Has any Gold Member been charged the $35 fee to upgrade.

[Sanpan]

[h=2]Has any Gold Member been charged the $35 fee to upgrade.[/h]

I am flying to Adelaide at the end of the month. I normally fly Flexi but the company who asked me to go would only pay a Saver Fare, so I rang to upgrade as I usually do when I buy my ticket and the team member wanted to charge me a $35 fee for each person on each flight ( hubby is flying with me). The team member said it would be $140 now to upgrade return via the priority phone line.

She said this was rule they had bought in at the beginning of the year. I have made 24 flights in the last year and I was gob smacked as I always book Flexi and then ring to upgrade. I have never been told about the new rule or charged a fee.

My question is has anyone on the forum been charged to upgrade. Thanks.​

 

[serfty]

I am WP and upgraded some flights earlier this year (using WP complimentary upgrades) - I was not asked for any fee.

There is no mention of such a fee being payable on the Velocity Gold Benefits page:

https://www.velocityfrequentflyer.c...tatus/?icmpid=VFF_Status_Goldstatus_VAFlydown

Nor in the T&C's: www.velocityfrequentflyer.com/content/ProgramBenefits/TermsConditions/#flightupgrades

Nor in the Upgrade page: www.velocityfrequentflyer.com/content/Redeem/FlightUpgrades/upgrademe-points/

Such points upgrades can now be done online (supposedly). If they could not, to charge an additional fee per person would be very petty.

To upgrade in that manner online, you bring up your booking and select "Upgrade using Velocity Points".

 

[anat0l]

I'm trying to work out what the $140 is made up of...

 

[Sanpan]

Serfty, thank you for your reply.

It's nice to know I am not the only one who cannot find anything in the information on the velocity page or in the rules regarding what I was told.

 

[Sanpan]

anatol, the $140 I was told is to upgrde 2 return flights at $35 fee for each flight= 4 flights @ $35 fee each = $140.
Quite simple to work out if you think about it.

 

[anat0l]

anatol, the $140 I was told is to upgrde 2 return flights at $35 fee for each flight= 4 flights @ $35 fee each = $140.
Quite simply to work out if you think about it.

Ah right, now I'm on the trolley.

The $35 fee is the standard telephone assistance fee, i.e. basically handle something with your booking by calling up the membership contact centre. Although the circumstances around it being charged are somewhat unclear, references to it are made here:

https://www.velocityfrequentflyer.com/content/ProgramBenefits/TermsConditions/#feeschedule (this one has a note, "From 2 April 2015")

http://www.virginaustralia.com/au/en/plan/fees-surcharges/domestic/#view-all

The premises of which I understand it are that if it can't be done online, it shouldn't be charged as a matter of course by the membership contact centre (serfty's note). Platinum upgrades (the four free ones that can be used on Flexi bookings) can't be used online, so calling is entirely reasonable (and it seems that Platinums have at least a few instances where an assistance fee is not charged anyway as a matter of course).

As serfty said, try doing it online. I assume bookings not made through the Virgin website, e.g. by travel agents, online ticketing websites or corporate agents, can also be upgraded online (now)? Otherwise, that would suck a bit if you still had to call the MCC and then explain that it was not possible due to the nature of the booking.

 

[Lizzi]

I rang up to use a plat comp upgrade the other day, and the call centre lady mentioned she was "waiving the call centre charge because you're a platinum". I do remember they tried to charge me a fee last year to do the same thing, and it took a bit of arguing to dissuade them before they eventually waived it -- a fee to apply a "complimentary upgrade" you're unable to apply any other way isn't terribly "complimentary"!