Cash Upgrade Bids on Qantas

[eff001]

I'm an American new to this forum and request some advice about my upcoming first trip to Australia.

My wife and I are flying from JFK to Sydney in a week on Qantas Premium Economy. We were just invited to submit a bid for an upgrade to Business Class. We are not members of Qantas' Frequent Flyer program, so we were only offered a cash upgrade option (no points). The problem is that the range is huge - from a minimum of 700 AUD to a maximum of 4000 AUD. Does anyone have experience or advice to help us determine what might be a good bid short of the max?

 

[Mattg]

Hi there,

What flight are you on? If the flight is lightly loaded in business class, then the minimum bid (or close to it) is probably sufficient. If it's looking quite full, you'd probably need to bid a bit more.

I'd be happy to check the business class loads on your flight if you can provide the flight number and date.

 

[JohnK]

Welcome to AFF eff001!

 

[Steady]

Welcome aboard eff001, I hope you and your wife enjoy Australia

 

[eff001]

Thanks to Steady and John K for the welcome.

Mattg - We're leaving on September 16 on QF 12 and returning on October 8 on QF 11.

 

[Steady]

QF 12 on the 16th looks very full J1 C0 D0 I0 W0 R0 T0 Y9 B9 H9 K9 M9 L9 V9 N9 Q9 O9 X9 E9

QF11 on the 8th has much more availability, but it is a fair way off J9 C7 D0 I0 W9 R9 T8 Y9 B9 H9 K9 M9 L9 V9 S9 N9 Q9 O9 X9 E9

 

[eff001]

Thanks. Do you think twice the minimum would be enough for QF 12?

 

[Mattg]

Thanks. Do you think twice the minimum would be enough for QF 12?

It looks to me like business class on QF12 is going to be full, so unfortunately I don't think any bid would be successful. But it's still worth a shot, I guess.

For QF11 (SYD-JFK) it's harder to say as there are still a few weeks to go. Perhaps check in again around a week before the flight? But at this stage I would say at least double the minimum bid would be advisable.

Enjoy the flights (with or without the upgrade) and your holiday in Australia! If it's any consolation, Qantas premium economy is still pretty good.