We love to be upgraded. And for free if we are lucky. As a frequent flier with an elevated level, your chances of being upgraded on a busy flight are high. This was one of the few tricks that I had learned so when possible I booked on busy flight, thus increasing my chances of an upgrade.

Another tip I had from a friend who worked in an airline was that if you dress smartly you have a higher chance as at the check-in they are trained to put a remark for upgrade candidates. Traveling with children also reduces your upgrade chances. But in this article, I will share with you what I do to get an upgrade as and when I wish using my skyward miles that don’t seem to deplete.

I found a way to get myself permanently upgraded on all the flights that I wished to avail a business class seat. Just follow these steps:

1. Obtain an Emirates NBD Skyward or any Skyward branded card
2. Make all credit card payments including that for business using this card. This will earn you loads of Skyward miles.
3. Book wisely flights that will allow an upgrade using miles
4. Redeem your accumulated miles to upgrade your economy class to business

While many of us do have the credit card, we tend to use different cards for personal expenses and business, but by simply using a single card you are pooling all your miles together into a single card.

I would love to hear ideas from other frequent travelers on what works to get an upgrade.

Have you tried something different that works?