Invited to Bid For Upgrades on Etihad

I am going on a trip to South Africa shortly.  I am flying on Etihad Airlines (with the first leg from JFK-CDG on American Airlines). The whole shebang cost under $400!  (not counting the amounts I paid for additional flights to Capetown)

I have received emails from Etihad inviting me to submit bids to upgrade individual flights to business class, but the prices seem rather steep to me.  If I choose to bid, it must be the minimum amount they set, and credit card info must be given at the time of the bid.

Welcome to Etihad Select, KATHY! Here’s how it works:

1. Decide on your offer price per guest for each of your flights by moving the slider with your cursor, then click continue.

2. We’ll notify you via email if your request for an upgrade has been approved.

If your offer is accepted, you’ll be charged for the upgrade. If not, no charges apply and you will keep the seat you have.

Here are the features offered in Biz Class:

Welcome to our Business Class – the most luxurious way to fly for business or pleasure

• Lounge access

• 6 ft 1 inch full flat bed Seat with privacy shell

• In-built massage

• Luxury blankets and pillows

• Your own Food and Beverage Manager

• A la carte or ‘Kitchen Anytime’ options

• Five-star dining with fine wines

• Personal E- BOX 15-inch screen

• Noise-canceling headsets

• Mood lighting to ease jet lag

There don’t seem to be any tricks to this, but what do I know? What is it like flying Etihad in Economy?  Also, does the minimum bid for upgrades change over time or is it static?

Here’s the listing:

going:

Paris (CDG) – Abu Dhabi (AUH) – minimum bid $760

Abu Dhabi (AUH) – Johannesburg (JNB) – minimum bid $550

return:

Johannesburg (JNB) – Abu Dhabi (AUH) – minimum bid $550

Abu Dhabi (AUH) – New York (JFK) – minimum bid $1150

Actually, the only leg I might be interested in is the long AUH-JFK flight.  All of the other flights appear to be rather empty.  This one is 14 hours.  But, $1,150 seems like a lot of money.

I note that I did ask this question in a prior post, when I was considering transferring Thank Your points to Etihad for an upgrade.  The comments contained a lot of valuable information, including “wait for invitations to bid for an upgrade.”

Should I just slum it?

While I have  your attention (assuming I even do), which lounges at CDG, AUH and JNB do you recommend?  I do have Priority Pass membership. I have an American Express Platinum Card.  I also have a Citibank Prestige Card, but as I read the terms, that only works for Admirals Clubs, not One World clubs.