How does the Bid Up program determine the starting bid for upgrades?
70% Points Miles and Bling
20% View from the Wing
10% Other
Air Canada’s Bid Upgrade program sets the starting bid based on route, cabin, and demand, with the minimum bid displayed as a baseline. View from the Wing +1
Bid Upgrade Mechanics
- The minimum bid is shown on the Air Canada Bid Upgrade page and varies by flight and time to departure.
- Bids can be submitted up to 48 hours before departure, and the system shows an “offer strength” indicator to suggest likelihood of success. 🔗
- Submitting a bid just above the minimum may improve chances, as it places you ahead of others who bid the lowest amount. 🔗
- Air Canada may run temporary “sales” lowering minimum bids on select routes, but these are not guaranteed and are not publicly announced in advance. 🔗
- If your bid clears, your card is charged only then—no pre-authorization is required.🔗
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Air Canada eUpgrades vs. Bid Upgrades vs. Last Minute Upgrades
After purchasing an economy or premium economy fare, Air Canada offers a multitude of ways to fly in business class, ranging from eUpgrades to Bid Upgrades to Last-Minute Upgrades (LMUs). What’s the difference between them, and which has the greatest chance of success? Does your status matter? To be honest, it’s all a little complicated and a bit of a black box, which I suspect airlines do on purpose to make it harder to figure out how your upgrade will turn out; after all, they prefer to sell a full-fare business class ticket. Air Canada also offers Bid Upgrades
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Marriott Elite Guests Asked To Bid For Suite Upgrades They’re Supposed To Get Free
Hotels have started auctioning off upgrades instead of giving them to elite guests. Regular once a year customers may get the better room instead of a Platinum, and Platinums are being asked to put in their bids, too. A lifetime Marriott Bonvoy titanium member shares screen shots of the bids they were asked to submit for an upgrade less than 24 hours before their stay at the Delta Hotel in Durham, England. This is the period where they can check in online and they’re supposed to be offered a free room upgrade that’s available at check-in.
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My latest business class upgrade success story!
A few weeks back, I wrote about my trip at the end of last year. I’d planned a trip to Vietnam with family. In this post, I wrote about how difficult it was to find inventory in business class while flying to Vietnam. I also wrote about how I was literally pulling my hair out in frustration while booking the return leg of the flight and how the Amex Platinum Card came to my rescue. On the way back from Vietnam, I’d booked a flight out of Da Nang, which is a city in central Vietnam. As per the