UpgradeMe pricing and success

Purchased Freedom fare DUD-BNE and bid the minimum $105 NZD. Notified of successful offer two days before departure. Not surprised as it is not a route with heavy business demand, though 2 out of 8 seats in cabin were occupied.

Out of interest I noticed seat availability in J-C-D-I was at 2 each before upgrade. When upgrade came through it went down to 1 each.
 
We're flying SYD-AKL return on redemption tickets from our Platinum Reserve card. I've just received an email offering an Upgrade Me Premium bid.

When I clicked on it the suggested offer is coming up as $390 per passenger for both SYD-AKL and AKL-SYD. The minimum offer is $145 per passenger for each flight so I don't know if there is much chance of getting it for that, but I don't think it's worth $390 each considering we can use the Amex lounge at SYD with my Platinum Charge and the Emperor Lounge in AKL through my Priority Pass card. Bids from $145 to $210 come up as Weak and from $215 to $305 as Fair and $310 to $395 as Good.

I have never been offered an Upgrade Me bid before, since we mostly fly 280K J One World Award flights using QFF points every couple of years so I'd appreciate thoughts on this offer, for J on a 737-800. The only other Virgin flights we have done in recent years were when I had previously used the Platinum Reserve redemption flights to fly SYD-ZQN in 2013 and 2015.

I suppose there is nothing to be lost by trying the lowest offer of $145 and seeing what happens. If anyone is able to check J loads for those flights that would be much appreciated - we are on VA142 on 04 Sep and VA143 on 21 Sep.
 
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Thanks Sludge321. Looks like I may have a chance for an upgrade on the AKL-SYD flight. I'll try with a lowish bid and see what happens.
 
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MEL-HKG VA89 on Thursday. Min bid $440 - accepted $450 for myself and the +1.
Made better when the tickets were booked via the flybuys deal!
 
Forgot to post here! Flew AKL-SYD on 14/8/17 morning on a Go Plus fare. Decided to try to bid for an upgrade as I had to go straight into work that day and wanted to be well-rested. Tried the minimum $150 and was pleasantly surprised by success!
 
Ken1 said:
Thanks Sludge321. Looks like I may have a chance for an upgrade on the AKL-SYD flight. I'll try with a lowish bid and see what happens.
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I put in a bid for $150 for each of us for the SYD-AKL and AKL-SYD flights, just above the $145 minimum. I was not successful with the SYD-AKL flight and decided a week ago to cancel the AKL-SYD upgrade request since I would have access to the new Priority Pass Strata Lounge at AKL after a friend visited there with her PP card when flying out of AKL told me it had only been open a couple of weeks and was really good.

I decided last night to bid again for the upgrade and put a $150 bid for each of us. I received an email overnight, just over five hours after submitting the bid, telling me I am successful with the AKL-SYD upgrade, three days before Thursday's flight.
 
$480 "Happy Hour" MEL-HKG return.

Minimum bid was $495 each way - declined on 12:30am departure from MEL but put a $505 bid in for 7:40pm HKG departure.

Bid accepted 4 days prior.
 
VA474 BNE-PER (A330) Min Bid 340 accepted for $355 @Minus 75hrs. There was also an option in the weeks leading up to bids closing to 'buy now' for $699
 
+1 and +1 jnr refused min bid ($150) upgrade for CNS-BNE. The tix was an AMEX discounted fare so may have been disqualified by that.
 
Syd-Lst success at $5 over min bid at $120USD. Ticket was issued by US OTA so all bids were in USD. Upgrade came through at 72 hour mark.
 
Has anyone who has been upgraded using UpgradeMe been given the J points and SCs? I'm assuming that because the price will usually work out a lot lower than purchasing a J fare that points and SCs will still be given for the originally booked class as this is what happened with our recent AKL-SYD flight. In fact the points were not showing at all 2 weeks after the flight so I submitted a Missing Points claim and they came through 2 days later - the same amount as for the SYD-AKL Y flights a couple of weeks earlier.
 
I have never received Business points or SC for travel on a successful upgrade me bid.

FWIW, the t&c's exclude such earn - only specifying earn based on the original booking.
 
Ken1 said:
Has anyone who has been upgraded using UpgradeMe been given the J points and SCs? I'm assuming that because the price will usually work out a lot lower than purchasing a J fare that points and SCs will still be given for the originally booked class as this is what happened with our recent AKL-SYD flight. In fact the points were not showing at all 2 weeks after the flight so I submitted a Missing Points claim and they came through 2 days later - the same amount as for the SYD-AKL Y flights a couple of weeks earlier.
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Per the terms and conditions you only receive points and status credits as per your original ticketed booking.
 
Bid $505 each for Y to J upgrade on MEL - HKG this Saturday and it's successful.
 
UpgradeMe bid was accepted at T-74hr59min. At $305, it was the lowest I have ever paid for an A330 transcon upgrade...
 

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