Sydney to Singapore, to upgrade or not upgrade

[hebby]

Hi all,

I got an upcoming Sydney to Singapore trip. Flying to Singapore at 4pm, and returning to Sydney at about 8pm.

Both flights are flexi which, according to the Velocity site, will cost about 30k points for an upgrade to Business.

Just wondering, if you could only pick one of the flights to upgrade - which would you choose? I am also with KrisFlyer, so would it be better to transfer the points over to them and then purchase the upgrade?

(Or should I just bat my manly eyelashes and hope I get a free upgrade upon checkin )

 

[Jousams]

Ah. If you have booked a SQ flight on a virgin code, I don't think you will be able to upgrade. Only LAX & AUH flights are upgradeable.

 

[Intra]

Won't be able to upgrade the SQ flights using Velocity points - Best bet is to indeed transfer Velocity points to KrisFlyer miles & then upgrade, but you may not even be able to do that because it's a codeshare flight (Assuming you purchased the tickets on the VA website)

Check with SQ to see what, if any, options you have for upgrade - Might be able to do one at the airport with cash, pending availability?

 

[burmans]

I'd upgrade the return as it is an overnight flight but also enough time to enjoy a meal and champagne.

 

[hebby]

Won't be able to upgrade the SQ flights using Velocity points - Best bet is to indeed transfer Velocity points to KrisFlyer miles & then upgrade, but you may not even be able to do that because it's a codeshare flight (Assuming you purchased the tickets on the VA website)

Check with SQ to see what, if any, options you have for upgrade - Might be able to do one at the airport with cash, pending availability?

Ah darn. Thanks for letting me know guys. It was indeed booked via VA site out of convenience - so it would be codeshare. Guess I'll just hoard the points for the time being then

 

[davidsilver]

Unfortunately VA codeshare tickets don't qualify for upgrades, I also learnt this the hardway.

Having said that only Y, B & E tickets are available for upgrade if you book direct with SQ (the most expensive tickets)

 

[VulpesVulpes]

Unfortunately VA codeshare tickets don't qualify for upgrades, I also learnt this the hardway.

I was chatting to a friend at EY and they were saying the block on allowing VA tickets to upgrade is VA themselves, not EY saying they can't. (Can't say I've spoken to people from SQ/DL etc)

Looks like they only want you to do it on VA metal to LAX and AUH :'(

 

[Intra]

I was chatting to a friend at EY and they were saying the block on allowing VA tickets to upgrade is VA themselves, not EY saying they can't. (Can't say I've spoken to people from SQ/DL etc)

Looks like they only want you to do it on VA metal to LAX and AUH :'(

In what context though? Using cash/points/at the airport....??
It's all just messy when you involve Codeshare flights

 

[hebby]

Unfortunately VA codeshare tickets don't qualify for upgrades, I also learnt this the hardway.

Having said that only Y, B & E tickets are available for upgrade if you book direct with SQ (the most expensive tickets)

Thanks for the heads up! I just checked the itinerary and it looks to be L class, so won't even bother transferring points to KrisFlyer. Starting to question whether I should've kept building status/points with Qantas now haha.

I'm very new to all the abbreviations, seems every community has something different

 

[jackthomas]

I was chatting to a friend at EY and they were saying the block on allowing VA tickets to upgrade is VA themselves, not EY saying they can't. (Can't say I've spoken to people from SQ/DL etc)

Looks like they only want you to do it on VA metal to LAX and AUH :'(

It's the same with both airlines on codeshare flights. QF members also can't upgrade with EK using points (or cash) unless you pay Qantas the upgrade changes and fees, aka the issuing carrier.

 

[davidsilver]

Thanks for the heads up! I just checked the itinerary and it looks to be L class, so won't even bother transferring points to KrisFlyer. Starting to question whether I should've kept building status/points with Qantas now haha.

I'm very new to all the abbreviations, seems every community has something different

They are the most expensive economy tickets for sale on the SQ website, often still cheaper than the VA codeshare flexi ticket

 

[VulpesVulpes]

In what context though? Using cash/points/at the airport....??
It's all just messy when you involve Codeshare flights

I mean Points upgrade from one class to another. You can purchase a reward Y or J totally on points but not buy a paid Y and upgrade to J using VA points.

I see your point about it being messy, but it really can't be that hard either. It is all just about the available fare classes/buckets and it really isn't much different to getting everything working between Marketing/Operating/Ticketing carrier. If you can redeem a reward flight on another airlines metal, above being able purchase a ticket it then the vast majority of the hard stuff is done

 

[davidsilver]

160,000 + $140 odd to redeem J on VA. 93,500 + $516 for reward J on SQ. Factor in the 1.35 conversion that's 127,000 VA points, so cheaper points wise but more fuel fines when booking directly with SQ. This was a just random dates in April flying MEL-SIN, is 33,000 points worth $376? value on partner rewards is in the eye of the beholder

 

[smit0847]

160,000 + $140 odd to redeem J on VA. 93,500 + $516 for reward J on SQ. Factor in the 1.35 conversion that's 127,000 VA points, so cheaper points wise but more fuel fines when booking directly with SQ. This was a just random dates in April flying MEL-SIN, is 33,000 points worth $376? value on partner rewards is in the eye of the beholder

Id value 33000 points at about $500

 

[davidsilver]

Yep sounds about the same range as me. Personally if I was booking partner reward with SQ i'd just transfer points to Krisflyer

 

[Mattg]

If you were able to upgrade on one of those flights, I would chose the overnight flight. The flat bed makes such a difference if you want to sleep, and you'll be able to enjoy a nice dinner in the lounge and/or on board with the 8pm departure, getting the best of both the hard and soft products.

Looks like they only want you to do it on VA metal to LAX and AUH :'(

This is a real downside with the Velocity frequent flyer program. There are only three long-haul routes where Velocity points can actually be used to upgrade -and even then, only if you're a Gold or Platinum frequent flyer, on a Flexi ticket, booked under a VA flight number and there is J reward availability... At least with QFF, Qantas has a much larger international network and most fares/customers are eligible to at least request an upgrade!

 

[theevilmuppet]

This is a real downside with the Velocity frequent flyer program. There are only three long-haul routes where Velocity points can actually be used to upgrade -and even then, only if you're a Gold or Platinum frequent flyer, on a Flexi ticket, booked under a VA flight number and there is J reward availability... At least with QFF, Qantas has a much larger international network and most fares/customers are eligible to at least request an upgrade!

3 long haul routes?

 

[Mattg]

3 long haul routes?

Yes. Virgin's only long-haul routes are Sydney-Los Angeles, Brisbane-Los Angeles and Sydney-Abu Dhabi.

 

[Jousams]

If you were able to upgrade on one of those flights, I would chose the overnight flight. The flat bed makes such a difference if you want to sleep, and you'll be able to enjoy a nice dinner in the lounge and/or on board with the 8pm departure, getting the best of both the hard and soft products.



This is a real downside with the Velocity frequent flyer program. There are only three long-haul routes where Velocity points can actually be used to upgrade -and even then, only if you're a Gold or Platinum frequent flyer, on a Flexi ticket, booked under a VA flight number and there is J reward availability... At least with QFF, Qantas has a much larger international network and most fares/customers are eligible to at least request an upgrade!

You can upgrade from restricted Y to PE

 

[davidsilver]

[TABLE="width: 100%, align: center"]
[TR="bgcolor: transparent"]
[TH]

Fare booked:​

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[TH]

Upgrade to:​

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[TH]

Points required to upgrade*:​

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[TR="bgcolor: transparent"]
[TD="bgcolor: transparent"]

Flexi (Y, B, H, K or L)​

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[/TD]
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Premium Economy (P)​

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[/TD]
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18,000​

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[/TD]
[/TR]
[/TABLE]

Still only Full Flexi tickets to upgrade to PE