Travel professionals have revealed their best tips and tricks for securing a free seat upgrade on your next flight – including things to do on the day you fly and in the lead up to your journey
Travel veterans have shared their best tips for snagging a free seat upgrade on any flight. These hacks are tried and tested and don’t require you to charm the gate agent or dress to the nines at the airport. Gilbert Ott, Founder of travel site godsavethepoints.com, Zach Griff, senior reporter at The Points Guy, and JT Genter, Editor-In-Chief of the AwardWallet blog shared their best upgrade hacks.
While you may think being punctual and checking in early is the best way to ensure a good seat, the experts disagree (at least when it comes to certain airlines). As well, booking a premium economy fare increases your chances of a business class bump.
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If you can afford to book a premium economy seat, you have a good chance of being bumped up to business class, Gilbert told The Independent. He says that this is the cabin that most airlines are keen to “upsell” to economy passengers and oversell with cabin upgrades.
“They love to oversell this cabin with upgrades, effectively selling a seat on the plane twice to someone. And since it’s such a small cabin, here you’re most likely to receive a complimentary bump to business or first class,” says Gilbert.
If premium economy is a bit of your price range, there is still a way to increase your chances of an upgrade. If you’re flying with a budget airline like Ryanair, Zach says checking in at the last minute could be a strategic move.
He explains these budget airlines often fill their planes back-to-front and reserve premium seats in the hopes of selling upgrades. But if they go unsold, it is possible they could be assigned to the last people to check in.
Keep in mind that this hack is specifically for budget airlines. Zach says premium airlines typically fill better seats with elite members. Though this brings up another great tip to up your chances of a future upgrade on any airline: signing up for a loyalty program.
JT says that enrolling in an airline loyalty program and staying loyal significantly increases your chances of a better seat. He confirms that upgrades typically go to a loyalty program’s “elite members”. Though he admits that you will need to spend thousands of dollars a year flying with an airline to qualify for elite status.
Alternatively, collecting air miles through credit card spending might be a more feasible option for many. This means that you can earn points with common expenses like buying groceries or other significant spending like paying rent.
Zach recommends cards that allow you to earn flexible travel points “that aren’t aligned with a specific airline or hotel chain”. He explains: “This way, you can transfer points to a partner airline or hotel.” Zach says that American Express, Chase and Capital One all offer cards with this feature.
One final way to increase your chances of a business class upgrade is to volunteer for a later flight. This gives you added leverage to negotiate some premium rewards.
According to Gilbert, airlines regularly oversell flights so letting agents know at check-in and at the gate that you would volunteer for a later flight “and holding out for a decent offer” is a smart strategy.