Southwest Award Question

[Tom3000]

I have a Southwest travel award which expires in April 2011. I don't plan on traveling to Disney till October 2011. Are you able to book a flight with it before it expires then change that ticket to an October flight once the schedule is released? I go one of those Southwest Credit Cards that give you a free award when you open it but I didn't realize that as soon as you use the card they automatically give you the reward and the clock starts ticking and you have to use it within one year.

 

[lawgs]

I have a Southwest travel award which expires in April 2011. I don't plan on traveling to Disney till October 2011. Are you able to book a flight with it before it expires then change that ticket to an October flight once the schedule is released? I go one of those Southwest Credit Cards that give you a free award when you open it but I didn't realize that as soon as you use the card they automatically give you the reward and the clock starts ticking and you have to use it within one year.

up until now, ( things change constantly ), you can have the reward ticket RE ISSUED at any time for a fee of 50$, but once you have it reissued the clock starts ticking again.....new date is one year from the date of re issue

you can even have it re issued after it has expired ( but this may change ) they have been changing policies at SWA eg cancelled tickets ( ticketless funds )after january 2011 can only be used by the person whose name originally appeared on the ticket ( up until then when you cancel, the ticketless funds can be used by ANYONE, all they need is the PNR or confirmation number and the name of the person who booked the flight )

 

[ruadisneyfan2]

up until now, ( things change constantly ), you can have the reward ticket RE ISSUED at any time for a fee of 50$, but once you have it reissued the clock starts ticking again.....new date is one year from the date of re issue

you can even have it re issued after it has expired ( but this may change ) they have been changing policies at SWA eg cancelled tickets ( ticketless funds )after january 2011 can only be used by the person whose name originally appeared on the ticket ( up until then when you cancel, the ticketless funds can be used by ANYONE, all they need is the PNR or confirmation number and the name of the person who booked the flight )

Not sure this applies to Rapid Rewards as there is no "ticket" in anyone's name. AFAIK, they are not restricting rewards to only be in the name of the account holder.

 

[ruadisneyfan2]

from the FAQ section of their website:

If I am unable to use my Award within 12 months, is it possible to have my Award reissued?

Yes, an Award may be reissued for a $50 fee. We will only consider reissuing Awards that have been expired less than 24 months. Members can request an Award reissue and pay for the fee(s) by credit card:

online through the MySouthwest® section of southwest.com
through our toll-free Rapid Rewards number, 1-800-445-5764
at any Southwest Airlines Ticket Counter

Awards that are reissued through these channels will be processed immediately. So once the request is processed, the new Award will be available for use. All reissued Standard Awards will be reissued as Standard Awards, and Freedom Awards will be reissued as Freedom Awards. Reissued Awards will be valid for 12 months from the date of reissue. Only requests from the original Member who earned the Award will be considered. Credit cards are the only form of payment that will be accepted for Award reissues. Cash, checks, money orders, Ticketless Travel Funds, Southwest LUV Vouchers, and southwestgiftcard® will not be accepted.

from Rapid Reward section:

How to give your Rapid Rewards Ticketless Award to friends or family
Awards are completely transferrable, which is a program benefit that allows you to give your travel benefits to friends or family members. Simply find out the destination, travel dates, and times from your lucky recipient. Then follow the instructions to book the travel at southwest.com or call Reservations. Here are a few more things you should know:

You - not the person using your Award - will need to book the flight by visiting MySouthwest® at southwest.com or calling Reservations and specifying that you are making a reservation with a Standard or Freedom Award, whichever applies.
At the time of reservation, the government-imposed September 11th Security Fee of up to $10 per roundtrip must be paid by credit card.
After you book the flight, give the confirmation number and itinerary you receive to the person who will be using your Award.
The person using your Award may change the destination, date, or time of travel at no charge prior to flight. If the name on the reservation changes, the itinerary will have to be cancelled, and the Award will automatically be returned to your account. You will then have to rebook the trip.
For account security reasons, we recommend that you never give out your password or other information about your Rapid Rewards account.

 

[lawgs]

Not sure this applies to Rapid Rewards as their is no "ticket" in anyone's name. AFAIK, they are not restricting rewards to only be in the name of the account holder.

was really not saying that it applied to Rapid Rewards, thus the eg in the body of the text, which gave an example of how SWA policies are a changin'


guess i should have left space between the Rapid Rewards answer and the example of how things do change with SWA