IMPORTANT NOTE 23 December 2016 : The “Upgrade Yourself” link is WORKING AGAIN! THERE IS A NEW LINK :
NEW LINK | Upgrade Yourself LINK to Bid on a possible upgrade.
Upgrade Bidding Temporarily Unavailable
If you have recently tried to access KLM Upgrade Bidding via the “Upgrade Yourself” portal (see : KLM Upgrade Bidding “Upgrade Yourself” ) you probably have noticed that this service is not available. After a few inquiries, KLM Royal Dutch Airlines has confirmed that the link is “temporarily unavailable.”
My limited observations have provided very few data-points with regard to upgrade bidding for KLM flights over the past months. I have also not noticed links to bid for upgrades in the “My Trips” section when reviewing future itineraries.
Currently upgrading via OLCI (online check-in) offers, “phantom” My Trip seat selection offers, and the DOD (Day of Departure) upgrade program are all still options that are available to upgrade your intra-Europe or long-haul flights.
The Future of KLM Upgrade Bidding
So, will upgrade bidding return soon? It seems it will, according to the tweet from KLM. I am cautiously optimistic that “we’ll proceed with an improved version of this concept soon” means that we will be able to experience the next generation in upgrade bidding for KLM flights. A more transparent and consistent system would be welcome. Of course, part of the concept behind upgrade bidding is “gambling” for you upgrade. In a sense, “gambling” and “transparency” are not always complimentary concepts. With any “luck” TravelZork will be sharing metrics regarding a new bidding system shortly.
Michael is a travel enthusiast who is passionate about food and casino adventures and is very detail-oriented when it comes to travel, especially when it comes to the entire flight and airport experience. Before returning to the USA, he resided in Europe (Amsterdam and London) from 2013 to 2020. Current passion projects include TravelZork, the creation of ZorkFest (The Preeminent Consumer-Focused Travel Loyalty (Miles+Points) and Casino Loyalty Conference), and ZorkCast Podcast. In addition, Michael is passionate about the history of Las Vegas and Atlantic City, as well as baccarat, and enjoys cooking and experiencing food around the globe.
Thanks so much for the update~
You are most welcome. Wish we could provide a few more data-points. Working on that.
Hi, my parents are flying along with a tour group of 10 people from Kuala Lumpur to Lima via Amsterdam then Rio de janeiro to KL via Amsterdam. I am trying to figure out the most economical way to upgrade the 2 of them. I assumed that they are unlikely to be offered discounted upgrade upon check in as there are 10 of them. So my next option is to bid for an upgrade but the link is not available (and because they booked through travel agent, they dont get emails; I should also mention that the upgrade option are not available on their ‘My Trip’ page on KLM site) . Would you know, assuming that the link is working would I be able to bid for an upgrade for just 2 person out of the 10 person in the group? Thanks for your help.
If they are on a “tour group” (or group reservation) they might not be able to access their reservation on “My Trip.” In addition, it might be a strange group fare class. Can you confirm this? Without seeing the reservation, best alternative is to upgrade via the KLM DoD upgrade program. This program is applicable for all KLM-metal departure cities. The price (miles+co-pay) varies a bit. But if it’s a “low” fare class you can expect it to cost (for KUL-AMS) somewhere between €300-€450 + 25k-35k miles (Delta SkyMiles or KLM FlyingBlue) on the day of departure. This article talks about that upgrade program (though the example is ex-AMS to the USA). LINK : https://travelzork.com/day-of-departure-dod-klm-upgrades-from-amsterdam-ex-ams-a-slightly-definitive-guide-and-a-trick/
The bidding option is now back up. I booked a ticket TLV to AMS 2 months ago for travel this month…..and last week, when I logged in to my booking, it’s giving me an option to bid for an upgrade to business! So far I’m the only who’s bid…..
Hello,
What is the link to KLM Upgrade Bidding? This link (https://upgradeyourself.klm.com/) is not working?
the new link is :
http://www.klm.com/bfu/ub/login
I will update the article. Please report back!
Sure. Great, it works now! I am travelling next month and will try the bid for upgrade. Right now when I try logging in I get the message “An error has occurred: You can start bidding from 14 days before departure – don’t forget to grab your chance on an upgrade!”
Error Code : 109