Upgraded at check-in without confirmation
 

Please tell me if I’m being pedantic here.

Approached First Class check-in in DXB and showed my final ticket (was on transit stopover) and asked If miles upgrade was available.

My ticket is handed back to me with ‘There you go’. I am slightly confused and asked ‘So is it possible?’ He says ‘yes, it’s done.’

’Erm, so how much did that just cost me?’

’That, I cannot tell you.’ *smile*

I walk away wondering if I just got upgraded for free. On board they tell me it was the majority of my balance, 67,500 miles, and it is certainly not airline policy to act in this way. Can I ask for a refund in this situation?

I would have said if you sat in the First Class seat I think no, if you took normal seat then yes, they will suggest a missunderstanding or he said she said, if you argue enougth you may get some good will back

Didn't you look up in advance how many miles are required? How many were you willing to spend?

Yeah I tried but the mobile app said to ask at the check-in desk. Honestly, I am just used to spending 30k for an upgrade. I had totally forgotten that this ticket might have been a saver fare!

It just sucks that is the first time I’m flying emirates less and also saving up for a long haul reward ticket.

I did the same thing in the DXB J lounge once (although it was a Y to J upgrade). I knew what the cost in miles would be, asked for the upgrade, the man behind the Skywards desk checked something on his screen (I presume my miles balance), asked me to wait whilst he went to check availability and returned a bit later with my new BP and told me he had taken 42600 (or something like that) miles. I was a bit surprised that he did not ask for my agreement before processing the upgrade but as I knew what I was in for, I did not really mind. Whilst waiting in the lounge I also received an email confirming the upgrade and miles taken and urging me to contact the call centre if it was not me. So I deduct that it can be reversed. But the message is clear: do your research before starting the process.

Haha, I actually refreshed the app around 10 times the night before and morning after to try and check the amount.

Mine was also Y to J, but I’m Platinum so tend to use First Class counter. I went to the Skwyards part of the lounge to try and check after. She couldn’t tell me but assumed that I was probably given a free upgrade the way things went down.

Also no email received, and balance only updated a few days after. On board they could tell me the exact amount though.

Yes, you're being pedantic. You asked if a miles upgrade was possible, and the person rightly assumed you wanted it if it was available. Why should you be upset that they did it for you, let alone expect you're due some sort of compensation for not being told how many miles it took?

That's a bit harsh. One might want to know if available and the cost before deciding... I'd also be annoyed if I hadn't wanted it and even notice and wonder about it it I did.

:D

Because I didn’t want it at 67,500. I no longer have enough for a 16hr reward ticket I have been saving for and have cancelled the trip purely because of this.

Also maxed out the number of miles I can buy. I practically bought the miles which he used to upgrade me, so it feels the the same as taking it straight from my credit card without my say so.

Although I understand your frustration, there are 2 ‘issues’ here. Firstly, there are many ways to prepare for this ‘event’, you can look up the miles needed on the mileage calculator on the website and also the app will tell you how many you need, based on the fare group of your original ticket. If you actually purchased the miles with a different purpose in mind, I would have thought it logical to check before ‘squandering’ THE miles on a different ‘product’
Secondly, you could have insisted to know how many had been used when you learned that the deed had been done. It would almost certainly have been possible to revert the whole process.
But you took your seat in F and later decided to cry crocodile tears here. No wonder that you get little sympathy.
Again, I understand your frustration and I have been in a similar situation but that’s where it ends.

I would have been really annoyed if this had happened to me. However, I'd have ensured that they *hadn't* taken my points before I left the Skywards desk. Hindsight at all that...

The app didn’t tell me. I didn’t think to check the mileage calculator though, thanks. In hindsight I should have done this!

I wasn’t in F unfortunately. I had purchased a Y ticket.

I think the desk was being helpful - if he didn’t want the upgrade he should have said and cancelled it at the desk.

Just to clarify, I wasn’t going to try and cancel something I genuinely thought had been a complimentary upgrade!