AC Bid Upgrade – FAQs

If you receive an upgrade to Air Canada Signature Class, you will discover a new, industry-leading premium travel experience enhanced with exclusive onboard services and amenities which include: A lie-flat bed with mattress pad, plush duvet and pillows

• An enhanced dining and beverage service
• A complimentary amenity kit filled with Canadian-made travel essentials and skin care products
• Priority services including dedicated check-in counters, expedited security clearance, exclusive boarding lanes and more

Air Canada Signature Class is offered exclusively on flights operated by mainline Boeing 787, 777 and Airbus A330 aircraft:

• To and from Africa, Asia, Australia, Europe and South America; see the full list of benefits associated with Air Canada Signature Class - International*
• On selected non-stop North American routes; see the full list of benefits associated with Air Canada Signature Class – North America.*

If you receive an upgrade to North America and Caribbean Business Class
Prepare to experience added comfort, personal entertainment, premium cuisine, and much more. See the full list of benefits associated with North America and Caribbean Business Class.

If you receive an upgrade to Premium Economy Class, you will experience a different class of comfort including a larger seat, extra legroom, priority airport services and more. See the full list of benefits associated with Premium Economy Class.
With an upgrade to North America & Caribbean Premium Rouge or International Premium Rouge, you will experience an enhanced Air Canada Rouge travel experience including a larger seat, premium meals and complimentary beverages and more. See the full list of benefits associated with Premium Rouge Class.

*with a Maple Leaf Lounge access only

The fare conditions of your original ticket remain unchanged, including cancellation policies and rebooking fees.

The access of the Signature Class Lounge is not included with AC Bid Upgrade.

Not all flights may be eligible for an upgrade. Eligible flights and tickets are determined by Air Canada at its sole discretion and depend on a variety of factors including cabin class and seat class availability. Also, unless otherwise stated, upgrade offers can only be made up to 48 hours before departure.

Additionally, upgrades are not available for:

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

It is at Air Canada’s sole discretion to modify, at any time, the list of eligible flights and tickets for which an upgrade offer can be made.

Upgrades are available for select destinations and scheduled flights operated by Air Canada and Air Canada Rouge, and under the Air Canada Express banner. To see if your flight is eligible, enter your Booking Reference and last name in the fields provided on the AC Bid Upgrade webpage.

Yes, if you wish to upgrade a journey with multiple segments that are each eligible for an upgrade, you must make an offer to upgrade each segment individually with a separate, single offer. For example, if you’re travelling from Montréal to Honolulu via Vancouver, you can make an offer for the Montréal to Vancouver segment, and another offer for the Vancouver to Honolulu segment.

Please pay attention to the segment of your itinerary for which you are making an offer and set the slider accordingly.

Yes, it is possible to make an offer to upgrade when travelling with infants or children. Kindly note, though, that specific rules and regulations apply to travel with an infant or child in the Air Canada Signature Class, especially as relates to child restraint devices.

We strongly encourage you to consult our Children and Travel page for complete details.

You’ll be able to select your seat once your bid has been accepted but we can’t guarantee that adjacent seats will be available.

No, each file is independent from the other and both of you cannot be upgraded if only one bid is accepted. The system cannot make a connection when the bookings are on separate files.

Yes, if you used your Aeroplan points to purchase your original ticket, you can make an offer for an upgrade with a valid credit card or through the debit of Aeroplan points from your Aeroplan account. 

There are two ways in which you can apply for an upgrade:

1. You can make an offer to request an upgrade by placing a bid on the AC Bid Upgrade webpage. If your bid is accepted, you will be notified by email approximately 48 hours before your flight.

2. Your flight may have an available option called “Instant Upgrade” which gives you the possibility of securing your upgrade to a higher cabin class at a reasonable cost. You will receive confirmation of an Instant Upgrade within two hours of your request.

The Instant Upgrade option is available on eligible routes and flights 10 to 3 days prior to departure and if both options are available, you can only pick one. If an upgrade is successful, it is non-refundable and non-transferable.

After you have purchased your Economy Class or Premium Economy Class ticket on a flight that is eligible for an upgrade, you can:

1. Visit the AC Bid Upgrade webpage and follow these simple steps.

• Enter your booking reference code and last name.
• Make your offer.
• Enter your payment details – pay by credit card or using Aeroplan points; your credit card will only be charged, or points will only be debited from your Aeroplan account if your offer is accepted.
• Review your details, agree to the Terms and Conditions and submit your request.

We'll send you an email confirming receipt of your offer. You may revise or cancel your offer at any time up to 48 hours prior to the scheduled flight departure time.

2. If you booked via the Air Canada website, Air Canada mobile website or via Air Canada Reservations and have opted to receive communications from Air Canada, we may invite you via email, 8 days prior to departure, to make an offer. If your flight is eligible for an Instant Upgrade, that option will be included in the email. To make your offer, just follow the directions mentioned in the email.

If you placed a bid for an upgrade, we will notify you by email about 48 hours before your flight departs as to whether your upgrade offer has been accepted.

1. If it has been accepted, your credit card will be charged with the amount you have offered, or the points you redeemed will be debited from your Aeroplan account, your flight will be rebooked to the applicable higher class of service and you will receive an email confirmation. You may print your updated ticket itinerary and boarding pass by going to the My Bookings tab of the aircanada.com homepage.
2. If it has not been accepted, you will be notified via email. You will not be charged any additional amount (whether cash or points) and will fly in the class originally booked.

If you requested an Instant Upgrade, we will notify you by email within a couple of hours of your request as to whether it has been accepted.

Please wait 4 hours as it may take time for the confirmation email to be generated. You should also check the spam folder in your email account.

Visit the AC Bid Upgrade webpage, enter your booking reference and last name in the fields provided, and follow the directions to make your offer.

Move the slider to select the amount of dollars you would like to pay or the points you would like to redeem for each flight shown that is eligible for an upgrade offer. Upgrade offers are only accepted per flight segment.

The chart on the offer page can help you determine the strength of your offer. However, this is merely a guide and not a confirmation that your offer will be accepted.

Yes, your bid includes all taxes, fees and surcharges for an upgrade (where applicable).

No, the amount you bid goes toward getting an upgrade to a higher cabin. It is over and above the amount you paid to purchase your original fare.

The gauge tells you how strong your offer is. The amount of your offer is not the only factor that determines whether you will receive the upgrade, however it is an important component. Upgrades are selected based on seat availability, the number of offers received and other factors that are at Air Canada’s sole discretion; as such there is no guarantee that your offer will be accepted, even at the highest permitted level.

You should submit the highest offer price you are willing to pay or points you are willing to redeem. The acceptance of an upgrade offer is dependent of several factors including availability, the number offers received and the amount each passenger is offering to be upgraded.

Yes. If confirmed, Bid Upgrade is non-refundable and the eUpgrade request needs to be cancelled prior to your flight. This can be completed through your eUpgrade account online, by contacting Air Canada Reservations, or with an agent at the airport.

Offers are valid per passenger only.

The offer window closes 48 hours prior to the departure date of each flight. You may revise or cancel your offer at any time up to 48 hours prior to the scheduled flight departure time.

No, this service is only available online.

No, you only pay or redeem for the upgrade if your offer is accepted. You’ll be notified 48 hours prior to the scheduled departure time of the particular flight segment.

No, each upgrade can only be paid in one transaction using either the same credit card or Aeroplan account.

A valid credit card is required to make an upgrade offer. However, another option exists; you can make an offer for an upgrade through the debit of Aeroplan points from your Aeroplan account

No, there is no additional booking or sign-up fee for making an offer over and above the price of the upgrade.

We process credit card payment only once.  If your credit card was declined at time of confirmation for your upgrade, your request will be cancelled. You will not be billed, and you will remain in the cabin class of your original ticket.  

Please review the offer amounts and totals for each segment of your journey. Verify that you have entered the correct payment and contact information and that you have read the Terms and Conditions before you accept them.

The Terms and Conditions are the full program details and can be found on the “Review & Submit” page. You must agree to the Terms and Conditions before submitting your offer. We cannot process your request until you have read and agreed to them.

Air Canada considers several criteria when assessing your upgrade offer. They include the amount of your offer, the number of other offers, as well as the number of available seats.

Decisions on whether to accept AC Bid Upgrade offers are made between 36 and 48 hours before departure, and notifications are sent via email.

Currently all communications relating to your request will be via email.

There is a link in the email we will send you confirming that we have received your request. Click on this link and select the relevant flight to see the status of your request in the top right corner of the display.

No. Numerous factors impact the selection process and therefore we cannot specify why certain offers are unsuccessful.

Successful upgrades are non-transferable, non-refundable, and are valid only on the flight and date shown.

No, if your offer has been unsuccessful, a new offer cannot be made. It’s important to put your best offer forward initially for the best chance of being upgraded.

There’s nothing more you need to do. Remember that the upgrade only applies to the flight segment indicated. The fare conditions of the original ticket, including cancellation policies and rebooking fees will continue to apply.

If your upgrade request is accepted, the fare conditions for the original ticket you purchased shall remain in effect and will be applicable with respect to cancellation policies, change fees, conditions for minimum and maximum stay, and rules relating to the accrual of frequent flyer Points. All other conditions will be per the upgraded fare class.

Aeroplan Points may be accrued from flights auctioned in the AC Bid Upgrade online auction. The basis for calculation is the original booking class of the flight segment being auctioned and not the upgraded class of service.

An AC Bid Upgrade is non-refundable. If you cancel your ticket, the upgrade amount will be forfeited, irrespective of the cancellation regulations of the ticket.

A successful upgrade is non-refundable and non-transferable.

The AC Bid Upgrade is only valid for the flight for which you originally submitted the offer. If your flight is rebooked at your own request, we cannot guarantee that a seat in your desired travel class will be available. Your claim to an upgrade will be forfeited; the upgrade amount is non-refundable.

If you miss a flight through your own fault, your claim to the AC Bid Upgrade will be forfeited. The upgrade amount is non-refundable.

However, if you are rebooked on an alternate flight by Air Canada due to flight disruptions after your upgrade offer has been accepted, you will, of course, maintain full rights to a seat in the new cabin class if available. If there are not enough seats available in the new cabin class, the amount you paid or the Points you redeemed for the upgrade will be refunded to the credit card to which it was charged or the Aeroplan account which was debited.

You can cancel your offer at any time up to 48 hours prior to the flight’s scheduled departure time, provided your offer has not yet been accepted by Air Canada. To do so, simply click on the “Cancel” link in the “Upgrade requested” email you received when you submitted your offer. Alternately, you can access the AC Bid Upgrade application by entering your Booking Reference and last name on the AC Bid Upgrade webpage.

You can change your offer at any time up to 48 hours prior to the flight’s scheduled departure time, provided your offer has not yet been accepted by Air Canada. To do so, simply click on the ‘Modify’ link in the email you received when you submitted your offer. Alternately, you can access the AC Bid Upgrade application by entering your Booking Reference and last name on the AC Bid Upgrade webpage.

Once you’ve selected a payment type, you cannot change it. Instead you must cancel your original offer and make a new offer. To make a new offer, click the link in your cancellation email, and follow the simple step-by-step process.

Yes, provided the offer window has not closed. To make a new offer click the link in your cancellation email and follow the simple step-by-step process.

If you’re offered a Last-Minute Upgrade to Business Class at time of check-in and have already been upgraded to Premium Economy with an AC Bid Upgrade or an Instant Upgrade, there will be no refunds, credits or exchanges for the AC Bid Upgrade or Instant Upgrade.

Yes, provided the offer window has not closed. To modify your offer, click the link in your confirmation email or visit the AC Bid Upgrade webpage.

Decisions on whether to accept AC Bid Upgrade offers are made 48 hours prior to departure, ensuring that Aeroplan Elite Status Members continue to have preferred access to more upgrade seats when requesting an upgrade using eUpgrade credits.

Follow the procedure outline in our Terms and Conditions.