I am so MAD!

[rdsx28]

I just called SW to get some ticketless travel funds extended for the 6 months as we would not be traveling until the end of November. To my surprise the gentlemen on the phone let me know that there is now a 50.00 fee on each request! I have 8 separate confirmation #'s with a few of them being only 15.00/each. My vouchers totaled 528.00. After paying the 50.00 on each one I would end up with 128.00! This is horrible. I have done this for the past 2 years with no charge and no problem. I guess I shall wait until the last minute from now on or book another carrier. I don't understand why they won't let you at least purchase a gift card before they expire as you would have to use it to fly.I just put in a call to a manager at SW to call me back about this as it made me very angry. Here I was thinking my airfare would pretty much be taken care of this year. As I was told this was a "courtesy" not a policy. It still makes me pretty mad whatever they call it. SW has definately gone downhill a bit in my eyes.

 

[MELISAZACK]

Why not buy a flight that totals your travel fund amount - then turn around and cancel that flight out and now your travel funds are good from the date for another year... I saw others doing that as a way around the charge...
if you have 8 seprate charges you can only use 3 to apply to each flight so try and get them so the 3 travel funds match the one way ticket or something.. then cancel and 3 travel funds now become 1... and you have more time to use it...
does that make scense?

 

[kaytieeldr]

Well, they're right - it was a courtesy. No other airline extends their nonrefundable-fare credits beyond one year under any conditions. Southwest didn't for many, many, many years - now they do.

Look for a thread/tutorial in this forum on how to combine your many small Southwest into larger lump sums. It may not apply for extensions, but you won't know until you try.

And ultimately, since you don't have any immediate travel plans, $128 is better than nothing. You paid some high price for various tickets for your original trip; therefore you were willing to pay that amount of money; therefore, ANY credit you are able to salvage is better than no credit.

 

[Lewisc]

Why not buy a flight that totals your travel fund amount - then turn around and cancel that flight out and now your travel funds are good from the date for another year... I saw others doing that as a way around the charge...
if you have 8 seprate charges you can only use 3 to apply to each flight so try and get them so the 3 travel funds match the one way ticket or something.. then cancel and 3 travel funds now become 1... and you have more time to use it...
does that make scense?

NO You wind up with the earliest expiration date. People combine credits to work around the 3 credit maximum per reservation. Unless something has changed this is a way to ensure you only pay $50. I don't think this will work if your credit have already expired.

Other airlines offset a credit with a change fee that's typically $75-$150. SW only charges $50 if you want an extension. Sounds fair to me.

 

[MELISAZACK]

Funny Lewisc says that doesn't work but I just did it in may and it changed my date for my travel funds.. original they would of expired next Feb.. now they are moved to May.. so maybe it is hit or miss if your date changed but, mine did and there is a post where it worked for a few others as well I believe.. even if it didn't work your not out the money for the flight yet and still didn't pay the $50 at that point.
If it doesn't work and the expire date stays the same then you might have to put out the $50.00. I also thought the 1st time you ask for the extension it was given to you at no charge. And after that the $50 was added.
did that change recently?

 

[cigar95]

. . . I have 8 separate confirmation #'s with a few of them being only 15.00/each. My vouchers totaled 528.00. After paying the 50.00 on each one I would end up with 128.00!. . . .

Even apart from the various suggestions others gave above, you can still get out of this with more than $128. If some of yours are only worth $15, then don't extend those - the result would be a loss of $35. Just extend the ones worth more than the charge.

Or am I missing something?

 

[Lewisc]

Previous posters on DIS and flyertalk, who combined credits, have always received the earliest expiration date. You might want to carefully re-read your confirmation. I suspect the May date only refers to any cash you paid for your reservation and not for the portion of your reservation paid with ticketless funds. I'd be surprised if SW is doing something for you they're not doing for any other passenger.


http://flyerguide.com/wiki/index.ph...mall_amounts_from_several_ticketless_funds.3F

The $50 to extend the credits started July 2007, although I suspect some passengers were able to get that fee waived past that date. Few, if any, posters have gotten the fee waived recently.

 

[extremesoccermom]

I can understand the fee but they didn't start seperating the credits until recently which is what makes this much harder.
In the past I would have a $12.00 credit not 3 $4.00 credits.

If you were to combine them to get the new ticket when you cancel it would you still have a number of credit or would you now only have one?
You could make and cancel the flights until you are down to only one credit then pay the $50 on the one.

 

[rdsx28]

Thanks for the suggestions everyone.It just makes me mad that to ensure I got a flight last year for Thanksgiving week I had to book a high fare. To get back over 500.00 because the fares came down so much is horrible and who wouldn't take or want the refund. I do not think you can book and cancel as I do believe other posters are correct when they say it still goes back to the original travel date. I am waiting for a manager to return my call it has been however 6 hours since I placed the call so we'll see what happens. I will voice my dissatisfaction if nothing else than to make myself feel better. It was just disappointing as I have done this twice in the past with no problem and hate to give them my hard earned dollars for nothing in return.Live and learn I guess. I will not be so quick to book fares next time unless they are very reasonable.Again, Thanks everyone I appreciate the help!

 

[Lewisc]

Unless your credits have already expired you should be able to combine them and only pay one $50 fee. You may be out of luck if your credits have already expired.

Would you have preferred if the fares never came down and you didn't get any credit? Would have preferred having your credit offset by a $75-$150 change fee?