Possible to get credit on SWA?

[hokiefan33]

I just changed my flights on SWA from RDU-MCO in Sept. from a $58 one-way DING fare to a $39 one-way Internet special, saving about $144!! Managed to keep the same flight times and numbers, only thing that changed was the lower rate!

My question was, I now have a SWA credit for future travel out there for $144, that I probably won't use anytime soon, since we virtually never fly anywhere b/c vacations that would require airfare are few and far between (we can drive most anywhere else). Is it possible to get the $144 actually refunded back to my credit card? If not, is it possible to "sell" the $144 credit (I assume at a discount) on E-bay or somewhere else like that? I didn't know if anyone knew the rules or the appropriate channels to follow.

Thanks!

 

[simba2]

Some people have posted that they have been able to get the credit credited back onto their credit card. I have never been successful, but then again we always just use it for another trip. Sometimes we take a trip just because we have credit. You may give the credit to someone else who might be interested in flying Southwest. It is transferable.

 

[2boyshere]

I have sold credits on Ebay and got almost as much as the credit is worth! Easy to do and easy to transfer.

 

[Rpsemont]

If not, is it possible to "sell" the $144 credit (I assume at a discount) on E-bay or somewhere else like that? I didn't know if anyone knew the rules or the appropriate channels to follow.

I have sold credits on Ebay and got almost as much as the credit is worth! Easy to do and easy to transfer.

Probably what is "legal" and what is practical or do-able are two different things.
That being said, it someone has your Confirmation number and the name of the credit care used to book the flight, they can probably use those "ticketless travel funds" Any relatives that might be travelling soon?

 

[degirl]

I just had this done . We were in the same situation as you are. We would have had a credit of 128.00 left. I called Sw customer service and told them that there is no way I will be able to use the credit before it expired. The lady was nice enough to credit my credit card the difference. It took about five days for the credit to show up on my card. Good Luck

 

[MKCP5]

me too. they credited my card, no problem at all. good luck!

 

[laurabelle]

We had our price difference credited back to our card too. Now we've decided we're driving instead of flying (Emily is making me nervous! ) and before we cancel, DH called and they say it's non-refundable, but I know others here on the Dis have had total refunds. We'll actually cancel tomorow, try calling again, and worst case scenario we'll have credit to use. I love Southwest!

 

[antmaril]

I have never had any luck in getting SW to return the credit back to my card. I've called the Customer Service # and ask very nicely and each time I was told they cannot credit the $.

Obviously, it can be done, but i've never had any luck. I was recently in a situation where the ticketless travel funds were going to expire and SW issued me travel vouchers which are good for an additional six months. Unfortunately, the vouchers are not as user friendly. You can't book online and you have to go to the airport the day after you make the reservation to present the vouchers at the counter to pay for the tickets. (I have been advised by Customer Service that it may be possible to present the vouchers on the day of travel, but I haven't tried it yet).

Anyway, I suggest you use the ticketless travel funds before they expire so you don't have to ask for an extention. You could buy tickets for friends or relatives and then they can pay you.

Good luck.

 

[hokiefan33]

Update!! I called the SWA Cust. Svc. number this morning (214-792-4223) and spoke with a refund representative. She was super nice and knew right what to do. She looked up my credit, saw that I hadn't changed flight numbers or times or destinations, only switched to a lower airfare, and said that since nothing but price had changed, she would credit it back to my credit card, that I should see the refund within 7-10 business days.

It seems that the trigger for whether they will or won't credit it back is what you do when you re-book at the lower rate. She said specifically that since my original flights stayed the exact same, I could get it credited back to me. That leads me to believe that if I had rebooked but had to switch dates or times, I may not have been able to get that. But either way, I got the credit, and we're now flying 2 adults, 2 kids and an infant to Orlando, direct flight, round trip, for $387. You can't beat that! I love Southwest!

 

[laurabelle]

hokiefan33-That was our exact situation...no changes, just the price.

antmaril-Sorry you haven't had any luck with refunds. Thanks for the voucher info. I think we're actually going to hold onto our travel funds and use them in the fall or spring before they expire.