idomoneus

A few questions about buying upgrades... I am Silver Preferred and I know it is possible to buy four 800 mile NAUs for $120, but have never done so. I have a flight on Monday and am out of NAUs, so I am thinking of buying some. I don't want to use miles for them. If I buy them, when will they expire? How do I buy them? I am not very close to an airport, so can I buy them at the airport at the time I check in, and then immediately use one for the flight I am taking that day? I realize there may not be space left (right now ITN says 'G3'), but I want to standby for an earlier flight than the one I am confirmed on, so I can't upgrade in advance.

Another, somewhat unrelated, question-- if I am upgraded to first class can I use the Club on my day of travel?

IADCAflyer

I believe that you can buy them at the day of travel - simply purchase them when you check in. I don't think that they have an expiration date. With G3, you're doing OK right now, but be sure to jump at the upgrade window this evening at midnight to be sure you make it.

Only if you pay for it or have a club pass. Free trips to the club are granted only to folks traveling Envoy class.

Beckles

I believe purchased upgrades never expire, at least that's what I've been told. As Itrade said, you can purchase them at the airport without a problem, but a word of warning, it can take about 15 minutes for the agents to process and fill out the upgrades, so be sure to account for this extra time (they have to write out two sets of upgrades by hand).

syzygy8

I've bought upgrades once, maybe twice, earlier this year. No problem to buy day of travel. But I did have to go to the special services desk at DCA to get them. The gate agent was unable to do it. That may be different at an airport with no special services desk.

Beckles is right about the added time needed to do the paperwork.

You can call in at the beginning of your window to request the upgrade, and if they ask you what kind you'll be using, just say "the purchased 800 mile NAU's."

ClueByFour

I've done this a bunch. As has been mentioned, you can buy them on the day of travel, but you will generally have to do it at the ATO/Preferred Checkin or special services. And it will take some time to do.

When I've been short in the past, I typically just tell the phone agents that I'm using 800 milers.

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Saving the world, one clue at a time.

Beckles

The craziest thing about the paperwork part of buying upgrades, is according to an agent I talked to, it used to be automated, but when US switched to Sabre (when they started their now defunct partnership with AA) the funcitonality was lost and it's now a *very* manual process ...

idomoneus

Well, I don't think I can do the upgrade in advance. Let me explain the situation in a little more detail. I have scheduled to fly from CHS to BOS via CLT on Monday around 5:00 PM. I want to standby for an earlier flight, leaving CHS at 10:30, which my girlfriend is on. I want to upgrade both of us, of course. From what you all have said, buying the certificates on the day of travel is possible, and if I was planning on flying on the flight I am confirmed on, I could upgrade in advance. But, I don't think I can do that, since I want to standby for the earlier flight (the flight I am confirmed on is 'G0' anyway...)

So, what do you think? Here is the information from ITN about the flights I want to switch to:
CHS-CLT F1 A0 G0 Y7 B7 Q7 M7 H6 K4 V2
CLT-BOS F6 A4 G3 Y3 B3 Q3 M3 H3 K3 V2

I don't care about getting upgraded for the CHS-CLT segment. The flight is so short by the time you get up in the air you are going back down. But I would like to get upgraded on the flight to BOS. It's still at G3, which is a hopeful sign, and if I was confirmed at that flight I think I would be all set... but when we booked our tickets we weren't able to both get seats on the same flights, hence things are complicated now...

Any advice would be much appreciated.

Beckles

I can't say for sure if this is true, but even if I plan on standing by for an earlier flight I always try and upgrade my original flight because in my mind (again, don't know if this is true), I think it looks better that I'm already a first class passenger when I deal with the folks at the airport.

This could be totally wrong, but on the other hand I doubt it hurts.