TikTokers Are Testing A Travel Hack To Get Free Flight Upgrades & There Are 'No Guarantees'

Seat upgrades on a flight rarely happen on their own, so if there's a hack to bump you up on your next trip you would probably do it, right?

A couple of TikTokers have tested out a trendy travel hack recently to see if it'll score them an upgrade, it's turning out to be a high-risk, high-reward situation.

The hack involves giving gifts to flight attendants, but it's not exactly a sure thing.

The TikToker who runs the account @x_travels tested out the hack on a 12-and-a-half-hour flight from New York to Abu Dhabi.

Prior to his flight, the TikToker says he saw there was an empty business class seat, so his goal was to get that seat.

"It was $12,000 and I didn't want to pay that so I went and got eight $15 Starbucks gift cards," he said in his video.

The TikToker says he handed the gift cards to flight attendants on board and they were very appreciative of the kind gesture.

"They said 'are you a flight attendant from another airline?' I said no I just thought I would spread the love, show some appreciation."

The TikToker then went to go find his seat, which he says was at the very back of the plane, and found a woman was already sitting in his seat with her shoes and socks off.

A minute later a flight attendant supervisor, who was apparently holding one of the gift cards, came up to him and offered him an exit row seat with extra legroom.

"It was a completely full row all to myself with unlimited legroom," he said. "It wasn't business class, I didn't get a full lay-down seat but I think it was worth the gift cards."

He said the nice gestures didn't stop there.

"I took a nap for a bit and when I woke up there was a little goodie bag (...) with like a water bottle, a sandwich, and some snacks."

The video, which has over 3 million views, has been flooded with comments and mixed reactions.

Several people who say they are flight attendants expressed appreciation for passengers who bring them gifts.

"I’m a flight attendant and I’ll definitely give you whatever I can when you bring us kind gifts," one person commented.

"Flight attendant here... I work for spirit, you do something like this for us we might just let you fly the plane," another person joked.

Others commented that the hack wasn't really worth it, because it would've cost the TikToker less to pay for the upgrade.

"Exit row is only 38$ extra lol," one TikTok user said.

However, one person said they tried this hack previously and it worked for them.

"Did this and got upgraded to first class from heathrow to Canada 10/10 would recommend," they stated.

This isn't the first time a TikToker has shared a similar travel hack.

A TikToker who runs the account @callmeloop said she was told about a travel hack wherein you buy a box of chocolates and give it to the flight attendants on your flight. While she said it worked for a friend of hers, and they got a first class seat out of it, it didn't go according to plan for her and her friend.

The TikToker said she gave a big box of Maltesers to a flight attendant on her flight and rather than an upgrade, she and her friend got water bottles as a thank you.

People were quick to comment on the video and, again, there were mixed reactions to the travel hack itself.

"As cabin crew I can confirm this does not guarantee an upgrade," one person said.

"Why do people think buying eleven quids worth of chocolates is gonna get them an upgrade worth thousands on some routes?" another TikTok user questioned.

Others expressed that they also tried the travel hack and it didn't work for them either.

"I spent £15 on chocolates last time and got nothing," one person shared.

So, if you plan on using this travel hack on your next flight, be prepared it may not work, but anything in return, even a seat with extra legroom may be worth the risk!

This article's left-hand cover image was used for illustrative purposes only.