upgrade using points
 

I would like to upgrade for our upcoming trip to Rome cashing in points. However, I am not an elite. If I place myself on the wait list, will my chances be greater if I purchase an Y ticket vs. the lowest available fare ticket? Will the elite CO clients be complimentary upgrade 1st before anyone who is using points?

Another, thing to add is that I only need a one-way ticket to Rome as I will be embarking on a TA cruise. Should I spend the extra money on a one way ticket or book a round trip with a high probability canceling the return leg?

Much is in the FAQ (see sticky).

In a nutshell: there are no complementary upgrades TATL. If you waitlist, elites will be ahead of you. If you're willing to shell out $$ for full "Y", note that depending on the dates of travel a discounted BF fare might actually cost less. As to a throwaway return, that depends. Lots of threads on that as well. Pros/cons really come down to the specific fare rules, and whether you want Onepass miles or not.

One more point - you're not going to be pleased if you pay full Y and don't clear. Might as well go for the lowest fare... othewise you're really gambling and may end up spending a whole lot of money on a more expensive coach ticket.

Welcoem to FlyerTalk!!

Elite status does come into play when prioritizing the waitlist for mileage upgrades but fare paid does not. Time added to the list does, however.

Thank you for the welcome to FlyerTalk:)

And, thank you for your quick responses. What I will most likely do is book a round trip ticket and upgrade to BF en route to Rome & coach back to the states. Booking a one way BF prices are outrages.

Also, if you book into full Y your upgrades will require less miles and no co-pay -- assuming they clear.

As mentioned earlier, when you fly can also have a big affect on your BF fare. CO generally has sale BF r/t fares in the $1200- 2000 range during the winter holiday period. Some of these discounts have already been announced (and the fares snapped up), but they usually announce a second round in late Oct-early Nov....ie any day now. If you were to travel on one of those, it might be worthwhile to book the r/t and toss the return;)