How can I avoid losing my money? Southwest Airlines question

[Microcell]

I have a flight in 10 days, and looks like we should cancel the trip due to my DH's job and all the sickness in the air.

I got good rates with Southwest and just a straight move to another flight later would make the cost DOUBLE!!! These are non refundable tickets.

Can I just ask for a credit toward future air travel? Can I move flight to Chicago or something close to our price and then move back when rates go down?

What to do?

 

[gigi1313]

just request a refund... they may charge you a fee for cancelling, but the balance of your money will be available to you (or anyone else you give permission to) for one year from the date you booked! sorry to hear you are cancelling

 

[Melynny]

With Southwest, you can always get a credit for your flight amount. Just remember to keep your confirmation number and you can find it that way online. It's very easy and there is no loosing your money if your plans change. It's a good feeling to be able to book, change or cancel and know that the origional amount is still there, waiting for my next trip! Heck, I can always fly back to WDW another time!

 

[Microcell]

Do you think the closeness of the trip will be a factor in not losing money?

 

[Rpsemont]

If you're definitely not taking the trip, I would cancel as soon as you know. If you think you will be flying ANYWHERE SWA flies in the time between the date you BOOKED your flight and one year after that date, you can use your confirmation number from this reservation to access those funds. The funds are available to either the ticketed person, or the person who's credit card was used. (This means that if your credit card paid for the trip, you could use those funds to buy tickets for totally different people if you wanted to)
YOu may want to call SWA to verify, but I think, (sorry, don't have time to go read now) the funds from the trip you cancel must be used for a flight that occurs before one year from date you BOOKED the cancelled flight. Which means, if you though I'll cancel this year and go next year same time, it probably wouldn't work. I have read many times of people being refunded their money. If that's your preference, give them a call and talk to them about it.
Personally, it is their flexibility in this sort or thing that makes them by airline of choice! Anyone else, and you'd have to probably pay $100 change fee, difference in cost of ticket and could only ticket the people you originally ticketed.

Good Luck.

 

[NotUrsula]

As long as you cancel it before the departure date, you shouldn't have any problems.

 

[onlyoneforme]

I rebooked my flight for a cheaper flight and had $90 in travel funds in my account to use within a year. I too had heard about others getting that $ credited back to their credit card so I called to see if I could do it too. They said no, very politely, but a very big NO nonetheless! Uggg, we will not be traveling within the year of booking the first set of tickets so now I don't know what to do!

Question - If I make a fully refundable/no restrictions reservation in March using the $90 I have in fund credit and then cancel that reservation will they refund the money again into travel funds and then I must use them before March of 2006?
Hmmmmm?

 

[Rpsemont]

Question - If I make a fully refundable/no restrictions reservation in March using the $90 I have in fund credit and then cancel that reservation will they refund the money again into travel funds and then I must use them before March of 2006?

I think they keep track of this. I have cancelled and rebooked alot for many reasons and when I go to apply funds, sometimes there are different funds with different rules, even when off the same cancellation

 

[Rpsemont]

we will not be traveling within the year of booking the first set of tickets so now I don't know what to do!

Any family members that might be able to use them? then they could reimburse you the cost - but to do this, they would probably have to pay you for a ticket in its entirety, then you would book their flight, but use with your ticketless travel funds

 

[coinkc]

you can re-book a ticket for anyone you want with your ticketless funds. they just need your confirmation number. then they can use their own credit card to pay for the remainder of the trip. I just did this so I know it's possible.

As for the dates, they do keep track of when the original ticket was booked. All funds from that travel must be used before one year after the ticket was bought. So even if you buy a ticket in Dec., cancel and rebook for March, then cancel again, the funds still expire in dec.

 

[NotUrsula]

I've had luck with asking nicely for an extension on a one-yr. credit. They have given me an extra month or two.