Virgin Australia UpgradeMe pricing and success

[clare1991]

$200 bid accepted T25 Per-Syd
Plus get my $50 (promo price) back from economy X.

 

[I love to travel]

Got the email yesterday for flight next Saturday. Is there an optimal time to place the bid or does it not really matter. BTW, cannot see info on seats available etc or do you only see this after the bid has been placed. @Captain Halliday kindly has informed be it is J4 C2 D1

 

[TMP]

Got the email yesterday for flight next Saturday. Is there an optimal time to place the bid or does it not really matter. BTW, cannot see info on seats available etc or do you only see this after the bid has been placed. @Captain Halliday kindly has informed be it is J4 C2 D1

Timing doesn't matter (outside the window for processing) and the upgrade portal doesn't tell you about availability or not. Need to use other methods for that. However, closer to flight the minimum price to bid often comes down.

 

[g_batt]

Does anyone know if it's possible to submit both an UpgradeMe bid and a points upgrade at the same time? Currently on the waitlist for the points upgrade. if I put in a bid, would I be taken off the waitlist? If not, what's the priority - do they process cash first or points upgrade first (I believe QF always does points upgrades first)?

On a recent SYD-PER flight I put in both a UpgradeMe bid ($165, minimum was $150) and a points request from a Choice fare. They took the money at 3.30am for a 18:15 flight.

 

[MH_fan]

Well, things have clearly changed then! A points upgrade waitlist should trump an upgrade bid. That is not rewarding loyalty and sends the message that the points you earn hold little value.

 

[fletty]

Well, things have clearly changed then! A points upgrade waitlist should trump an upgrade bid. That is not rewarding loyalty and sends the message that the points you earn hold little value.

It makes sense that VA would prefer the cash first, but I agree that it makes points upgrade more useless.
Also explains the success rate I personally find on cash upgrades. I'd imagine most would rather burn some points.

 

[TMP]

Upgraded at T-25 for MEL-PER, bid was $127 which was minimum + $10. I'd paid $30 for Economy X.

Alternative was 30,000 points to be waitlisted for a points upgrade.

I know which is better value!

Cash fare at time of upgrade was around $1800

 

[SYD]

Well, things have clearly changed then! A points upgrade waitlist should trump an upgrade bid. That is not rewarding loyalty and sends the message that the points you earn hold little value.

If there is an award seat available, the points upgrade goes through immediately (as does the WP freebie) ie well before they start processing cash bids. QF operates the same for domestic Y to J points upgrades where there’s an award seat available.

But I assume the VA system doesn’t put unsold J seats out as reward seats until they process all cash bids first? By which time, they’ve all gone. Which makes “Waitlisted” points upgrades a low probability of success.

QF processes points upgrades ahead of cash bids. Which probably explains why the equivalent QF thread here is very quiet.

 

[g_batt]

Interestingly on my return Flex PER-BNE flight I called to request an upgrade (assuming they’d put me on the wait list because there were no rewards showing on the website) - after having been bumped from 4A to 10D (wtf) - but was told there were business reward seats available and I could use one of my complimentary upgrades. No idea what was going on there but not mad about it!

 

[TMP]

Upgraded at T-25 for PER, bid was $155 (min +5). Again, $30 to come back for Economy X.

6/8 J were available the day before the flight. Fascinated by the pricing strategy as not many $1800 fares can be being purchased.

 

[nutwood]

If there is an award seat available, the points upgrade goes through immediately (as does the WP freebie) ie well before they start processing cash bids. QF operates the same for domestic Y to J points upgrades where there’s an award seat available.

But I assume the VA system doesn’t put unsold J seats out as reward seats until they process all cash bids first? By which time, they’ve all gone. Which makes “Waitlisted” points upgrades a low probability of success.

QF processes points upgrades ahead of cash bids. Which probably explains why the equivalent QF thread here is very quiet.

Are you sure this is still the case? I haven't had a successful upgrade on points for some time and have come to the conclusion that they've changed the system to favour cash. I've had a request lodged for points upgrade (unsuccessful) and observed that they were offering the opportunity to bid right up to the day.
I think something similar has happened with the WP freebies. I finished last year with three unused upgrades, simply because I couldn't find flights to use them on. In one specific instance that I scrutinised carefully, ADL -LST, I was well in advance, there were no J seats sold but no WP upgrades available. It remained that way for many weeks. I purchased Flex and applied for points upgrade. Never happened, however the seats were all occupied, presumably by successful bidders.

 

[FatBoyNotSoSlim]

MEL-SYD - $125 bid accepted T-24
SYD-MEL - $130 bid accepted T-24

I think minimum bids were $75-80 range? Having been unsuccesful on 3 of my flights last year with minimum +$10, I just went a middle of the road number that I would be happy paying.

On a related topic - does anyone know where/how to get a receipt for the UpgradeMe payment? I thought I got it in an email last year, but I didn't get any this time around.

 

[SYD]

Are you sure this is still the case?

That was mentioned in the article and how WP upgrades work (and pretty sure points upgrades work).

But finding a J award seat is the issue and then yes, the bids take over.

 

[nutwood]

That was mentioned in the article and how WP upgrades work (and pretty sure points upgrades work).

But finding a J award seat is the issue and then yes, the bids take over.

Ah-ha, yes I see your point. It's definitely changed within the last 12 months or so but it's probably just a case of reducing the available award seats. Devalues status but that's the path they seem to be taking at present.