Help me strategize—SW Companion Pass Conundrum

[PopGirl26]

If there is a clear answer here, I can’t figure it out on my own!

I have a companion pass earned for 2019 and 2020:

Child 1 only is going on a December trip with me and already has his companion booking. This flight has since sold out.

Child 2 only is going on a February trip with me, which I just now planned, and is currently booked on points, but ideally I’d like to get those points back and make him my companion for this trip.

Child 1 and 2 are going on a March trip with me. Child 1 already has a companion booking. Child 2 currently has a points booking (booked on opening day, and the flight has since gone up by 8K).

What would you do?

If I knew February and March wouldn’t sell out, I would obviously switch my CP to child 2 after the December trip and switch it back to child 1 after the February trip.

Thoughts?

 

[EACarlson]

Why would you change it back? Which is better for you, leaving things the way it is now, or cancelling both child bookings for the march trip and change your companion to child 2 after your december trip. As soon as your change your companion you are going to loose the companion booking for March and have to rebook child 1 anyway.

 

[PopGirl26]

Child 2 has a cheap March rate that child 1 will not be likely to replicate (has already gone up 8K). That’s why I’d love to be able to change my companion back to child 1 after the February trip. But the March flight could be sold out by then.

Thanks for your thoughts!

I think I’m just going to keep a very close eye on the February and March flights. If they get close to selling out, I’ll have to make some decisions on the fly.

 

[KristinU]

If it were me I'd sit tight until after the December trip, then call SWA and explain the situation and see if they can do any reassigning of the already booked flights, and if they can, change to child 2 and have them as your companion for both February and March. You get 3 changes per year, so I'd think ahead too if you have more travel planned.

If they can't reassign the already booked flights and you stand a chance of losing them altogether or stand the chance of paying more, I'd just leave it as is and use points for that February trip. It would be worth the points to me to not take the risk of losing those flights.