Southwest Credit ??

[luvdisney999]

Hey guys - I need some help!

We purchased our flight to Disney using a credit that I had with Southwest. However, tonight I got a DING fare - yeah!

I adjusted our flight to the DING price, but now I still have a leftover credit that is due to expire at the end of the year (we purchased a flight last year, but couldn't go).

Anyway, I thought I heard something about being able to extend your credit with Southwest for a few months or something like that. Does anyone know any info on this? Has anyone actually done it? Is there a fee/penalty or anything like that?

We would really like to use this credit in May if possible - can someone please help? Thanks!

 

[outlander]

I haven't heard of this before but SWA is very accomodating. Maybe you could contact them for the official answer and let us know how it works!

 

[disneyldwjr]

Hey guys - I need some help!

We purchased our flight to Disney using a credit that I had with Southwest. However, tonight I got a DING fare - yeah!

I adjusted our flight to the DING price, but now I still have a leftover credit that is due to expire at the end of the year (we purchased a flight last year, but couldn't go).

Anyway, I thought I heard something about being able to extend your credit with Southwest for a few months or something like that. Does anyone know any info on this? Has anyone actually done it? Is there a fee/penalty or anything like that?

We would really like to use this credit in May if possible - can someone please help? Thanks!

Call customer relations, NOT the reservation number. This number can be found on the SWA website under contact us. They have been known to extend a credit for 6 months, not any longer. No fee, no penalty. Not sure when you credit expires, but, hopefully, if you get the extension, it will work for May. If not, you can make reservations for someone else using the credit and they could pay you.

 

[taimgxe]

Like the previous poster said, call customer relations. I would wait till the end of the credit deadline. Tell that you would like to extend it. They will do so in the form of a voucher. I believe they have shorten the extension window to 3 months now. It used to be 6 months. If you are able to swing 6, consider yourself lucky.

 

[Goin2Disney2006]

My fares just went down a few weeks ago...since they were in the same class of service (as I originally booked, just that the fare went down) I was able to get a refund back to the card I purchased the tickets on. I was able to get $160 refunded back to me instead of a future credit. I dont know if this is something they make known to the public but I am a travel agent and was able to do this for my clients in the past.

 

[rlduvall]

My fares just went down a few weeks ago...since they were in the same class of service (as I originally booked, just that the fare went down) I was able to get a refund back to the card I purchased the tickets on. I was able to get $160 refunded back to me instead of a future credit. I dont know if this is something they make known to the public but I am a travel agent and was able to do this for my clients in the past.

I was also able to do this recently - and both fares were a ding fare. The key, at least in my situation, was it was for the exact same flight, time, day, etc. Also, remember there is always a small amount of the fare that is refundable automatically, but you have to request it (which you can do online). I think it is the security fee or something. One time it was $50. on two fares; recently it was $21. per ticket.

I also did the credit extension thing. Make sure you call the Refund Department and get their "permission." My father retired from American Airlines so I try to be loyal to them, but SW makes it so hard.

 

[Soccer Princess]

So the credit expires one year from the original date of booking, correct? My credits will expire May 17, 2007. I would really love an extension since DH doesn't have any more vacation time until next July. When should I call to ask for one of these?

 

[K9pal]

For our last trip, we booked an 'internet rate", then we were able to get a Ding rate that was even less. I wrote a letter to the Customer Service address in their site and requested a refund to my credit card. Really didn't expect that to happen, but 7 weeks later guess what? The refund appeared on our credit card!

 

[Madhatter266]

I recently had the same situation. I called the customer service number (in Texas), about 30 days before the one year expiration date. They prepared and mailed to me a voucher that was valid for 6 months. The voucher has a code and a "pin" that is needed for verification to book. I was able to apply this extension voucher for tickets to WDW in January and applied partial funds on the return trip. I was skeptical - but it worked fine!

 

[brettb]

One thing to verify - I thought I had been told that our credit would valid for *travel* for 1 year from the date of original purchase. That is, if we purchased our tickets for September on June 24th, rebooked at a lower fare, we couldn't book a flight for July of next year before June 24th. The flight itself would have to occur before June 24th. It wasn't an issue for us at the time, so I didn't investigate further, but if you've got credits, I'd double check this. (And I'd also like to hear the answer!)

As a side note, in the past, we've had great success just getting the difference in fare refunded back to the credit card once I explained that we hadn't changed the dates, names, or flights. But this time around, they wouldn't do that before we traveled. However, I called after we traveled and they did it! (Also, in the past, I'd sometimes have to call back a second time to get somebody more familiar with this apparent exception to the non-refundable rule.)

Brett