Virgin Atlantic also offers its own points scheme, however, this does not work in partnership with retailers.
The Virgin Atlantic Flying Club miles must be earned by becoming a member and flying with Virgin or a partner airline.
Mr Kelvin said: “Virgin Atlantic has a similar process for upgrading with Flying Club miles.
“You will need to find full award availability for the upgraded seat first and then use Flying Club miles to upgrade online or by phone.”
However, other airlines do handle upgrades slightly differently for passengers who have collected enough points.
Mr Kelvin explained: “Some other airlines like Qantas allow their frequent flyer members to submit an upgrade with points request at any stage and then process upgrades at the last minute for any unsold premium cabin seats.
“Airlines do this in order of status and ticket type, meaning if you don’t have any status and are on a cheap ticket type, you are unlikely to be successful in an upgrade bid on popular routes like London to Sydney. But at least you will only have the points deducted if your upgrade is successful.”