Help with redeeming a SWA voucher

[Bºoºbbie]

Anyone have experience with redeeming a Southwest air voucher? I have called the airlines direct but get different answers each time. I currently have ressies for my up coming trip. Once I'm at the airport I thought I would try to redeem it in person. Not sure I want to take a bump ever again if this is going to be such trouble. TIA.

 

[lawgs]

the vouchers are not very internet friendly, however that does not mean you cannot use them for "internet rates" or even "ding" fares....

once you have completed travel, you can send the voucher to customer relations with a lil note explaining the situation

within about 3 weeks they will credit the card used to book the fare with the voucher amount

this is what we did just recently with a voucher we received earlier in the year ( it beats having to go to the airport to use the voucher )

have read somewhere that they are "considering" electronic vouchers.....that would make it much easier

 

[stauncie]

The way they are right now... paper vouchers are a PAIN! (for us, anyway)
After reading all the trip reports about people getting bumped and getting credit, DH and I did this in May for our anniversary trip. We thought it would be a GREAT way to have airfare for our upcoming Dec trip. It was Indy 500 weekend, and everyone wanted to get to Indy. We volunteered to be bumped, but the next flight was the next day. They put us up in a hotel for the night, with an additional credit voucher for food at the airport because the hotel didn't have a restaurant on site We came home with our paper vouchers. When SW opened up dates for Dec., I called to book the flights, and THATS when they told me that I had to pay for the tickets at a ticket counter. I explained that the airport is a distance away, but she said it didn't matter. Paper vouchers HAD to be converted at a ticket counter. I booked them, and they told me I had 24 hours to pay for them. I told her again, that the airport is 104 miles from my house, ONE WAY, so she said she could give me extra time. She gave me 12 hours extra. (of course, the ticket counter isn't open 24/7, so those extra 12 hours did me no good at all)
I went the next day to pay for the tickets. (At the time SW was only booking through 12/10, so I was going to have to make a future trip to buy our return tickets)
I commented about hoping to get a 'ding flight', and I was told that any 'changes' would require another visit to the ticket counter, and that I could NOT use ding, because paper vouchers are NO GOOD online.
Of course, I could go ahead, and book the tickets online using ding, and paying for them, and then AFTER the trip turning in my receipts and receive a credit, but the whole point of having the credit was so I wouldn't have to pay for airfare in December.
I didn't have any problems AT the airport getting the tickets, but the driving for 2 1/2 hours, and 200 miles makes me question doing it again.
I was able to purchase our return airfare while picking up company from the airport, so it wasn't a 'wasted' trip in terms of time and gas.
I DID mention to the counter agent about how unhappy I was with the paper tickets, and she said they hoped to switch to giftcard-type credits which would work online in the next 30-60 days.
We won't be volunteering for anymore 'bumps' until they switch.