Trading Up

Sometimes the decision to trade up is obvious — Godiva chocolates instead of Russell Stover? Yes, please! But in most cases, the decision to upgrade your purchase isn't so cut and dried. It's as much about our perceptions as what we actually get, says Michael J. Silverstein, senior vice president for Boston Consulting Group and author of "Trading Up." "If you buy a Victoria's Secret bra and panty set, you are getting sexy and glamorous," he says. "If you drink Belvedere vodka, you are demonstrating taste and sophistication."

We can't tell you if you'll feel more like a gourmand for having purchased a $3,500 GE Convection Oven. But whether you want a better airline seat or a bigger diamond, here's what you're getting (and what it's worth) when you trade up:

What you'll get: No matter which airline you're traveling on, forgoing coach for business or first class comes with one major advantage — space. Most domestic and international economy seats have 29 to 33 inches of leg room (measured as the distance between two rows of seatbacks), according to SeatGuru.com, a site devoted to airline seat information. Trading up gives you a wider seat, plus another five to seven inches of leg room in domestic first class. In international business and first class, you'll get another 30 to 60 inches of leg room. If moving beyond the reach of seat-kickers isn't enough incentive, there are plenty of other airline-specific perks. A first-class ticket on Virgin Atlantic, for example, includes transportation to and from the airport, a pass to the airport Clubhouse lounge and in-flight spa services. On American Airlines, business and first-class passengers receive an aromatherapy amenity kit, and have access to noise-canceling headphones and a laptop power connection.

Making the trade: "Upgrade whenever you have the cash," says George Hobica, publisher of Airfare Watchdog, a site that tracks airfare. Sounds like a tall order — except you can often snag a first-class seat without shelling out more than you would for coach. When you book, go directly through the airline. Look for so-called "Y-Up" and "Q-Up" fares — essentially, premium seats booked at coach prices to help the airline fill up a flight. (To locate Y-Ups, check out this guide from airline-fare tracker Fare Compare.) You may also spot fare sales specifically for business and first class. No luck? If you can't find a way around paying the full fare, save your upgrade dollars for flights of four hours or longer, Hobica advises. It just doesn't make sense to fly first-class for a quick hop from Boston to D.C.

Sample cost: Travel on Continental from Newark, N.J., to Paris on Nov. 20-24, and you'd pay $1,490 roundtrip for a coach seat. But thanks to a sale, a business fare for the same itinerary is $1,350, rather than its typical $3,950.

What you'll get: Bells and whistles are the hallmark of deluxe appliances, says Carolyn Forte, homecare director for the Good Housekeeping Institute. Among other technological goodies, a stainless steel KitchenAid built-in dishwasher ($1,449.99 at Sears) has sound insulation to quiet machine noise and specific cycles to eliminate bacteria and remove baked-on food. Often, trading up also means increased energy efficiency, she says.

Making the trade: An energy-efficient appliance is always worth the extra outlay of cost, says Forte. "Within a year or so, you end up saving on energy what you spent in extra initial cost," she says. GE makes two side-by-side, 22-cubic-foot refrigerators, one that bears the Energy Star label ($1,299 at Home Depot) and one that doesn't ($1,099, Home Depot). According to Energy Star estimates, the energy-efficient fridge saves $32 in energy annually; and so would pay off its added cost in a little more than six years. Beyond energy efficiency (and for products like ranges where it isn't an option), take a close look at your needs, suggests Sharon Franke, kitchen-appliances director for the Good Housekeeping Institute. Spending $200 more for convection technology on your range's oven won't be worthwhile if your roasting repertoire is limited to a Thanksgiving turkey. "Having the technology is unlikely to change your cooking habits," she says.

Sample cost: Frigidaire's 3-Cycle Crown Electric Dryer is $199.99 at Best Buy. For $279.99, you can get the brand's 4-Cycle Electric Dryer. In addition to the extra cycle, it offers additional temperature settings, an interior light and a Press Saver function to reduce wrinkles.

What you'll get: Looking for alpha hydroxy acids or retinol? They are easy to find both in the corner drugstore and at your department store beauty counter. But when you upgrade to a department store brand, you'll get higher concentrations of such active ingredients, says L. Bayly Ledes, beauty director for Real Simple magazine. You'll also see more expensive ingredients, such as the fermented sea kelp in celebrity-favored moisturizer Créme de la Mer ($195 for a two-ounce jar at Neiman Marcus). When you trade up for cosmetics, you're getting more pigments, particularly in bright shades of lipstick and eye shadow. "The colors are much more vivid," says Ledes. Formulas may also add ingredients to make the product longer-lasting (blush), more moisturizing (lipstick), or easily blendable (eyeliner).

Making the trade: The general rule of thumb, says Ledes, is to consider trading up if you're looking for a product to treat a specific issue — whether it be limp hair, dry skin or acne. That's when those pricey ingredients and complex formulas are worth their weight in gold. Just looking for a good, all-around moisturizer or shampoo? Hit the drugstore. For cosmetics, you're still getting quality when you trade up, but usually drugstore beauty buys are an equally attractive (and less pricey) option.

Sample cost: In drugstores, a 23-ounce bottle of Head & Shoulders dandruff shampoo is $7.79. That's less than half the price of a 6.8-ounce bottle of Phyto's Phytosylic Anti-Dandruff shampoo ($22 at Sephora).