Did you know this about Southwest?

[kniquy]

Maybe I am behind on things or this is just the norm for all airlines but i just booked a flight for a conference in April (at WDW) of course the conference is right during Easter week, which is a busy time and of course flights are sky high. My Tuesday flight in was cheap $120 but Saturday leaving was $503.

I happened to look again today and Tuesday was down to $95 - I googled about price drops and if the price goes lower you can change and re-purchase at the lower price and either receive a credit on your account or a refund --I had no clue you could do this!!!

Of course this is going to make me stalk the SW website.

Figured i would mention this in case there is anyone else out there like me who had no clue. I really didn't want to purchase this far in advance, but i also didn't want to wait for flights to go up either. Total Win-Win!!

 

[Marionnette]

Maybe I am behind on things or this is just the norm for all airlines but i just booked a flight for a conference in April (at WDW) of course the conference is right during Easter week, which is a busy time and of course flights are sky high. My Tuesday flight in was cheap $120 but Saturday leaving was $503.

I happened to look again today and Tuesday was down to $95 - I googled about price drops and if the price goes lower you can change and re-purchase at the lower price and either receive a credit on your account or a refund --I had no clue you could do this!!!

Of course this is going to make me stalk the SW website.

Figured i would mention this in case there is anyone else out there like me who had no clue. I really didn't want to purchase this far in advance, but i also didn't want to wait for flights to go up either. Total Win-Win!!

Cash refunds are only given for certain types of tickets. Wanna Get Away fares are not eligible for cash refunds. If you find a lower fare, you will be issued ticketless travel funds that can be applied to your next trip. But there's a catch...the TTFs are non-transferable and they expire one year from the date that travel was originally booked (i.e. if you booked your current trip on Aug. 5, 2016, the TTFs will expire on Aug. 5, 2017). That means that travel using those funds must be completed by the expiration date.

If you booked using RR points, the points are returned to your RR account with no restrictions on those points.

 

[BridgeBuilder]

Southwest usually updates their fares on Tuesday evenings to match or beat other airlines flying the same route at the same time. That's probably what happened there.

 

[kniquy]

Cash refunds are only given for certain types of tickets. Wanna Get Away fares are not eligible for cash refunds.

That is weird because when i came time to decide what to do with the refund it noted an actual refund or just a credit for another flight. This was for the portion of my flight that was the "wanna get away" fair

 

[mich311e]

Adding on...if anyone has tips for Southwest please share! I'm looking to book a flight to Tampa in March! Thanks!

 

[Baklava]

That is weird because when i came time to decide what to do with the refund it noted an actual refund or just a credit for another flight. This was for the portion of my flight that was the "wanna get away" fair

Yeah, it does that, but if you're not eligible for a cash refund it won't give you one.

 

[ELSA711]

That is weird because when i came time to decide what to do with the refund it noted an actual refund or just a credit for another flight. This was for the portion of my flight that was the "wanna get away" fair

I was given a refund to my credit card when my 'wanna get away' fair went lower to. It gave me the option of refund or travel credit.

 

[Marionnette]

That is weird because when i came time to decide what to do with the refund it noted an actual refund or just a credit for another flight. This was for the portion of my flight that was the "wanna get away" fair

Then it was a glitch in the system. Wanna Get Away fares are, by definition, nonrefundable.
https://www.southwest.com/html/air/fare-information.html

Wanna Get Away

• Fares are nonrefundable but may be applied toward future travel on Southwest Airlines for the originally ticketed passenger only.
• Should a passenger fail to apply the nonrefundable ticket toward the purchase of future travel within the eligibility period, the entire amount of the fare, which includes without limitation, all fees, taxes, and charges, will be forfeited.
• Standby travel requires an upgrade to the Anytime fare.
• Fares may vary as seats are limited and may not be available on all flights and dates.
• Limited seating, advance purchase, and other conditions may apply.
• Fares are subject to change until tickets are purchased and may be available for a limited time only.
• When combining fares, all rules and restrictions apply.
• Lower fares may be available.
• No Show Policy: If you are not planning to travel on any portion of your itinerary, please cancel your reservation at least 10 minutes prior to scheduled departure of the flight. Customers who fail to cancel or change a Wanna Get Away fare segment at least 10 minutes prior to travel and who do not board the flight, will be considered a no show, and all remaining funds on this reservation will be forfeited, including Business Select and Anytime funds.
  

 

[ELSA711]

Then it was a glitch in the system. Wanna Get Away fares are, by definition, nonrefundable.
https://www.southwest.com/html/air/fare-information.html

Wanna Get Away

• Fares are nonrefundable but may be applied toward future travel on Southwest Airlines for the originally ticketed passenger only.
• Should a passenger fail to apply the nonrefundable ticket toward the purchase of future travel within the eligibility period, the entire amount of the fare, which includes without limitation, all fees, taxes, and charges, will be forfeited.
• Standby travel requires an upgrade to the Anytime fare.
• Fares may vary as seats are limited and may not be available on all flights and dates.
• Limited seating, advance purchase, and other conditions may apply.
• Fares are subject to change until tickets are purchased and may be available for a limited time only.
• When combining fares, all rules and restrictions apply.
• Lower fares may be available.
• No Show Policy: If you are not planning to travel on any portion of your itinerary, please cancel your reservation at least 10 minutes prior to scheduled departure of the flight. Customers who fail to cancel or change a Wanna Get Away fare segment at least 10 minutes prior to travel and who do not board the flight, will be considered a no show, and all remaining funds on this reservation will be forfeited, including Business Select and Anytime funds.

Maybe that was the difference for me. I rebooked (I didn't cancel) my 'wanna get away' fare for the lower fare and they refunded the balance.

 

[BridgeBuilder]

Adding on...if anyone has tips for Southwest please share! I'm looking to book a flight to Tampa in March! Thanks!

I'm flying Louisville to Orlando in December (December 12-18, Monday depart, Sunday return) and got the round trip for a total of $155 with direct flights. I went to the Southwest fare calendar and looked for how far out was "prime" for the lowest fares for the days of the week I wanted to fly. Then, when I was around that many days out from my flight dates, I went and booked.

Also, Wanna Get Away can be re-booked for a credit towards the other fare. My girlfriend had a $219 round trip that she had to cancel this summer so she was given a credit code and then applied it to her tickets for December. $155 was subtracted from her credit and she still has $64 to use on a future ticket (within one year of the original flight date).

 

[mich311e]

I'm flying Louisville to Orlando in December (December 12-18, Monday depart, Sunday return) and got the round trip for a total of $155 with direct flights. I went to the Southwest fare calendar and looked for how far out was "prime" for the lowest fares for the days of the week I wanted to fly. Then, when I was around that many days out from my flight dates, I went and booked.

Also, Wanna Get Away can be re-booked for a credit towards the other fare. My girlfriend had a $219 round trip that she had to cancel this summer so she was given a credit code and then applied it to her tickets for December. $155 was subtracted from her credit and she still has $64 to use on a future ticket (within one year of the original flight date).

Wow, great prices! I'm flying from Phoenix and direct flights round trip are around $420. Higher than American but American isn't direct and the times aren't ideal. So I'm really leaning towards Southwest. I've got some time so I'll keep watching.

 

[Marionnette]

Maybe that was the difference for me. I rebooked (I didn't cancel) my 'wanna get away' fare for the lower fare and they refunded the balance.

No. That's not the way that it is supposed to work. Otherwise, why would ANYONE purchase an "anytime" fare (unless they're looking to boost their RR points or want to be able to fly standby on a sold out flight)? Anytime fares cost more and you don't get any additional perks like more free bags or early boarding. Re-booking the same route for a lower price is not supposed to result in a cash refund for Wanna Get Away fares. The exception occurred just following the massive computer glitch that happened late last month. Southwest briefly allowed passengers who were caught up in that mess to obtain refunds when re-booking.

 

[ELSA711]

No. That's not the way that it is supposed to work. Otherwise, why would ANYONE purchase an "anytime" fare (unless they're looking to boost their RR points or want to be able to fly standby on a sold out flight)? Anytime fares cost more and you don't get any additional perks like more free bags or early boarding. Re-booking the same route for a lower price is not supposed to result in a cash refund for Wanna Get Away fares. The exception occurred just following the massive computer glitch that happened late last month. Southwest briefly allowed passengers who were caught up in that mess to obtain refunds when re-booking.

oh, well then lucky me

 

[kniquy]

within one year of the original flight date).

so is the use of the funds from the date of the flight or from the date the ticket was purchased. This might make a difference in how i handle this in the future.

 

[Vijoge]

so is the use of the funds from the date of the flight or from the date the ticket was purchased. This might make a difference in how i handle this in the future.

It's from the date of purchase

 

[clutter]

Remember all airlines (including SW) are required to do a refund (not credit) if you cancel within 24 hours of when you made the reservation. As long as the flight is more than 7 days in advance. Different airlines handle the 7 day window differently. Also, if you book on expedia, you can sometimes get a refund within 24 hours that the airline wouldn't give you during that 7 day window.

 

[PatMcDuck]

If it is within 24 hours, you get the full refund. I love SW for the ability to change flights at no charge, and get credits for price drops. Add to that, the free 2 bags, and the credit card giving you up to 50,000 points when you first apply. Just so much goodness with SW, lol.

I am lucky and can use them out of either PHL or EWR, too, so the cheaper one is where we fly from.

 

[kydisneyfans]

SW has posted some great prices from Louisville lately. My wife snagged a one way flight to Orlando for $90 on a Friday flight. I have $138 RT booked in November to Orlando, and even Disneyland was $328 RT, much lower than last year for the Star Wars marathon. It even looks like they added a 2nd daily non-stop to Orlando on certain days of the week. I'll take it.

 

[hsmamato2]

yeah...OP if you got a refund on your cc you did get lucky! Just for note though b/c fares change all the time, it was a glitch,not normal procedure.... usually it's a credit to be used as noted above so YMMV

 

[Queeneileen]

Can anyone tell me what determines when you are assigned to board? How do you get priority boarding? On several trips I was separated from my kids. They can not board early because they are teenagers now.