One of Virgin Australia’s unique perks for Platinum frequent flyer members is the ability to upgrade four domestic or short-haul international flights every year.
There are a few caveats, of course. Firstly, you need to book an Economy Flex fare. Secondly, there usually needs to be Business Reward availability for this to work. Lastly, you can only upgrade in advance by calling the contact centre.
It’s undoubtedly easier for some people to use this perk than others – and I’ve been fortunate to be in a position to redeem all four upgrades each year, for over five years. Living in Perth, the value is quite good.
But I’ve also read posts from frustrated members who can’t find availability to upgrade or don’t see the value in doing so. For example, on the East Coast, it’s possible to find cash Business fares that don’t cost much more than Economy Flex. Also, it’s true – Business Reward availability on Virgin Australia is scarce these days, as the cabins often fly full.
But I’ve found there are still some ways to take advantage of the upgrades through other means.
My strategy: relying on last-minute availability
1. Upgrading over the phone
I’ll be frank. This year, out of the four Virgin Australia flights I used my complimentary upgrade on, none had Business Reward availability at any point I checked.
Instead, I’ve been relying on a little-known tip. If you call the Guest Contact Centre within about 48 hours of departure, the agent might be able to release a remaining seat for an upgrade.
None of this is officially published anywhere, and I only have my own anecdotal experiences to go on. But most of the time I call, I’m able to get the upgrade.
I know that it’s related to the number of remaining seats on sale, but none of the agents have ever given me a straight answer when I ask what their criteria are. My best guess is that it’s related to availability in the ‘D’ and ‘C’ fare buckets.
For example, my latest upgrade was the long flight from Perth to Brisbane last month. At the time of requesting the upgrade, the loading was J5 C2 D0. That tells me that Virgin Australia are still selling five Business Class seats at full fare (J), while at least two of those seats are available at a lower price point (C).
After calling, the agent was able to confirm availability, and I got the upgrade. The remaining fare classes went down to J4 C1 D0. On a different Melbourne-Perth flight I wanted to upgrade, the availability was only J2 C0 D0. On this occasion, the agent said there was no availability for me to upgrade.
2. Upgrading at the airport
Earlier this year, I also had success with a last-minute upgrade by asking the staff at the Virgin Australia Perth Lounge reception. They checked availability (my understanding is that you can get last-seat availability when upgrading at the airport) and deducted one of my Complimentary Upgrade Credits.
My boarding pass was marked ‘Catering Not Assured’ due to the late upgrade, but I still got my choice of meal onboard, anyway. Take my experiences with a grain of salt, but please let me know if it works for you!
Summing up: Virgin Australia complimentary upgrades
The main obstacles to redeeming the Platinum Complimentary Upgrades are availability and the pricing of Economy Flex. As I’ve discussed earlier, availability can be overcome with a bit of luck if you ask before departure.
You’ll need a paid membership to check loads, such as with ExpertFlyer. But even if you don’t have access to this info, it doesn’t hurt to call Virgin Australia to try.
As for the value of Economy Flex vs a sale Business Class fare, that’s not an issue from Perth. Economy Flex is about $90 more than a standard Economy Choice fare, so that’s anywhere from $300 to $500+ one-way, depending on how close it is to travel. Meanwhile, a paid Business Class fare is usually over $1,200.
But if you primarily fly within the Eastern States, you might find that Business Class sale fares are not too much more than Economy Flex. In these cases, it may be better to save your upgrade credits for another flight.
I usually need to book Economy Flex for work trips, as these often come up at the last minute and sometimes require changing flights if plans later change. So it’s certainly easier to use your upgrade credits if you travel for work. If you’re flying enough to be Platinum Plus, you can also use your upgrades from a Choice fare.
Photography by Brandon Loo on Virgin Australia flights that were booked at Point Hacks’ expense and upgraded with his own Platinum Complimentary Upgrade credits.
We departed with 2 free business seats in different rows so most likely not same booking.
It is super frustrating and have experienced that on multipole other flights over the years. I’d estimate I have used less than 50% of my theoretically available upgrade me offers (it was much better in the early days) and the last fw years seem almost impossible.
I tried to use one recently and checked before the flight (24 hours before) and conformed there was one seat available. However, I was told to call the contact centre at 6 am on the day of the flight. I called and was advised there was no availability for an upgrade ( I had booked an economy flex fare). On boarding I saw that the single business class seat was still empty so it appears that Virgin don’t always honour the free upgrade for whatever reason.