Southwest Travel Vouchers (UPDATE)

[antmaril]

I had $453 in ticketless travel funds from Southwest Airlines that were going to expire in early May. Because we don't have any travel plans in the near future, I called and asked for an extension. They told me they would send me travel vouchers. I received the vouchers today and it appears that they can only be redeemed at a Southwest Ticket Counter. Does this mean I have to go to the airport to buy tickets? Are there any "Southwest Ticket Counters" anywhere other than at the airport? Can I make a reservation over the phone and then go to the counter and pay with the vouchers?

I'm going to call Southwest tomorrow to get more details, but I was just wondering if anyone has ever redeemed a travel voucher and if so, what the procedure is.

Thanks for any info.


FYI - Got my answer this morning. Talked to Southwest and was told that I can only redeem the travel vouchers at the airport. I can call and make a reservation over the phone, but I have to get to the SW ticket counter within 24 hours to pay for the tickets with the vouchers. Not exactly an easy thing to do. However, I will make it happen in order to use travel vouchers worth $450!!! Just wanted to share the info in case anyone else ends up with travel vouchers.

 

[Cara]

I had the same situation. Be warned that when you book over the phone you cannot book a special "internet fare," nor can you book a "DING" sale. I only had a $110 voucher, and it ended up being cheaper for me to book online with a sale than use my voucher for a regularly-priced fare.

Cara

 

[antmaril]

Thanks for the tip. It will be interesting to see how it goes. The SW Rep did tell me that if I booked a non-refundable fare, I had to go to the airport within 24 hours. However, if I book using a refundable fare (full fare), I can wait until the day of travel to redeem the voucher.

I just don't want all the money to go to waste.

 

[mareed]

I received vouchers for volunteering to give up our seats for an overbooked flight. The voucher did state that it had to be used at a ticket counter, but I called SW Customer Relations (not Reservations) and was able to book an internet fare online (lower) and pay for it myself on my credit card. After the flight, I sent the voucher in the mail to Customer Relations and they credited my credit card.

You do have to call Customer Relations for this as Reservations cannot help you and will just tell you to go to the ticket counter. As long as you can handle paying up front on your credit card and waiting until after the flight to be reimbursed, this can save you money over purchasing at a ticket counter.

Let me know if you have questions as I may not have been clear here.

 

[Princess Tink]

mareed, do you have the address for Customer Relations....I seemed to of misplaced it. I was told the same thing in Jan this year, and we're flying July......so, I'm keeping my fingers crossed this works.

 

[antmaril]

Thanks for the info. I'll call Customer Relations and see what they say. I originally spoke with Customer Relations when I requested the extension. Customer Relations offered the vouchers.

We'll see. There has to be quite a level of trust to pay for the tickets now and wait until after the trip to send the vouchers and receive the credit. It would be a little worrisome. I would worry that someone would tell me after the fact that I received wrong information and there will be no credit. Obviously, it worked for you.

Thanks for responding.

 

[mareed]

mareed, do you have the address for Customer Relations....I seemed to of misplaced it. I was told the same thing in Jan this year, and we're flying July......so, I'm keeping my fingers crossed this works.

I mailed my voucher to:
Southwest Customer Service
P.O. Box 36647
Dallas, TX 75235-1647

I actually received a voucher back from our first round of flights because the original voucher we sent in was more than the cost of the flights. I'm currently waiting on the credit for the remaining voucher that I sent about 2 weeks ago. I was a little leary of sending the voucher through the mail, but I sent it certified (I think that's it - I could tell when it was delivered) and it worked fine the first time and saved quite a bit of money over the fare I'd have gotten at the gate.

 

[Princess Tink]

Thanks mareed.

 

[cdrn1]

It's aggravating that you can't take advantage of online specials when there are reasons that you can't book online. I am a member of Ambassadair, ATA's travel club. One of the perks is that you get 10% off ATA fares. BUT you can't use the discount if you book online, but when you call and book it costs more! I ended up actually paying a bit more booking with the discount than if I had booked online without it for my upcoming trip.