SOUTHWEST AIRLINES no longer allowing you to apply funds to another name

[Dizzyworld]

Looks like a guys short trip is in order!

Don't temp them.

 

[emmabelle]

I heard about this last year through the boards. I just wish they would at least let the same surname use the credits. Once you book there is no use to look for the lower rates or dings now. Maybe that's why they are doing this.

it definitely takes longer to rebook when you have four people traveling!

 

[BLTtinkerbell]

I feel for you. It was nice to book when we wanted & then keep checking to see if flights went down. We would often find lower fares & then have credits to use for a future trip, which actually helped SW as we never had enough credits and always had to spend some money on the fare.
I knew there was talk of this change. Too bad they are now doing it. For future trips, we will look into driving, as it is probably cheaper.

 

[DebbieB]

I feel for you. It was nice to book when we wanted & then keep checking to see if flights went down. We would often find lower fares & then have credits to use for a future trip, which actually helped SW as we never had enough credits and always had to spend some money on the fare.
I knew there was talk of this change. Too bad they are now doing it. For future trips, we will look into driving, as it is probably cheaper.

You can still use credits for a future trip, they just have to be used by each individual person.

 

[paults]

I don't see this as a problem. Whenever we get credits we just use them on the next trip.
So unless this is your last air trip ever you can still use credits for yourself.

 

[BLTtinkerbell]

I was thinking in terms of what the OP said. If my DH books a flight for himself for work (or any trip he goes on) only HE can use the credits now. In the past, I could use his credits for myself &/or our children. I know that we can still use credits in our own names, BUT we can longer use credits in other family members names. It matters to some of us, for this reason.

 

[emmabelle]

I don't see this as a problem. Whenever we get credits we just use them on the next trip.
So unless this is your last air trip ever you can still use credits for yourself.

It's a bummer for me because my credit expires in January, so I was hoping to use it in January for a trip with just my husband and me. I wish I could use my kids credits towards our tickets too, since I paid for them. I don't blame SW for changing the way it does business, I'm just sad.

 

[ExPirateShopGirl]

If he is booking flights for work trips and then taking advantage of price decreases, he should book a fully refundable fare at the outset and then take advantage of the price drop on the discount fare as the trip approaches. This way he gets his money back. Then again... for work trips how far in advance can he be booking? I barely know my travel schedule a week in advance.

I was thinking in terms of what the OP said. If my DH books a flight for himself for work (or any trip he goes on) only HE can use the credits now. In the past, I could use his credits for myself &/or our children. I know that we can still use credits in our own names, BUT we can longer use credits in other family members names. It matters to some of us, for this reason.

 

[keishashadow]

I don't know what I'm going to do with these credits ($202) we have spread out over the 4 of us? My DD and I thought about a future short trip, but it is the guys who have the bulk of the money. It really bugs me to throw the money away. And I hate that the credits can't be used for EBCI either.

Southwest also told me a week ago, that other people other than the names on the credit could use them. I guess they were wrong.

I did notice that my credit card statement had each passenger listed separately even though I had us all on one reservation on the way to Fl, and it was broken int o two reservations on the way home. At first I thought I somehow made 8 individual reservations.

just to clarify...

did you actually try booking a 'dummy' flight online this week with 2 of the credits you currently hold for 4 different people or did you just happen to call SWA & ask if you could combine & use them?

 

[gigi1313]

i heard a "rumor" from someone in the know that one of the reasons for stopping the "anyone can use anyone's credits" thing is that some TAs were making ressies for clients at the higher ticket price and then re-selling those credits to other clients or on ebay/craigslist... seems like quite the scam, but an awful lot of work...

 

[Dizzyworld]

just to clarify...

did you actually try booking a 'dummy' flight online this week with 2 of the credits you currently hold for 4 different people or did you just happen to call SWA & ask if you could combine & use them?

I called SW about the credits. They told me on the phone a few days before the change was set in place, that it wouldn't take place until the end of the year. I guess she was wrong. I didn't try to do anything with rolling a few credits into a dummy date so three of the credits could turn into one larger credit. That way it would have made sense to pay the extention fee. But with 2@ $21 and 2@ $80 it doesn't make sense to pay the $50 to extend the credits.

 

[keishashadow]

I called SW about the credits. They told me on the phone a few days before the change was set in place, that it wouldn't take place until the end of the year. I guess she was wrong. I didn't try to do anything with rolling a few credits into a dummy date so three of the credits could turn into one larger credit. That way it would have made sense to pay the extention fee. But with 2@ $21 and 2@ $80 it doesn't make sense to pay the $50 to extend the credits.

thank you, i'd have probably rolled them into 1 & paid the extensionbut now wondering if you even could do soi.e. using different guests credits to book a completely res for a 'different' person than on the credit(s).

as stated earlier, i did so last monday w/o any issue. Had to do series of dummy bookings (combined a bunch of my small credits to purchase a more expensive flight option for DH).

 

[antree]

OK, so we know about the credits now, but my concern is, emmabelle said in the post that they had to rebook each person separately to get the ding fare. Thai is what I am afraid of. I just booked our tickets we were able to get 2 of the tickets at $79.00 and the other 3 had to be at $114.00, because the seats sold out in the middle of my sale according to SW.
So my question is did SW change the way you change from regular fare to Ding or lower fare? Can you still just go in and modify the reservation without canceling to get lower price? I would then assume the credits would come to each person instead of one large credit like before. I still have to get my flight home, is it worth to watch my other flight to see if the price drops? Would I be able only to modify the reservation without canceling 3 tickets and starting over?

Thanks for any help.

 

[Nancy F]

Just one more reason NOT to fly SW. When Airtran stops all together... I'll be going with US Air. I'd rather pay for 1ST class than fight for a seat in the front that is the same size as the seats in the back.

Nancy

 

[keishashadow]

OK, so we know about the credits now, but my concern is, emmabelle said in the post that they had to rebook each person separately to get the ding fare. Thai is what I am afraid of. I just booked our tickets we were able to get 2 of the tickets at $79.00 and the other 3 had to be at $114.00, because the seats sold out in the middle of my sale according to SW.
So my question is did SW change the way you change from regular fare to Ding or lower fare? Can you still just go in and modify the reservation without canceling to get lower price? I would then assume the credits would come to each person instead of one large credit like before. I still have to get my flight home, is it worth to watch my other flight to see if the price drops? Would I be able only to modify the reservation without canceling 3 tickets and starting over?

Thanks for any help.

actually we don'tthe OP just stated what they were told, she didn't try to combine them to book a new reservation. Until somebody does (and i'm fresh out of credits to be a guinea pig) we really won't know for sure.


I've never gotten a DING fare to work out for me, but it's my understanding (somebody correct me if i mis-speak please!) that in the past you would have had to cancel your existing reservation. Then take the credit & use it towards the DING fare, vs just modifying the existing reservation when you see a price drop.

 

[NotUrsula]

If he is booking flights for work trips and then taking advantage of price decreases, he should book a fully refundable fare at the outset and then take advantage of the price drop on the discount fare as the trip approaches. This way he gets his money back. Then again... for work trips how far in advance can he be booking? I barely know my travel schedule a week in advance.

I can make mine well in advance, but I have a different issue. My accounting dept. doesn't like me doing it, because the "funds" technically belong to the firm, and my getting to keep them myself is an issue for them.

Personally, I am a bit disappointed that SWA didn't choose to allow RR members with the same billing address as the original passenger to be allowed to use the credits; that would have stopped the abuses with people selling the credit via eBay and Craig's List, but preserved a lot of good will.

 

[Dizzyworld]

thank you, i'd have probably rolled them into 1 & paid the extensionbut now wondering if you even could do soi.e. using different guests credits to book a completely res for a 'different' person than on the credit(s).

as stated earlier, i did so last monday w/o any issue. Had to do series of dummy bookings (combined a bunch of my small credits to purchase a more expensive flight option for DH).

Maybe I'll try it to see it I can roll some of the credits into one. Then it would make sense to pay for the extension.I miss the old days when they would refund the difference to your credit card after you completed your trip. Oh well.

 

[antree]

keishashadow, how it use to be done, maybe it's still the same but I don't know. I would go to southwest.com and go to Change Air Reservation, then the fare calendar would come up and you would click on the new flight and price you wanted. You would go through the process as if buying them and at the end when you submitted you would have a credit if the fare was lower. So I would get 1 credit for the 3 of us. Now from what I understand we will get 3 individual credits to use, so then whenever I used the credit I would have to book 3 different times, from what I understand.

I just don't want to have to now cancel my flight to get the lower price, I am hoping they let you modify it like they use too.
I guess I wood call and ask if the fare shows us lower, before I do it.

Thanks you.

 

[keishashadow]

Maybe I'll try it to see it I can roll some of the credits into one. Then it would make sense to pay for the extension.I miss the old days when they would refund the difference to your credit card after you completed your trip. Oh well.

let us know how it works out if you do try

 

[DebbieB]

Just one more reason NOT to fly SW. When Airtran stops all together... I'll be going with US Air. I'd rather pay for 1ST class than fight for a seat in the front that is the same size as the seats in the back.

Nancy

I flew US last week in first class on an award ticket. Had to practically do the limbo to get into the window seat, there isn't much more room. I wouldn't pay extra for it. Especially on short flights, they have eliminated the snack basket on flights under 1.5 hours, you get a bag of trail mix instead.