Air Canada eUpgrades: How to Find and Get Alerted on R Space

Overview

Air Canada eUpgrades give Aeroplan elite status members the ability to redeem credits to elevate their level of travel to either Premium Economy or business class on eligible flights. Some eUpgrades can clear at the time of booking, while others require you to wait until weeks, or even days, before your day of travel to tell you if you've successfully upgraded.

These aren't automatic upgrades; you must manually submit a request online. ExpertFlyer can go a long way toward helping you secure the upgrades you want as soon as availability appears. Let's look at how eUpgrades work and how best to monitor them. If you are weighing credits against a straight award booking, our breakdown of the best use of Air Canada Aeroplan points across Star Alliance is a useful companion.

How do eUpgrades work?

Redeeming Air Canada eUpgrades takes a bit more calculation than competitor upgrade certificates, such as American Airlines Systemwide Upgrades. That's because the number of AC eUpgrade credits you'll need depends on multiple things, such as:

• The fare you're currently booked into
• The distance of your flight
• The geographic zone of your destination

If you book an Economy seat on a flight with both Premium Economy and business class, you can either request premium economy, or shoot for business class and be waitlisted for both cabins (you can't confirm into Premium Economy and later request business class). You may also be required to make a cash copay along with your eUpgrade credits. If you are deciding whether the middle cabin is worth it at all, see our comparison of economy vs. premium economy on AA, BA, and Qantas.

Depending on the fare you've booked, you may be able to request an upgrade immediately. Latitude fares (Premium Economy and Economy) confirm immediately if upgrade inventory is available. Premium Economy Standard, and Economy Comfort, Flex, and Standard fares are subject to a "clearance window;" they clear between three and 14 days before travel, depending on your status and route.

Even if your eUpgrade doesn't clear before you check in, it may still clear at the gate.

How to find eUpgrade inventory through Air Canada

A simple way to find Air Canada eUpgrade inventory is through the Air Canada website. Whether booking a paid or award fare, you can select a filter that quickly tells you which flights on your selected date are eligible for an eUpgrade.

If you're eligible to be instantly upgraded, the site will tell you so.

If you're outside your specific clearance window (again, based on your elite status and fare type), the site will waitlist you, even if there's perfectly good availability.

Data points suggest that the Air Canada website isn't always accurate. It's helpful, but it may suggest that there's no upgrade space when in fact there is. You may put your name on the waitlist and find yourself instantly upgraded.

How to find and monitor true eUpgrade inventory with ExpertFlyer

Air Canada uses the "R" fare bucket to signify its business class eUpgrade inventory. You can easily search this on ExpertFlyer with the "Award & Upgrade Availability Search" tool. Just enter your origin and destination airport and input Air Canada as the airline. Then tick the "Business - E-Upgrade" box and click "Search."

When looking for an upgrade between Montreal (YUL) and Newark (EWR), your search will look like this.

Those with an ExpertFlyer Premium plan have the capability to see R inventory in one-week increments, much more convenient than searching directly on the Air Canada website, which requires that you click on each individual day to check eUpgrade availability.

Under the "Availability" column on the results page, ExpertFlyer will tell you how many R seats are up for grabs on each flight. Again, Latitude fares may clear immediately. ExpertFlyer is especially useful for these fares, as you can find availability many months into the future and lock them down immediately.

Remember, a flight that shows zero R space doesn't necessarily mean the flight will never be eUpgrade-eligible. Air Canada may release R space later (or even clear an upgrade without officially publishing new R inventory).

If the flight you're monitoring doesn't currently have award space, you can simply waitlist yourself on the Air Canada website. You can also set ExpertFlyer alerts for multiple dates and routes to help you best use your eUpgrades. When additional space is released, we'll tap you on the shoulder immediately.

The same alert-first approach works across your whole trip, as explained in flight monitoring with ExpertFlyer: from booking to boarding.

Bottom line

To find Air Canada eUpgrade space, you can go directly to Air Canada and search your route day-by-day using its handy eUpgrades filter. Or, if you've got an ExpertFlyer Premium membership, you can search in one-week increments using the Award & Upgrade Availability Search tool. It allows you to create alerts for hundreds of specific flights, dates, and routes at the same time. As soon as inventory drops, you're the first to know.

Depending on your specific fare type and route, you can quickly redeem your eUpgrade credits through Air Canada as soon as you spot availability. Otherwise, you'll have to join the waitlist and be notified between three and 14 days before takeoff.