Status: checked against official sources; automated independent review
FREQUENT FLYER GLOSSARY
What is a bid upgrade?
Bid upgrade (also called a paid upgrade offer or upgrade bid) is a way to buy a seat in a higher cabin by naming your own price: the traveller offers an amount for a premium cabin and the airline later accepts or rejects that offer before departure. Who may bid, which cabin can be bid on, and when offers are reviewed are all set by the operating airline — Air New Zealand, for example, runs such a scheme for its international flights under the name OneUp. [7]
Facts checked: 18 October 2026
Key takeaways
- A bid upgrade is a purchase, not an award redemption: the traveller pays money or, where the programme allows it, the airline's own loyalty currency, and the original ticket's conditions continue to apply to the upgraded ticket. [7]
- The price is not published in advance — the traveller chooses the amount, and on Air New Zealand the offer is applied per person, so a booking of three people means three times the amount offered. [7]
- An unsuccessful offer costs nothing. [7]
- Elite status can strengthen an offer: Air New Zealand upweights a OneUp offer according to Koru tier. [7]
How does a bid upgrade work?
A bid upgrade is neither a redemption nor a fixed-price upgrade. The traveller keeps the ticket already bought, offers to pay an extra amount for a seat in a higher cabin, and waits. The airline collects the offers, looks at what remains unsold in the premium cabin, and takes the offers it prefers. Until an offer is accepted, the traveller holds an ordinary ticket in the original cabin and owes nothing further if the offer fails.
Air New Zealand sells this kind of offer under the name OneUp. An offer is made online through Manage booking, after entering the booking reference and family name, or through the Air New Zealand call centre. [7] It can be paid with Airpoints, in which case any applicable taxes, levies or surcharges must be paid in cash by credit or debit card, or by credit or debit card, in which case the cost is converted into local area currency. [7]
The upgraded ticket keeps the conditions of the original one, including the ability to change, cancel or transfer it and the same fees and cancellation penalties. [7] Baggage depends on timing: an upgrade confirmed before check-in brings the higher cabin's baggage allowance, while an upgrade accepted after check-in or at the airport leaves the original ticket's allowance in place. [7] Airpoints and Status Points are still earned on the class originally booked rather than the cabin travelled in. [7]
Which Air New Zealand flights and fares can you bid on?
An offer can be requested on an international Air New Zealand flight when the aircraft is operated by Air New Zealand, the flight has a premium cabin service and the traveller holds an Air New Zealand ticket. [7] An Economy Skycouch offer can be made on any Air New Zealand flight with a Skycouch service. [7]
Several bookings cannot be bid on at all: OneUp does not apply to flights operated by other airlines, or to codeshare flights where the aircraft belongs to a partner airline, and it is unavailable on Star Alliance Upgrade Award tickets, travel industry fares, prizes or promotional tickets, and long-haul low-cost X-class fares. [7]
An offer moves the traveller up one cabin class only — Economy to Premium Economy, or Premium Economy to Business Premier — and Economy passengers who do not want a different cabin can offer for Economy Skycouch instead. [7] One offer covers one sector, so a two-sector itinerary can carry two separate offers. [7]
How are bid upgrade offers decided and charged?
Air New Zealand says it assesses an offer on its value, the value of other offers made for the same cabin class, the traveller's Koru tier, the number of seats available in the higher cabin and the number of passengers in the booking. [7] An Offer Strength Indicator shown while bidding can help but does not guarantee success, and an unsuccessful offer costs nothing. [7] The airline also states that an offer will always be lower than the cost of a premium ticket. [7]
Status feeds directly into the value of the offer. Air New Zealand upweights a OneUp offer by Koru tier, as of 18 October 2026: [7]
| Koru tier | Offer upweighting |
|---|---|
| Koru Silver | 10% |
| Koru Gold | 30% |
| Koru Platinum | 50% |
| Koru Black | 60% |
Payment is typically taken when the offer is accepted, usually three to five days before the flight; on a particularly full flight the review may not happen until eight hours before departure, in which case the charge falls then. [7] Offers can be submitted as late as three days before the flight, and the airline advises bidding earlier rather than later. [7] An offer can be changed or cancelled while the flight is at least three days away, and the payment method can be switched up to three days before travel by cancelling the existing offer and submitting a new one. [7]
Exceptions and limits
- One offer per seat. A traveller cannot raise a bid after an unsuccessful attempt, so Air New Zealand advises making the best possible offer first. A Premium Economy bidder may add a separate Economy Skycouch offer as a back-up; only one will be accepted, so the traveller does not pay twice. [7]
- No double upgrades. Recognition Upgrades and Airpoints Upgrades cannot be combined with a OneUp offer to move more than one cabin class on a single sector, though on a long-haul route with a stopover a Recognition Upgrade can cover one leg and a OneUp offer the other. [7]
- Separate bookings. Companions travelling on a different booking are not guaranteed an upgrade alongside the bidder. [7]
- Skycouch party size. OneUp Skycouch offers are available only for bookings of up to two passengers; a booking of two is offering to occupy the Skycouch together, while a single passenger is offering to have the whole Skycouch. [7]
- Children and groups. Offers apply to everyone in the booking, including children, and the amount offered is charged per person. [7] If the funds are not available at the time of review, the airline says it cannot confirm the upgrade. [7]
- London departures. Passengers departing from London must pay additional Air Passenger Duty by credit or prepaid/debit card, and Airpoints cannot be used for those taxes. [7]
- Gifting and seat selection. Airpoints can fund an offer on behalf of another passenger using their booking reference, a six-character reference ending in H. [7] Once an upgrade is confirmed before arrival at the airport, the traveller can pick any available seat in the upgraded cabin area, or pay extra for Preferred Seats or Exit Row seats. [7]
For upgrades that are settled at the time of booking rather than bid for, see confirmed upgrade. [7]
Frequently asked questions
Do you pay if your bid upgrade is rejected?
No. Air New Zealand states that if a OneUp offer is unsuccessful there is no cost. [7]
Can you raise your bid after it is rejected?
No. Only one upgrade offer per seat can be submitted, which is why the airline recommends making the strongest offer you are willing to pay. [7]
When is a bid upgrade charged to your card or Airpoints balance?
Typically when the offer is accepted, usually three to five days before the flight, or as late as eight hours before departure if the flight is particularly full. [7]
Do you earn Airpoints and Status Points on an upgraded cabin?
Yes, but they accrue on the class originally booked, not on the cabin travelled in after the upgrade. [7]
Can you cancel a bid upgrade offer?
Yes, as long as the flight is at least three days away; the offer can be changed or cancelled online, in the airline's app or through the call centre. [7]
Sources
Sources checked on 18 October 2026. Only Air New Zealand's OneUp programme is described here; other airlines' paid upgrade offer schemes are not covered.
- Air New Zealand — Upgrade with OneUp, checked 18 October 2026