Amex free flight upgrade?

[lobo76]

Trying this today...

Booked flights via Amex.

Called to check upgrade availability. Agent tells me he can't check unless I have a booking ref. I asked why he can't look up a flight number. He says, get this "Why don't you just buy business class" (!). I replied because I didn't want to, that what I wanted was to upgrade. He then asked "why?" (!). I said it's more expensive and I wanted to use some points. He asked why I didn't just book a biz reward seat (!!). I said I wanted to earn some SCs too, starting to get a little annoyed at him. I said can you please just do as I asked and check the availability. He put mer on hold for almost 10 mins. I hung up.

Next person did it straight away - 7 seats available.

Called Amex, rebooked as Flexi asked to have my Velocity number put in. Additional cash to pay $27! I thought wow I got a good deal....

Couldn't see the booking on Velocity site.

Called Velocity, asked to upgrade with points. Put on hold for 15 mins -.-
Then told that my seats were booked as Saver fares!

Back to Amex. Seems they screwed up the booking. On hold for 10 mins. Told me they'd have to rebook the flights and it would cost more again :/.
Another 5 mins on hold. Told it'd be another $356. Asked why so much and were they charging me the $87 twice...was put on hold again. This time she came back with $202 to book flexi return. I took it as the best I was probably going to get without causing a ruckus and maybe ruining the procedure for everyone else

Will wait an for processing and call Velocity again if the flight isn't on the My Bookings page.. wish me luck!

 

[k3nnis]

Hi Lobo,

Which route are you flying? So basically you are paying the difference between saver and flexi? and then use points to upgrade?

 

[lobo76]

Hi Lobo,

Which route are you flying? So basically you are paying the difference between saver and flexi? and then use points to upgrade?

Mel-Syd. Yea that looks like the deal. I apparently had about $300 credit. Less change fees and flight cost diff.

 

[k3nnis]

Oh ok. Did you have to cancel your amex free flight saver and get a credit or did you just keep the saver and called up to upgrade to a flexi fare??

 

[lobo76]

Oh ok. Did you have to cancel your amex free flight saver and get a credit or did you just keep the saver and called up to upgrade to a flexi fare??

Actually I'm not sure what the resolution ended up being on the back end. But the 'correct' way as per moopere is to cancel then use the credit shell to rebook.

 

[lobo76]

Will wait an for processing and call Velocity again if the flight isn't on the My Bookings page.. wish me luck!

Itinerary still says Economy :/
On the hold to Velocity again.....

... SUCCESS (although I think I'll hold my breath til I get the itinerary from Velocity)

 

[Moopere]

Oh ok. Did you have to cancel your amex free flight saver and get a credit or did you just keep the saver and called up to upgrade to a flexi fare??

I don't think you can upgrade from a Saver to a Flexi - I think one needs to go down the cancel and rebook route.

For sure, to make this all work you have to have a bit of patience on the phone, as Lobo76 indicates in posts above. From memory it took me about an hour and a half by the time it was all said and done. Still worth it in my view, but if you get anxious on the phone it will likely muddle up the issue. The system is still reasonably well covered, I think, by this old post:

http://www.australianfrequentflyer....x-free-flight-upgrade-34297-3.html#post612538

Seems from Lobo's report that probably not that much has changed.

 

[lobo76]

Seems from Lobo's report that probably not that much has changed.

I was pretty much following your steps as I remembered them. It's probably worth double checking with the rep for each step at the end of the call to save time...

 

[k3nnis]

So in theory, after you have cancel the flight do you call virgin direct to rebook into the flexi fares or do you still need to call amex?

 

[lobo76]

I called Amex. Today hasn't left me with a lot of faith in the velocity call center reps in general.


Oh and incidentally... if you cancel your credit shell lasts for a whopping 12 months from original booking date... no excuse for not using Amex flights! *curses self for last year*

 

[Chicken]

I tried to book a ticket to AKL using the Edge card last week, and asked if it was possible to pay for the extra cost with flying to New Zealand (as Edge card does not cover New Zealand). Was told that is not possible, so I asked what if I book a SYD - BNE flight then ask for a credit? She tried, and turned out the credit from cancelling a SYD - BNE ticket is $130, minus $27 fee, effectively getting $100 credit.

 

[Moopere]

With the credit shell thing, I think we need to exercise some care and careful judgement in an open discussion such as this one. There is potential, I fear, for the open and aboveboard system discussed here to be 'enhanced' (in the bad sense).

I think there is enough information available, in this thread (and others) get wring some really good value from the "free" Amex style flights - I'd recommend interested readers go back over the thread and glean some goodness from it.

 

[thehound]

I tried to book a ticket to AKL using the Edge card last week, and asked if it was possible to pay for the extra cost with flying to New Zealand (as Edge card does not cover New Zealand). Was told that is not possible, so I asked what if I book a SYD - BNE flight then ask for a credit? She tried, and turned out the credit from cancelling a SYD - BNE ticket is $130, minus $27 fee, effectively getting $100 credit.

Why book a short flight if you're just looking for a credit? Just book the flight most likely to produce the largest credit. For the Edge that is probable Perth-Brisbane or Perth-Sydney.

 

[Chicken]

Why book a short flight if you're just looking for a credit? Just book the flight most likely to produce the largest credit. For the Edge that is probable Perth-Brisbane or Perth-Sydney.

I'm in Sydney, and Edge card does not include Perth.

 

[serfty]

I don't believe you need to book out of your nearest airport ...

 

[medhead]

I'm in Sydney, and Edge card does not include Perth.

But you can still get a PER to SYD return flight.


Sent from the Throne

 

[lobo76]

So much for circumspection in the posts, eh Moopere? :/

 

[Chicken]

But you can still get a PER to SYD return flight.
Sent from the Throne

I didn't try this time, but I think I got a 'no' when it was still Qantas.

 

[AdMEL]

After reading this thread thoroughly a couple of times, I thought I'd give it a go. This is my experience from the last few days ...

Booked PER-MEL return for a couple of weeks time, at the highest possible fare I could, a few days ago. Cancelled it a couple of days later. Credit lesss than 50% of original fares, so Virgin Amex must be getting a great fares!

Enquired about re-booking today ... was told that rebooked fare can only be the allowed routes for my card (wanted MEL-PER return) and can only be a saver fare - flexi not possible.

Does anyone have any recent experience with this? Have the rules been changed or should I keep calling?

 

[Moopere]

After reading this thread thoroughly a couple of times, I thought I'd give it a go. This is my experience from the last few days ...

Booked PER-MEL return for a couple of weeks time, at the highest possible fare I could, a few days ago. Cancelled it a couple of days later. Credit lesss than 50% of original fares, so Virgin Amex must be getting a great fares!

Its possibly seasonal, or depends on the sales that were available at the time of the booking? Plenty of sales right now so I can imagine the value of a ticket being possibly less (though contracted rates are less liable ot vary I would have thought).

I received in credit shell on my PER-MEL about half the cost of a flexi when I cancelled my freebie Amex ticket. As I recall, and the detail is in this thread, I had to add a bit more than half of the flexi value to my credit shell in new revenue to gain the flexi ticket.

Enquired about re-booking today ... was told that rebooked fare can only be the allowed routes for my card (wanted MEL-PER return) and can only be a saver fare - flexi not possible.

Hmm. This smells funny to me. Who has your credit shell? Amex or Virgin? I'd have thought that a credit value is a credit value and no other restrictions would easily be imposed. I also find it a bit suspicious because, in general, upselling is very much what both Amex and Virgin are open to doing. This is all new money for them and I'd have thought they'd be very keen.

Does anyone have any recent experience with this? Have the rules been changed or should I keep calling?

There is a little bit too much information spelled out in this thread, and I've worried for a while that 'enhancement' of the bad kind is likely. Having said that, the scenario you've experienced above doesn't smell right, its too complex and against Amex and Virgins interests, so seems wrong. I'd keep trying. It may matter where the credit shell is kept. When I did it the credit was held by Virgin. If its now held by Amex then perhaps there are additional caveats. Please report back here when you find out the answer as there is a lot of interest I'm sure.

I must admit, I didn't leave a days gap between cancelling my ticket and rebooking the flexi. I first asked if J upgrades from Flex were still available, affirmative, then I asked what my cancelled Saver ticket would be worth, got the answer, then asked what the cost differential to me would be for booking a flexi, today, using my credit shell if I went ahead and cancelled the saver ... got the answer, then moved ahead and did the lot in one lump.