How to build a Southwest Credit...

[mybabesuz]

I had 21 little SW credits mostly $10 or $13 .

But I had one $23 credit...

I bought a $49 ticket using four of the credits... The total was 59.60...

I then canceled that ticket and it gave me the Full 59.60 in one credit...yeah...

Then I bought a ticket that cost 108.20 using that credit and four more of my smaller credits.

They let you use a full ticket credit AND 4 smaller other credits...

So I am building a credit.. booking a flight...then canceling it for a slightly more expensive flight using the canceled ticket and a few more small credits...

It is working ! I am sooo happy this worked..
**Thank You riley2008** It was your idea...

 

[grimley1968]

Ok, I'll bite.

Why?

 

[CherylA]

Ok, I'll bite.

Why?

Because you are only allowed to apply 3 credits plus a credit card or 4 credits if they cover the total cost. So if you wanted to use 10 $10 credits totaling $100 toward the purchase of your $100 ticket you couldn't. You could only use 3 of them for $30 off and then you'd have to pay the remaining $70 on a credit card. mybabesuz is combining her credits so she can use all of her little credits toward the purchase of a larger cost ticket.

 

[mybabesuz]

Ok, I'll bite.

Why?

Southwest recently, just this week, changed the rules of how credits are issued and can be used.

You can now only use three credits on one purchase.
I have 9 people going to WDW in July.
I booked early knowing I could rebook the tickets at a lower price.
There a four of us going back in December.
I had planned on using the credits for that trip.
The fares dropped twice. I had Two credits for each passager for each way...
That is up to 36 credits!
Then southwest went and changed their policy to limit the use of credits.
I couldn't possible have used all those credits the way they were.
I called and wrote to SW but no one could offer me a solution.
So we figured out a way to combine the little credits so we can actually use them.

 

[grimley1968]

Because you are only allowed to apply 3 credits plus a credit card or 4 credits if they cover the total cost. So if you wanted to use 10 $10 credits totaling $100 toward the purchase of your $100 ticket you couldn't. You could only use 3 of them for $30 off and then you'd have to pay the remaining $70 on a credit card. mybabesuz is combining her credits so she can use all of her little credits toward the purchase of a larger cost ticket.

Ahh, I see now! That approach makes sense, now that I know the reason for it. Thanks.

I've had and used credits with SWA before, but I don't travel by commercial air enough to get that many credits in one year. My experience is just getting a credit once, and then using that a few months later on another purchase. I wasn't even aware there was a limit on the number of credits you could use at one time.

 

[riley2008]

I'm so glad that worked! I think this weekend I'm going to go ahead and start combining the credits, too (just in case there is another policy chage).


And I like the idea of purchasing the refundable fares too, so that I don't have to be so particular about which flight to choose.

 

[I'mNoPrince]

Great work around .

 

[Niagara2]

Does anyone know how this will work with credits with different dates? They are good for one year from original date of booking. If we have a credit that is good until say 7/15 and another good until 9/12, will the new ticket when cancelled have a credit that is now the total of the two, with a different expiration date or will it all now expire on the earliest credit date that was used?
To OP thanks for the information!

 

[ash-n-brensmom]

INGENIOUS!!!!

 

[CherylA]

Does anyone know how this will work with credits with different dates? They are good for one year from original date of booking. If we have a credit that is good until say 7/15 and another good until 9/12, will the new ticket when cancelled have a credit that is now the total of the two, with a different expiration date or will it all now expire on the earliest credit date that was used?
To OP thanks for the information!

If you combined your credits that expired 7/15 and 9/12 your new expiration would be the earliest one so 7/15 is the date you would need to complete your travel by.

 

[Lewisc]

PP is correct, you wind up with the earliest expiration date. It only makes sense to combine credits with similar expiration dates. I wouldn't combine a large credit with a smaller credit if the smaller credit has a significantly earlier expiration date.

 

[extremesoccermom]

Lets See if I have this right I can use my 6 $2.00 and 6 $3.00 like this
Ticket A use 3 $3.00
Ticket B use 3 $3.00
Ticket C use 3 $2.00
Ticket D use 3 $2.00

Then if I really want to I can use
Ticket A,B,C to buy Ticket E

Then
Ticket D and E
to buy what I really want.

This is alot of work for $30.00 but I guess it is worth the time on my part I hate to loose any money even it it is only $2.00

 

[mybabesuz]

Lets See if I have this right I can use my 6 $2.00 and 6 $3.00 like this
Ticket A use 3 $3.00
Ticket B use 3 $3.00
Ticket C use 3 $2.00
Ticket D use 3 $2.00

Then if I really want to I can use
Ticket A,B,C to buy Ticket E

Then
Ticket D and E
to buy what I really want.

This is alot of work for $30.00 but I guess it is worth the time on my part I hate to loose any money even it it is only $2.00

Yes that's how it works..
But my way is a little different...
I only have one ticket at a time.

Buy Ticket A with 4 Credits or 3 Credits plus CC if needed
Buy Ticket B with Credit from Ticket A plus 3 Credits
Buy Ticket C with Credit from Ticket B plus 3 Credits
Buy Ticket D with Credit from Ticket C plus 3 Credits
Until all the credits are used up...

But your credits are so small that might be harder.
Some people buy refundable fares and then you get your credits made whole and a refund for the extra fee you paid for the ticket.

 

[Disneyvirg]

Where do I go to see how my credits are broken up? I've only been able to find the spot that shows the total amount of credit I have.

Also - what is the time span between purchasing and changing/cancelling? Can I sit down all in one sitting and take care of all my credits, or does a certain amount of time need to transpire in between?

TIA

 

[mybabesuz]

Where do I go to see how my credits are broken up? I've only been able to find the spot that shows the total amount of credit I have.

Also - what is the time span between purchasing and changing/cancelling? Can I sit down all in one sitting and take care of all my credits, or does a certain amount of time need to transpire in between?

TIA

The only way to see them is to try to use them... I think...
I haven't found any other way. It shows them when you first get the credit.
I did all the combining in one sitting. There was no time needed.
I was worried about that too, but I tried it and it worked.
Just remember the combined credit retains the earliest expiration date of all the credits use.
Mine were all the same week so it didn't matter.