How does "credit" with SWA work? What is the time limit?

[3PRINCESSMOM]

Okay, those current fares SWA is offering are surely tough to swallow! However, we will certainly be taking another trip in the next year. If I book now at a high fare and later the fares do come down, I can rebook and get credit, right? That credit is to be used within a certain time limit, right? What is that time limit?

We are going this year the last week of August, and hopefully next year the 3rd week of August. Would I be able to do that? Does it have to do with travel dates or purchase dates? We may do a queen and princess trip in November, but that is only tentative, (where the August '07 trip is more than likely).

I know discounts will be less than in previous years, but I find it hard to believe that SWA will remain as high or even higher than their competitors. Who knows, though... (I also find it hard to believe gas is about $3 a gallon ).

 

[zurgswife]

Say you purchase your August tickets today April 20, 2006 you will have until April 20, 2007 to complete your trip.

You will recieve the value of the tickets in an "account". When you go to purchase the new tickets you put that confirmation number in and the dollar value of the new tickets is subtracted from your balance. If your new tickets are more money then you pay the balance.

 

[zurgswife]

Also, becareful of the following scenerio that happend to me.

I had a $250 credit for April 13, 2006 expiration. On August 13, 2005 I purcased 6 tickets one way for spring break $780. I paid $250 on credit and the rest in cash. Then in Dec 20, 2005 I purchased 6 more one way ticket for the return day.

Then like all my trips a ding arrived. great news only one big problem the $780 worth of tickets I purchased on August 13, 2005 using my $250 credit; If i cancel this trip and rebook, the entire credit will revert back to the original date of April 13 not the day I booked the tickets which was Aug 13, 2005. It took alot of moving around of dates and things but I managed to book and rebook ticket for spring break and have my Dec 20, 2005 purchases in my credit account.

Less learned. If you are rebooking a flight using credit and you are going to have to pay a balance book that balance of tickets under a separate confirmation number or you will be up a creek like I was.

 

[Shelly S]

The credit is only valid for 1 year from the original date of purchase. So if you purchase today, the credit is good for 1 year from today. You must fly by the one year expiration, not just purchase tix.

Check the expiration dates on any credit, ecspecially if you fly and get/use credit several times per year. I am currently having an issue with my ticketless credit that I think is ridiculous

Purchased tix July 15th. Price went down and got $54 credit. I flew to Orlando. Purchased tix in November for Ft Lauderdale and used the credit. Price went down and I got $39 credit. Flew to Ft Lauderdale. Purchased Tix to Orlando yesterday and thought I would have $39 credit from the purchase in November, but found out that because I used the $54 credit on my Ft Lauderdale flight the $39 credit is going all the way back to July. This is way too complicated. I really don't see what I flight I purchased in November has anything to do with the one I purchased in July. Southwest is going to help me out on this but not until I fly again this Sept. Not sure if anyone else has experienced issues that are similar, but the bottom line is to really check the expirations on the credits.

 

[hoov]

We are booked in August. If a ding fare comes along that suits our plans, I first need to cancel all or part of our flights and then rebook with ding fare using credit from my account? Can you access all of this info from the "DING" page or do you need to go to the regular SW homepage first? Have you ever missed a ding while you were cancelling other reservation? Thanks in advance for any info.

 

[3PRINCESSMOM]

I am interested too.

Also, I think I understand... to put it simply, if you book using credit, even just a portion, should you then try to rebook all of the "new" credit reverts to the "old" credits original date? Wow! I sure do appreciate SWA's flexibility with regard to rebooking without penalty fees, but this little quirk in the process seems tough.

Thanks so much. Now I have to decide, should I purchase at these really high fares...get the dates and times I want/need and hope for a lower fare AND firm plans up for that November queen & princess trip? Or maybe me and DH go for ESPN weekend next March...??? See, those APs don't save you any money...they cost more 'cuz of the little extra trips ...

 

[zurgswife]

We are booked in August. If a ding fare comes along that suits our plans, I first need to cancel all or part of our flights and then rebook with ding fare using credit from my account? Can you access all of this info from the "DING" page or do you need to go to the regular SW homepage first? Have you ever missed a ding while you were cancelling other reservation? Thanks in advance for any info.

Usually it takes opening 2 windows. One on Ding and the other on Travel center of SW. Then you do do it almost at the same time. Wovenwonder has written down the directions I'll go find them and post..

 

[zurgswife]

Here it is...

1] I found a great DING for the exact flights that I wanted. In fact it was the same flights we originally had but for 1/2 the price. $39 ea way cannot be beat!

2] I picked my flights and went thru the process of 'booking' them right up until the point where it asked for form of payment.

3] In a seperate window I opened up my email confirmation from the original [higher priced] flight that I had booked with SW a month or so earlier.

4] I found my confirmation number [which is actually a combination of numbers and letters] on my email and wrote it down.

5] I scrolled down my confirmation email and found this information -
REFUND INFORMATION
For Southwest Airlines Refund Information please visit:
www.southwest.com/travel_...ation.html

You can skip the step #5 and just click on the link I have in step #6.

6] When I clicked on the link in #5 it brought up a page with this information -

If your outbound flight has not departed, you may submit a refund request:
online at southwest.com. To begin this process, you will first need to Cancel your flight Reservation. The words in bold are a link to cancel the original flight reservation.
Click on that link.

7] They will ask for your original Confirmation Number and the credit card holders name - as it appears on the card. This would be the card that you used for the original reservation.

To save alot of time. Have your confirmation number and credit card holder information in a handy spot at all times. This way you can grab it quickly if you get DINGed.

8] enter the information - and click 'Retrieve Flight Information'. At this point [in the next screen] you will be clicking to cancel your reservation. BUT - before I clicked to cancel - I went back to the DING window and checked to be sure my DING flights were still available.

9] after I was sure they were still available I clicked to cancel my original flight.

10] In the screen to book the DING flight I stated that I wanted to use funds that I had in reserve. [I'm not sure of the exact wording it used]. Here is where I entered the confirmation number from the original flight. It showed my new flight as paid in full and also showed my credit remaining on the original flight.

It sounds complicating but it really only took less than 5 minutes from start to finish.

Warning ~ ~ ~ ~ I guess there is always that small chance that in the seconds it takes to cancel the original flight and book the new one that the DING fares could become booked up and no longer available. If you know without a doubt that you will be flying often within the next year [and you have the extra funds available], a sure fire way would be to book the new flight and pay for it. Then cancel the old flight and have the entire original amount as a credit to be used on an upcoming flight.