Miles to upgrade your seat at delta.com after booking a flight
Dec 11, 2018, 7:02 pm
#16
Join Date: Mar 2010
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But I've had offers pop up in my reservation, post-purchase, to upgrade with miles or currency, just like it does during the purchase process. It seems to have been selective, and now maybe it will always be offered.
Dec 11, 2018, 9:13 pm
#17
Join Date: Nov 2018
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Dec 11, 2018, 10:28 pm
#18
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EDIT: oops, hadn't finished the whole thread. I see your second post now. Were you maybe seeing Upgrade With Miles? Granted that is essentially the same idea as this, but UWM I think is a strict 1 cpm while this appears not to be?
Dec 11, 2018, 10:43 pm
#19
Join Date: Mar 2010
Programs: DL PM, Bonvoy Gold
Posts: 8,414
You've seen FCM offers *paid in miles* on a cash ticket?
EDIT: oops, hadn't finished the whole thread. I see your second post now. Were you maybe seeing Upgrade With Miles? Granted that is essentially the same idea as this, but UWM I think is a strict 1 cpm while this appears not to be?
EDIT: oops, hadn't finished the whole thread. I see your second post now. Were you maybe seeing Upgrade With Miles? Granted that is essentially the same idea as this, but UWM I think is a strict 1 cpm while this appears not to be?
Yes, UWM. What is this? This is not Mileage Upgrade Awards, so isn't it UWM? Or is there now a 3rd way to upgrade with miles?
Dec 11, 2018, 10:45 pm
#20
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Dec 11, 2018, 11:06 pm
#21
Join Date: Mar 2010
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Posts: 8,414
I have really appreciated having reasonably priced F seats on certain routes. Much better than the upgrade game and domestic F tickets that are priced at stupidly high levels that most people would never buy.
Dec 11, 2018, 11:19 pm
#22
Join Date: Mar 2010
Programs: DL PM, Bonvoy Gold
Posts: 8,414
OK, I just took at a look at the new T&C's on Delta.com and I really think this is bad news for a couple reasons:
So they seem to have created this third way of upgrading that is a Upgrade With Miles option for after booking. I agree with others that this appears to just be an extension of 0.01/mile pay with miles type upgrade. However, because they are pushing this so hard, it's going to drive more people away from the classic Mileage Upgrade Awards, which you still need to call reservations for. These fixed amount upgrades (based on regions of travel) are usually a better value than $0.01/mile and it seems like they are hiding it even more. Are they eventually going to do away with Mileage Upgrade Awards? Or do they still have them because of partner agreements and they are just trying to hide them and drive us all towards these bad deal online options?
Secondly, I noticed this new gem:
"Upgrades purchased with miles on delta.com after booking are non-refundable and non-changeable. If you voluntarily change your flight, your upgrade will not be applied to your new reservation. Prices vary by market and are subject to change without notice. Will not be available for all flights."
Huh?? So you spend, let's say, 40K miles to upgrade your flight and then if you call in a make a chance, including paying a change fee, you loose your upgrade AND the miles?? That's crap. If you are paying a change fee it should certainly cover the redeposit if the upgrade can't be transferred, or if the upgrade is available but costs more miles, you should be able to just pay the difference.
So they seem to have created this third way of upgrading that is a Upgrade With Miles option for after booking. I agree with others that this appears to just be an extension of 0.01/mile pay with miles type upgrade. However, because they are pushing this so hard, it's going to drive more people away from the classic Mileage Upgrade Awards, which you still need to call reservations for. These fixed amount upgrades (based on regions of travel) are usually a better value than $0.01/mile and it seems like they are hiding it even more. Are they eventually going to do away with Mileage Upgrade Awards? Or do they still have them because of partner agreements and they are just trying to hide them and drive us all towards these bad deal online options?
Secondly, I noticed this new gem:
"Upgrades purchased with miles on delta.com after booking are non-refundable and non-changeable. If you voluntarily change your flight, your upgrade will not be applied to your new reservation. Prices vary by market and are subject to change without notice. Will not be available for all flights."
Huh?? So you spend, let's say, 40K miles to upgrade your flight and then if you call in a make a chance, including paying a change fee, you loose your upgrade AND the miles?? That's crap. If you are paying a change fee it should certainly cover the redeposit if the upgrade can't be transferred, or if the upgrade is available but costs more miles, you should be able to just pay the difference.
Dec 12, 2018, 8:30 am
#23
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That's absurd.
Do the upgrade with cash options have that language? That's usually a buy-up to the first class fare, right? So it would be changeable for a fee, or certainly you could SDC or standby into the FC cabin on a different flight.
Making it non-changeable and non-refundable if you use miles is almost a complete nonstarter.
Do the upgrade with cash options have that language? That's usually a buy-up to the first class fare, right? So it would be changeable for a fee, or certainly you could SDC or standby into the FC cabin on a different flight.
Making it non-changeable and non-refundable if you use miles is almost a complete nonstarter.
Dec 12, 2018, 10:52 am
#24
Join Date: Mar 2010
Programs: DL PM, Bonvoy Gold
Posts: 8,414
That's absurd.
Do the upgrade with cash options have that language? That's usually a buy-up to the first class fare, right? So it would be changeable for a fee, or certainly you could SDC or standby into the FC cabin on a different flight.
Making it non-changeable and non-refundable if you use miles is almost a complete nonstarter.
Do the upgrade with cash options have that language? That's usually a buy-up to the first class fare, right? So it would be changeable for a fee, or certainly you could SDC or standby into the FC cabin on a different flight.
Making it non-changeable and non-refundable if you use miles is almost a complete nonstarter.
No, cash upgrades do not have this language, because you are buying up to an actual first class fare. I also don't understand why they would do this because it seems to be that they will be turning away change fee revenue.
Dec 12, 2018, 11:42 am
#25
Join Date: Aug 2018
Programs: DL Plat, Marriot Plat
Posts: 349
But similarly, you are "buying" up to the first class with miles.
Dec 12, 2018, 3:53 pm
#26
Join Date: Mar 2004
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I'm not sure about that. I upgraded with cash to PS and ended up not taking that flight. The upgrade amount was lost in its entirety.
Of course, should Delta have been responsible I would have expected a full refund, or keeping the upgraded cabin on the replacement flight. But in case the passenger chooses to change/cancel I think the upgrade is lost and not refunded.
Of course, should Delta have been responsible I would have expected a full refund, or keeping the upgraded cabin on the replacement flight. But in case the passenger chooses to change/cancel I think the upgrade is lost and not refunded.
Dec 14, 2018, 2:48 pm
#27
Join Date: Mar 2010
Programs: DL PM, Bonvoy Gold
Posts: 8,414
So I just used this because it was a decent offer--7900 miles each way.
However, after booking I quickly realized that I should have just booked first class from the start and then used pay with miles to take $100 off for 10,000 miles which brought the F ticket down to the price of the C+ ticket that I had first purchased, so it would cost 10,000 miles instead of 16K r/t . So I called DL and asked if the miles I had used to upgrade could be redeposited in the 24 hour cancellation window. The agent said yes, of course.
Well, she tried and then said "uh-oh, the miles did not redeposit." After she spoke with three difference supervisors (15 minutes later) she came back on and said "sir, it seems those miles are stuck somewhere in cyber space, thanks for your patience we're working on this and we're not sure what happened." After 20 minutes she came back on and said "sir, we don't know what happened, if you trust me to follow up on this I can let you go, and I'll call you if there's a problem" So I hung up, which I may regret, but by her accent she sounded like she was in Chisholm so...hopefully that was not a big mistake.
Anyways, moral of the story: these mileage offers are really really not refundable. I think the phone agent did not even fully realize this. But I really think that they should at least be refundable in the 24 hour window.
However, after booking I quickly realized that I should have just booked first class from the start and then used pay with miles to take $100 off for 10,000 miles which brought the F ticket down to the price of the C+ ticket that I had first purchased, so it would cost 10,000 miles instead of 16K r/t . So I called DL and asked if the miles I had used to upgrade could be redeposited in the 24 hour cancellation window. The agent said yes, of course.
Well, she tried and then said "uh-oh, the miles did not redeposit." After she spoke with three difference supervisors (15 minutes later) she came back on and said "sir, it seems those miles are stuck somewhere in cyber space, thanks for your patience we're working on this and we're not sure what happened." After 20 minutes she came back on and said "sir, we don't know what happened, if you trust me to follow up on this I can let you go, and I'll call you if there's a problem" So I hung up, which I may regret, but by her accent she sounded like she was in Chisholm so...hopefully that was not a big mistake.
Anyways, moral of the story: these mileage offers are really really not refundable. I think the phone agent did not even fully realize this. But I really think that they should at least be refundable in the 24 hour window.