Sep 8, 2017, 8:42 am
Last edit by: flyerby
E+ members receive two upgrade vouchers per membership year that can be used as system-wide upgrades. Vouchers are not delivered to E+ status holders in physical or electronic form and only exist on the screens of TK agents.
It is advisable to call TK to verify the number of vouchers you have prior to and after the upgrade (unless you have no vouchers left).
Upgrades are done by calling TK CS or a local TK office (by phone or email).
One voucher is needed to upgrade per direction. For example, the itinerary LHR-IST-BKK will need one voucher to upgrade, and the itinerary LHR-IST-BKK-IST-LHR will need two vouchers. If an agent tells you otherwise, HUCA.
How to find itineraries with availability for a voucher upgrade?
Find an itinerary in any class in Y that has 4 seats left in J booking class on the same itinerary as the Y. To be extra cautious, you may also check the individual legs (when applicable) for 4 seats left in J booking class. For example, for the itinerary LHR-IST-BKK, check at least that LHR-IST-BKK has 4 seats left in J booking class, and in addition, check LHR-IST and IST-BKK individually too.
You can no longer check for upgrade availability without having an e-ticket number.
A relatively low-risk method of proceeding is therefore...
1) Reserve a ticket online with TK but don't pay for the ticket yet. Just put it on hold for 48 hours for free for E+ members.
2) Book an economy class ticket on the same itinerary with a reputable USA-based OTA that offers a 24-hour cooling-off / full refund period.
3) Once you have received your e-ticket number, go to Manage Booking on the TK website and check if TK has offered a business upgrade with miles for your intineray. Any segment eligible for an upgrade with miles on the website is also eligible for an upgrade with E+ vouchers.
4) Another option would be to call TK CS and ask an agent to check if the ticket in (2) is upgradeable with your vouchers. Do not upgrade this ticket; just check.
5) Once availability is confirmed for your itinerary, pay for the ticket in (1). Upon payment and ticketing, call TK CS to ask an agent to upgrade this ticket.
6) Cancel for free the ticket in (2).
Another even lower-risk method would be to skip (1) and just upgrade the ticket in (2). If unsuccessful with the E+ upgrade, you can proceed to cancel your economy ticket within the 24-hour cooling-off period. Going with this route, you would then have to be in contact with the OTA and not TK in cases of schedule change, cancellation, or IRROP, which is not usually advisable unless you really have to.
You might be asked to enter a PIN number via an automatic system to access your vouchers; this is the PIN you use to log on to your TK M&S account.
It is advisable to call TK to verify the number of vouchers you have prior to and after the upgrade (unless you have no vouchers left).
Upgrades are done by calling TK CS or a local TK office (by phone or email).
One voucher is needed to upgrade per direction. For example, the itinerary LHR-IST-BKK will need one voucher to upgrade, and the itinerary LHR-IST-BKK-IST-LHR will need two vouchers. If an agent tells you otherwise, HUCA.
How to find itineraries with availability for a voucher upgrade?
Find an itinerary in any class in Y that has 4 seats left in J booking class on the same itinerary as the Y. To be extra cautious, you may also check the individual legs (when applicable) for 4 seats left in J booking class. For example, for the itinerary LHR-IST-BKK, check at least that LHR-IST-BKK has 4 seats left in J booking class, and in addition, check LHR-IST and IST-BKK individually too.
You can no longer check for upgrade availability without having an e-ticket number.
A relatively low-risk method of proceeding is therefore...
1) Reserve a ticket online with TK but don't pay for the ticket yet. Just put it on hold for 48 hours for free for E+ members.
2) Book an economy class ticket on the same itinerary with a reputable USA-based OTA that offers a 24-hour cooling-off / full refund period.
3) Once you have received your e-ticket number, go to Manage Booking on the TK website and check if TK has offered a business upgrade with miles for your intineray. Any segment eligible for an upgrade with miles on the website is also eligible for an upgrade with E+ vouchers.
4) Another option would be to call TK CS and ask an agent to check if the ticket in (2) is upgradeable with your vouchers. Do not upgrade this ticket; just check.
5) Once availability is confirmed for your itinerary, pay for the ticket in (1). Upon payment and ticketing, call TK CS to ask an agent to upgrade this ticket.
6) Cancel for free the ticket in (2).
Another even lower-risk method would be to skip (1) and just upgrade the ticket in (2). If unsuccessful with the E+ upgrade, you can proceed to cancel your economy ticket within the 24-hour cooling-off period. Going with this route, you would then have to be in contact with the OTA and not TK in cases of schedule change, cancellation, or IRROP, which is not usually advisable unless you really have to.
You might be asked to enter a PIN number via an automatic system to access your vouchers; this is the PIN you use to log on to your TK M&S account.
Elite Plus upgrade voucher
Mar 7, 2019, 6:56 am
#466
Join Date: Mar 2019
Programs: Turkish Air
Posts: 13
I always check both - married and individual segments for J class availability. It has always worked me if both are available. My experience shows it has nothing to do with I class availability.
I have been able to waitlist upgrade for vouchers. It was a business trip I was willing to upgrade for vouchers. I'd fly anyway which is different from your situation. Outbound 2 flight connection cleared the day after, inbound LAX-IST never cleared and it was even overbooked in C.
I have been able to waitlist upgrade for vouchers. It was a business trip I was willing to upgrade for vouchers. I'd fly anyway which is different from your situation. Outbound 2 flight connection cleared the day after, inbound LAX-IST never cleared and it was even overbooked in C.
I was able to upgrade a ticket yesterday without issues, although it took 2 calls because the first agent wanted 4 vouchers for my itinerary. The upgrade cleared into J class. With the new system, the fare class on my ticket did not update to J, although the reservation did update.
Originally Posted by max_kolesne
So, you couldn’t figure out something and therefore this must be a scam?.
Originally Posted by Jaenks
When you or your assistant are not capable to do something, it does not mean it is a scam or a lie(too strong words). Just read the Wiki and do as written or call first and ask availability to purchase in J booking class although you would not do purchase the ticket but will find the availability.
Last edited by jay49; Mar 7, 2019 at 7:09 am
Mar 7, 2019, 8:00 am
#467
Join Date: Oct 2010
Location: SEA/ORD/ADB
Programs: TK ELPL (*G), AS 100K (OWE), BA Gold (OWE), Hyatt Globalist, Hilton Diamond, Marriott Plat, IHG Plat
Posts: 7,763
Out of curiosity, were you able to check the J and I space numbers before you applied for your upgrade? Going forward, it would helpful if people could give examples based on the J/I situation of their flight(s) in question and then report back on their upgrade success or failures.
In my case, two weeks ago, I first tried to upgrade with miles and then when denied, I tried my E+ voucher which was also denied. In both cases, the call center said that only one of the two segments were available for upgrade. The loads, based on Expert Flyer, were as follows:
DXB-IST-BOS J4 I0 (searched as a married journey)
DXB-IST J4 I0
IST-BOS J4 I2
It could be that EF is showing incorrect information, so I double checked on TK's web-site that it was possible to purchase J on the married segments. Four separate agents confirmed however, that only the IST-BOS was open for upgrade using either miles or E+ voucher. So the only thing I could ascertain from my experience is that I-space is now also required.
I can confirm that about this last year the above was not the case, where I was able to upgrade with miles when only J- space was available (I=0) and the same situation for my E+ voucher. I'm wondering if their "new" computer system has changed anything in how upgrades are processed (apart from now requiring a ticket number to look-up space)?
On a positive note, TK did refund me the cancellation fee after submitting an on-line feedback and explaining the situation. It is still quite a hassle if we cannot confirm upgrade availability before ticketing. This is why concrete examples of the J- and I- loads prior to someone upgrading would help shed light on the current algorithm used by TK's "new" computer system for upgrading.
In my case, two weeks ago, I first tried to upgrade with miles and then when denied, I tried my E+ voucher which was also denied. In both cases, the call center said that only one of the two segments were available for upgrade. The loads, based on Expert Flyer, were as follows:
DXB-IST-BOS J4 I0 (searched as a married journey)
DXB-IST J4 I0
IST-BOS J4 I2
It could be that EF is showing incorrect information, so I double checked on TK's web-site that it was possible to purchase J on the married segments. Four separate agents confirmed however, that only the IST-BOS was open for upgrade using either miles or E+ voucher. So the only thing I could ascertain from my experience is that I-space is now also required.
I can confirm that about this last year the above was not the case, where I was able to upgrade with miles when only J- space was available (I=0) and the same situation for my E+ voucher. I'm wondering if their "new" computer system has changed anything in how upgrades are processed (apart from now requiring a ticket number to look-up space)?
On a positive note, TK did refund me the cancellation fee after submitting an on-line feedback and explaining the situation. It is still quite a hassle if we cannot confirm upgrade availability before ticketing. This is why concrete examples of the J- and I- loads prior to someone upgrading would help shed light on the current algorithm used by TK's "new" computer system for upgrading.
Were you looking at inventory based on US point of sale (ExpertFlyer default) or UAE (the POS applicable)?
Mar 7, 2019, 8:15 am
#468
Join Date: Dec 2018
Posts: 310
What is a "married segment" and how do you tell?
How did you get scammed out of 4 vouchers for one trip?
It has nothing to do with not being capable of "figuring it out" it has to do with the company purposefully denying the information necessary to "figure it out". That's extremely scammy and dishonest behavior and it is clearly designed to prevent people from using their vouchers before they expire (they're only good for a year). It's also designed to cause people to buy tickets they don't want. If they said "You need to check if there is J class and then call us back and hope the availability is still there" that's totally different than "we will only help you if you already have a ticket number and we won't give you any other information about it" (three separate people told us that). I can see you're a bit slow.
How did you get scammed out of 4 vouchers for one trip?
It has nothing to do with not being capable of "figuring it out" it has to do with the company purposefully denying the information necessary to "figure it out". That's extremely scammy and dishonest behavior and it is clearly designed to prevent people from using their vouchers before they expire (they're only good for a year). It's also designed to cause people to buy tickets they don't want. If they said "You need to check if there is J class and then call us back and hope the availability is still there" that's totally different than "we will only help you if you already have a ticket number and we won't give you any other information about it" (three separate people told us that). I can see you're a bit slow.
Mar 7, 2019, 1:51 pm
#469
Join Date: Dec 2010
Location: YOW
Programs: TK E+, AC 25K, A3 S, UA S, BoNVoY TE
Posts: 103
You raise a good point regarding POS. My default is set to Canada and I didn't even consider checking UAE at the time of my original search. I just re-checked the same routing (inventory hasn't change) and changing the POS didn't change the results in EF in this instance. Your point is still well taken and important to remember!
Mar 7, 2019, 2:12 pm
#470
Join Date: Jan 2011
Programs: oneworld, * Alliance, Marriott Bonvoy, HHonors, WoH
Posts: 2,113
It has nothing to do with not being capable of "figuring it out" it has to do with the company purposefully denying the information necessary to "figure it out". That's extremely scammy and dishonest behavior and it is clearly designed to prevent people from using their vouchers before they expire (they're only good for a year). It's also designed to cause people to buy tickets they don't want. If they said "You need to check if there is J class and then call us back and hope the availability is still there" that's totally different than "we will only help you if you already have a ticket number and we won't give you any other information about it" (three separate people told us that). I can see you're a bit slow.
Mar 7, 2019, 2:19 pm
#471
Join Date: Nov 2013
Location: Stockholm, Sweden
Programs: TK Elite, Hilton Diamond, BA Silver
Posts: 967
Checking on Amadeus, those days in April with J4I4 on IST-MNL shows availability to redeem 45k TK miles in business limited on TKs website, while those days showing J0I0 and J4I0 would show business seat guaranteed seat requiring 105k miles for business class so I believe that there must be I class availability (just like what the TK agent told us) to redeem a business limited seat for 45k miles Europe to Asia and apparently to use the elite plus voucher. I'll get a new elite plus upgrade voucher on April 1 and will try to use it for a trip and will report back
Mar 7, 2019, 4:14 pm
#472
Join Date: Dec 2015
Location: QND, BEG, BUD
Programs: AY Platinum; TK Elite+; MR Titanium; HH Diamond
Posts: 109
... so I believe that there must be I class availability (just like what the TK agent told us) to redeem a business limited seat for 45k miles Europe to Asia and apparently to use the elite plus voucher. I'll get a new elite plus upgrade voucher on April 1 and will try to use it for a trip and will report back
Mar 7, 2019, 5:59 pm
#473
Join Date: Dec 2010
Location: YOW
Programs: TK E+, AC 25K, A3 S, UA S, BoNVoY TE
Posts: 103
This is a bit weird since I successfully upgraded (with miles) my IST-LAX flight on Feb 27 and during the discussion with my local TK office they confirmed that they needed "J" availability to be able upgrade it, I don't recall with certainty if it had "I"availability as well, but I do not believe so.
Mar 7, 2019, 8:29 pm
#474
Join Date: Mar 2019
Programs: Turkish Air
Posts: 13
However, a simple lack of information is not a scam. Scam means fraud.
Mar 8, 2019, 10:33 am
#475
Join Date: Jul 2008
Location: LAX, TPE, NYC
Programs: TK Miles&Smiles, AAdvantage, Flying Blue
Posts: 295
Hmm my POV is that TK should really electronicize their EP upgrade vouchers. I don't get why they haven't.
It's a perk they would need to honor anyway, having it bookable online will just save everyone so much effort.
My other observation is that, try to call a smaller local office if possible. This is true for TK and other airlines.
U.S. call center typically receive too many calls, and some staff may not be experienced, while smaller outstations sometimes have experienced staff, and having fewer customers meaning they may be able more patient to deal with whatever newbie questions you may have.
I called their Taipei office last time and was really happy with the service. I spoke to them in Mandarin though.
It's a perk they would need to honor anyway, having it bookable online will just save everyone so much effort.
My other observation is that, try to call a smaller local office if possible. This is true for TK and other airlines.
U.S. call center typically receive too many calls, and some staff may not be experienced, while smaller outstations sometimes have experienced staff, and having fewer customers meaning they may be able more patient to deal with whatever newbie questions you may have.
I called their Taipei office last time and was really happy with the service. I spoke to them in Mandarin though.
Mar 8, 2019, 10:43 am
#476
Join Date: Mar 2019
Programs: Turkish Air
Posts: 13
Exactly, but their interest isn't for you to use these vouchers, it's to prevent you from using them.
Mar 10, 2019, 11:37 am
#478
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Nov 2018
Location: Istanbul, Turkey
Programs: TK Elite Plus,BAEC GGL,ITA Executive, AFKL Gold,QR Gold,HH Diamond,Bonvoy Gold,ALL Gold
Posts: 14,185
Mar 10, 2019, 11:41 am
#479
Join Date: Mar 2013
Location: CDG
Programs: TK Elite
Posts: 1,611
Mar 10, 2019, 3:42 pm
#480
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Aug 2011
Location: Barcelona, London, on a plane
Programs: BA Silver, TK E+, AA PP, Hyatt Globalist, Marriott LT Plat, Hilton Diamond
Posts: 13,026
