{"id":1124305,"date":"2019-07-02T16:51:52","date_gmt":"2019-07-02T16:51:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dailyreckoning.com\/?p=107607"},"modified":"2019-07-02T16:51:52","modified_gmt":"2019-07-02T16:51:52","slug":"5-cheap-easy-ways-to-take-your-flight-to-the-next-level","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/juniorminingnews.com\/?p=1124305","title":{"rendered":"5 Cheap, Easy Ways to Take Your Flight to the Next Level"},"content":{"rendered":"

This post 5 Cheap, Easy Ways to Take Your Flight to the Next Level<\/a> appeared first on Daily Reckoning<\/a>.<\/p>\n

I\u2019ll admit: flying first class is way better than flying coach. <\/span><\/p>\n

I\u2019ve been lucky enough to fly first class more than once and have been bumped up to business class numerous times.<\/span><\/p>\n

The extra leg room, priority boarding, VIP lounge, and glass of wine all make a long trip that much better. <\/span><\/p>\n

But while I love flying business class, I don’t exactly like to pay for it. Business class tickets can cost five times that of coach, and if it\u2019s a short flight it becomes hard to justify the cost difference. <\/span><\/p>\n

That\u2019s why I\u2019m always looking for ways to increase my odds of getting an upgrade. <\/span><\/p>\n

To be honest, most of the tips you\u2019ll find on this topic won\u2019t get you very far. There\u2019s no \u201ctwo magic words\u201d that will get you an upgrade. <\/span><\/p>\n

And you can skip the three-piece suit or \u201cupgrade outfit\u201d because it\u2019s not going to sway the odds in your favor. <\/span><\/p>\n

Nowadays, flight upgrades are almost entirely done through automated electronic booking systems. Some airlines even have strict policies that prohibit arbitrary upgrading, both at check-in and onboard for this reason. <\/span><\/p>\n

The electronic systems take into account a number of metrics, like highest-ranking elite flyer, or the person who bought an upgrade-eligible coach fare, or the person who cashed in their miles. <\/span><\/p>\n

The truth about upgrades is every airline is different and you should treat each travel experience as unique. If you\u2019re willing to invest a few minutes to learn how your airline operates, there are ways you can increase your chances of getting bumped up to business or first class for cheap.<\/span><\/p>\n

Here are my best tips for getting a flight upgrade in 2019. <\/span><\/p>\n

1. Track Flight Deals<\/b><\/span><\/h2>\n

Every once in a while, you\u2019ll find flight deals that seem too good to be true. You\u2019ll be able to book business class tickets for less than you\u2019d pay for economy. Don\u2019t believe me? <\/span><\/p>\n

In June, you could\u2019ve flown business class from New York to Paris round trip for $1000 or from Los Angeles to Shanghai round trip for just over $1400. <\/span><\/p>\n

The lowest round trip economy class fare between New York and London right now will run you $799. If you want to maximize your chances of scoring sweet flight deals, you need to start tracking your flights.<\/span><\/p>\n

Google Flights, Kayak, AirFareWatchDog, Hopper and SkyScanner are all easy to use tracking apps. Just add where you want to go and you\u2019ll start getting price alerts either through the app or your email. <\/span><\/p>\n

And the best part is all these flight trackers are free. <\/span><\/p>\n

2. Start Collecting Points<\/b><\/span><\/h2>\n

Other than paying for it, points are the only sure fire way of getting an upgrade. Those crazy people collecting points are not so crazy after all. Remember that earning points doesn\u2019t require travel. <\/span><\/p>\n

You can earn points from buying groceries, shopping at your favorite stores and buying coffee. Research what credit cards offer the best points deals for your situation. <\/span><\/p>\n

Then when you\u2019re ready to use your points, here\u2019s what you do: <\/span><\/p>\n

    \n
  1. Search flights with upgrades using points before you book<\/span><\/li>\n
  2. If no flights are available for upgrade, set alerts to see if they become available <\/span><\/li>\n
  3. If a flight with upgrades becomes available, lock it in with your points <\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    It\u2019s really that easy. Note: different airlines have different points requirements for upgrades depending on domestic or international flights. Do your research beforehand so you know how many points you\u2019ll need. <\/span><\/p>\n

    3. Ask to be Added to the Volunteer List<\/b><\/span><\/h2>\n

    When you check in, ask if you can be added to the volunteer list. This will put you in prime position for a bump should your flight be oversold. <\/span><\/p>\n

    If you\u2019re not in a rush and you\u2019re willing to wait for the next flight, you can often score some expensive vouchers, upgrades, and sometimes both. <\/span><\/p>\n

    To increase your chances of getting bumped, it\u2019s best to fly solo (or book solo), don\u2019t check a bag and be early. It\u2019s usually first come first serve, so whoever gets the top spot on the bump list often gets the bump. <\/span><\/p>\n

    4. Bid for an Upgrade <\/b><\/span><\/h2>\n

    More recently, airlines have moved to upgrade auctions, where you can actually bid on business class for less. <\/span><\/p>\n

    You enter your booking details and bid for an upgrade using cash. The upgrade goes to the highest bidder. If you try this, I recommend setting a limit to what you\u2019re willing to bid.<\/span><\/p>\n

    This strategy doesn\u2019t always make sense, but if you already snagged a good deal on coach, it can be worth bidding higher to secure business class. After all, flat beds and free wifi are nice to have.<\/span><\/p>\n

    5. Attain Elite Status<\/b><\/span><\/h2>\n

    Getting elite airline status is not as hard as you\u2019ve been made to believe. I know people who\u2019ve secured it with as few as three flights. <\/span><\/p>\n

    You should care about having elite travel status not so you can brag to your friends or because you\u2019ll get priority boarding, but because if there are any free upgrades to give out, they\u2019ll usually go to one of the elite members first. <\/span><\/p>\n

    Airlines like American, Delta and United offer complimentary upgrades on domestic flights to elite flyers all the time. Just Google \u201chow to get elite status fast\u201d and you\u2019ll see how easy it really is. <\/span><\/p>\n

    Lastly, be realistic. Approximately 60% of travelers ask about upgrades at check in. So airline staff have likely heard your pitch before. If you follow the advice I outlined above, your odds of scoring an upgrade will be high. Good luck and safe travels.<\/span><\/p>\n

    To a richer life,<\/p>\n

    \"Nilus<\/p>\n

    \u2014 Nilus Mattive
    \nEditor, The Rich Life Roadmap<\/i><\/p>\n

    The post 5 Cheap, Easy Ways to Take Your Flight to the Next Level<\/a> appeared first on Daily Reckoning<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    This post 5 Cheap, Easy Ways to Take Your Flight to the Next Level<\/a> appeared first on Daily Reckoning<\/a>.<\/p>\n

    How to upgrade to business class airline tickets without paying massive charges.<\/p>\n

    The post 5 Cheap, Easy Ways to Take Your Flight to the Next Level<\/a> appeared first on Daily Reckoning<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":55,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"footnotes":""},"categories":[2953,2954,366,2111,923,2113,1908,2785],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/juniorminingnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1124305"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/juniorminingnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/juniorminingnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/juniorminingnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/55"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/juniorminingnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1124305"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/juniorminingnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1124305\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1124306,"href":"https:\/\/juniorminingnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1124305\/revisions\/1124306"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/juniorminingnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1124305"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/juniorminingnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1124305"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/juniorminingnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1124305"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}