How To Upgrade To On Your Next Air Canada Flight

If your next flight is on Air Canada, you might be looking to upgrade your economy or premium economy seat to a higher class on your itinerary. The airline offers three main ways for passengers to upgrade to a higher-class seat, namely making an offer, exchanging eUpgrade credits, or taking advantage of a last-minute upgrade offer.

Air Canada bid upgrade

One of the ways of traveling in a higher class is through the AC Bid Upgrade system, which enables passengers to bid on potential upgrades from economy to premium economy or business class or from premium economy to business class.

However, Air Canada’s page about the AC Bid Upgrade stated that bidding is only available on eligible flights operated by the airline or its Air Canada Rouge and Air Canada Express subsidiaries/partner airlines.

As such, passengers can make offers on the airline’s booking system with cash or use Aeroplan Points, the carrier’s loyalty program’s currency, to bump themselves up to a higher class. Travelers can also use the Instant Upgrade option, which Air Canada said was an easy way to secure an upgrade to a higher class at a reasonable cost.

Instant upgrades are available on eligible routes and flights between ten to two days before the flight is scheduled to depart. At the same time, Air Canada warned that upgrades are non-transferable and non-refundable and are only valid on the flight and date shown in the booking reference.

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Upgrade eligibility

Upgrades are not eligible for:

Tickets that have not yet been issued.
Group bookings.
Codeshare flights or flights operated by other airlines.
Bookings in Economy Basic fare.

Passengers can check whether their flight is eligible for an upgrade on the Air Canada website. However, if traveling on a multi-city journey, travelers will have to bid on each segment with separate offers, meaning that the journey can be flown in multiple classes.

The bids to upgrade are accepted up until 48 hours before a flight, with Air Canada noting that the airline will notify passengers between 36 and 48 hours before departure if a bid is successful. If it was, a passenger’s credit card will be charged, with the upgrade appearing on the boarding pass. The airline does not charge the customer if the offer is not accepted.

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Air Canada eUpgrade

Meanwhile, Aeroplan Elite Status members can also be upgraded by using eUpgrade credits, which they earn while being members of Air Canada’s loyalty program. Similarly to regular upgrades, these are available on flights operated by Air Canada, Air Canada Rouge, and Air Canada Express.

In short, the airline said that at the beginning of every new benefit year, all status members receive 20 eUpgrade credits. However, travelers can choose additional credits at the start of each benefit year, and they can also earn them automatically whenever they cross into the next Status Qualifying Mile (SQM) or Status Qualifying Segment (SQS).

Photo: Air Canada

To upgrade using eUpgrade credits, Air Canada passengers have to sign into their eUpgrade accounts and enter their booking information. Subsequently, travelers can review the potential upgrades that are on offer, with the required number of credits needed to acquire the upgrade. Potential add-on fees are also possible.

Nevertheless, a confirmation will be sent to a passenger that the carrier has received the request, with the upgrade being confirmed when the clearance window is open and if space is available. The clearance window depends on the passenger’s status, which is detailed below.

Fare options	Premium Economy (Flexible) Latitude	Premium Economy (Lowest) Comfort Flex Standard	Premium Economy (Lowest) Comfort Flex Standard
Flight type	All flights	North America and Sun destinations	International
Aeroplan Super Elite	Anytime	14 days	7 days
Aeroplan 75K	Anytime	12 days	6 days
Aeroplan 50K	Anytime	10 days	5 days
Aeroplan 35K	Anytime	8 days	4 days
Aeroplan 25K	Anytime	4 days	3 days
Aeroplan Member	7 days	–	–

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Last-minute upgrades

Lastly, Air Canada offers passengers the opportunity to purchase last-minute upgrades to premium economy or business class seats. The upgrades will unlock all of the perks provided for travelers in both classes, including priority security clearance and boarding, access to the Maple Leaf Lounge, and other benefits.

Photo: Air Canada

However, there are important points to consider:

Last-minute upgrades might not be available on all flights, with the prices being adjusted according to the flight segment for which the upgrade is being purchased.
They are not available on flights that are not operated by Air Canada, which includes codeshare flights operated by other carriers.
They are also not available on bookings with more than one passenger if only one passenger is purchasing a last-minute upgrade and economy basic fare ticket holders.

Purchasing a last-minute upgrade

Purchasing a last-minute upgrade is relatively easy. While checking in onto a flight online within the 24-hour period, at least 45 minutes before departures for domestic flights, or one hour before a flight between Canada and the United States or other international flights, passengers can purchase an upgrade.

Photo: Tom Boon | Simple Flying

Meanwhile, the airline offers purchases at the check-in kiosks as well. However, upgrades can only be purchased at the kiosks 12 hours before departure, at least 45 minutes before a domestic flight’s departure time, and one hour before a flight between Canada and the US. The latter rule applies to all flights departing from Canada to any other international destination as well.

When the airline released its 2023 financial report, Air Canada highlighted that Aeroplan has now reached eight million active members. During the year, the carrier also launched a partnership with Parkland Corporation and expanded its agreement with Uber Canada, with Aeroplan members earning points on deliveries from Uber Eats.