit Card points for upgrading, the only currency available is Asia Miles, so those points need to be converted to Asia Miles. Very frequently MPC will give you a few days to transfer miles into your account. However with the new rules, you still in 70% in order to apply for the upgrade award.
If you are speaking about tickets purchased with points on Chase or Citi travel websites, I don't see an issue with that provided that tickets are in the appropriate fare class for upgrading. However for AA codeshare tickets, I don't believe those are upgradeable. I have colleagues who buy AA PEY tickets to HKG from the US on AMEX travel where they sometimes get a very good rate, but those are AA tickets on CX metal and are not eligible for upgrade.
When the upgrade is cleared, CX will notify you. Sometimes, they keep the same deadline (from the waitlist deadline, which is all the way until a few days before the flight). Other times, they give you a couple of days from the time they notify you. You will then have to call MPO / AM to issue the upgrade award. The miles are then deducted when the ticket is re-issued to reflect the upgrade. However, if CX only gives you a couple of days, I'm not sure if the transfer will be deposited in your AM account in time.
I believe as long as the ticket is booked in J/C/D/I/W/R/Y/B/H/K/M/L/V class, it can be upgraded. I have upgraded myself on TA-issued tickets multiple times. However, I have no experience with the channels you mentioned.
I believe as long as the ticket is booked in J/C/D/I/W/R/Y/B/H/K/M/L/V class, it can be upgraded. I have upgraded myself on TA-issued tickets multiple times. However, I have no experience with the channels you mentioned.
#1055
Join Date: Apr 2019
Location: PHX
Programs: AA, United
Posts: 21
Bought ticket as an AA marketed flight, flying on CX metal... is this eligible for an upgrade using AA points? It was available for purchase when I bought the ticket (premium economy), however I have a bunch of AA miles to burn and was hoping to use them for my upcoming flight from SFO-HKG. Is this a possibility?
#1056
Join Date: Nov 2007
Location: Hong Kong
Programs: CX, UA, Shangri-La, Hyatt, Starwood
Posts: 7,708
Bought ticket as an AA marketed flight, flying on CX metal... is this eligible for an upgrade using AA points? It was available for purchase when I bought the ticket (premium economy), however I have a bunch of AA miles to burn and was hoping to use them for my upcoming flight from SFO-HKG. Is this a possibility?
Also note, only W and R (not E) sub fare classes are eligible at that.
Finally, there might be some difficulties even if you're on the correct fare class, due to the codeshare. But this last point I am not familiar with. Just flagging it as a possible issue others will know better.
#1058
Join Date: May 2000
Location: New York, NY
Posts: 883
#1059
Join Date: Apr 2004
Programs: AA EXP, HH Gold,MR Gold, Avis CHM
Posts: 2,300
I did this last year. I was upgraded from J to F at the transfer desk in HKG. I changed to my AA number in the Pier F lounge with no issues. I was going to change to AA whether the upgrade cleared or not, but kept my AM number in while on the waitlist. On my outbound to HKG my upgrade cleared several weeks out and I changed to my AA number online.
#1060
Join Date: Nov 2018
Programs: HH Diamond / CX Gold
Posts: 22
CX881 30 May LAX-HKG J->F UG
Currently have a confirmed paid J seat on CX 881 departing on 30 May. What are the chance of getting my UG waitlist cleared? The wife has a confirmed F redemption on the same flight...
#1061
Join Date: Apr 2019
Location: PHX
Programs: AA, United
Posts: 21
OK so purchased an upgrade to Y+ via AA (codeshare flight for cheap) on cx sfo-hkg A350. Went to log onto Cathay's site for seat selection and everything is greyed out. Is op up possible as I am an OWE? Are they holding back seats? What should I expect
#1062
Join Date: Jul 2009
Location: NYC
Programs: AA EXP
Posts: 1,372
Op-up is possible (prioritized behind CX DMs, GOs). But you should expect to sit in your ticketed cabin.
#1064
Join Date: Feb 2019
Posts: 95
Have you tried calling CX or AA and asking them to assign seats? I suspect your issue may be that it is a codeshare.
#1065
Join Date: Apr 2019
Location: PHX
Programs: AA, United
Posts: 21