SW Refunds - Well, which way is it?????

[ro80]

Okay, let's just say we are a LITTLE bit confused here regarding SW credits and refunds. Please, please help us !!!

1. MANY people on the transportation thread say that SW will issue a refund to your credit card right away (i.e. you got a lower fare, ding, whatever and cancelled and rebooked.

2. MANY people on this thread say that SW will issue a refund to your credit card (same i.e. as above) once your travel is complete.

3. Tell me, from you all who have experienced this situation, did each and every one of you book REFUNDABLE fare originally??? We find it hard to believe that MOST people wouldn't try to book the lowest fare from the get go.

Talking on the phone several times today with SW, they insisted they didn't issue credits to credit cards. Actually, they said they would only issue a credit like that on the TAXES you paid on the flight - not the actual fare.

There are too many discrepancies here. We're leaving this in the hands of the pros to set us straight !!

 

[Bowen9475]

We have been able to get refunds to our credit card several times. As long as you don't change your itinerary at all (date, time, flight) you should be able to call the customer service number 1-214-792-4223 and request the funds to be put back on your card. Do not call the 800#. Good luck!

 

[Twende]

I have never gotten a good answer to this either.

I always buy non-refundable tickets because they are cheaper. If a DING comes up for my flight then I cancel the flight and rebook it as a DING using the credit from the first flight as payment.

I have always been able to apply everything that I originally paid toward the DING flight and then what ever the saving was is left in a credit that I use in the future. They have never kept a fee or anything when I cancel. You have to keep track of the confirmation # and the name of the credit card used to book the original flight in order to find the credits on their web site.

I did have a credit from last year that I had not used and it was due to expire in September. I called and asked if there was any way that I could prevent loosing the money and the converted it into a Luv Voucher that I used to book flight last week.

I have never called and asked for my money back or for anything to be credited to my credit card because I have always been able to use the credit for another flight in the near future.

I would be curious to see if anyone did get money back and if they did what kind of flight the booked.

 

[Donna]

I was assessed a $25 fee when i cancelled higher fare to book a ding fare. I applied for the credit to be applied to my card and it was applied in about 2 weeks, prior to travel. the rest of the credit was used as credit towards my new ding fare, only the $25 was refunded back to the card.

 

[lawgs]

donna

are you sure you were assessed a fee?

cancelling with SW usually does not incur "cancellation fees"

wonder what this fee was, if you were charged for changing to a DING fare

 

[Donna]

donna

are you sure you were assessed a fee?

cancelling with SW usually does not incur "cancellation fees"

wonder what this fee was, if you were charged for changing to a DING fare

I am sure because my ticketless fund totals (refund) should have been $120 (the difference in the flights) and they were only $95. So i saw a link to apply for a credit on the fee charged and i filled that out. Checked my card and there it was SW credit of $25. I was surprised too because before i changed the flight, i called to be sure i was setting it up right (with two screens) and i specifically asked will i be charged that $25 and she said "no, not for cancel and rebooking" but i just figured she must have been wrong because i was. I was just glad to get it back.

 

[cepmom]

the way it was explained to me that made the most sense was:

if you book a fare, say "internet one way", and later that same fare category(internet one way) is reduced, then you can get a refund to your CC for the difference. You would need to go online, and select "change itinerary" and it will prompt you to select a new flight. As long as you select the same flight, same day etc, you can get the money refunded.

Now if you book a fare (internet one way for example) and a Ding comes along for your flight, you can not get a refund because the Ding is in a different rate category.


The key is to call the customer relations number for a refund, not the 800 #. I have been able to get refunds at least two times this way, but again, not for Ding fares, only for fare reductions in the same fare category as was originally purchased.

 

[disneyldwjr]

the way it was explained to me that made the most sense was:

if you book a fare, say "internet one way", and later that same fare category(internet one way) is reduced, then you can get a refund to your CC for the difference. You would need to go online, and select "change itinerary" and it will prompt you to select a new flight. As long as you select the same flight, same day etc, you can get the money refunded.

Now if you book a fare (internet one way for example) and a Ding comes along for your flight, you can not get a refund because the Ding is in a different rate category.


The key is to call the customer relations number for a refund, not the 800 #. I have been able to get refunds at least two times this way, but again, not for Ding fares, only for fare reductions in the same fare category as was originally purchased.

The way it has happened for me is this: I have booked many flights, and the cost of the flights has gone down many times, sometimes a lower fare happens, sometimes a ding. I have cancelled the flights and rebooked immediately using the credit from the cancelled reservation. I then called SWA's customer relations (not the reservation line) and have requested a refund to my credit card. Since the flights have always been the same, just a different fare, they have been happy to apply the remainder of the credit to my credit card. The only time that you would not get the credit to the credit card is when you change a date, time, departure or arrival location.

 

[disneyldwjr]

I was assessed a $25 fee when i cancelled higher fare to book a ding fare. I applied for the credit to be applied to my card and it was applied in about 2 weeks, prior to travel. the rest of the credit was used as credit towards my new ding fare, only the $25 was refunded back to the card.

SWA never ever charges a fee for a cancellation or a change. The only time you would incur a "charge" is if you changed a flight and it was more expensive, then you would pay the difference in fares only.
Sounds like someone made a math error somewhere along the line.

 

[Donna]

um...no....i even used a calculator
I had a non refundable ticket that went DOWN, didn't get all my funds back so i applied for the refund as instructed - maybe $25 was fees/taxes on 2 tickets - i have no idea....OR maybe SW just felt like giving out $25 credits that day, lol. Whatever, but they gave me the difference back and i am happy with that.

 

[disneyldwjr]

um...no....i even used a calculator
I had a non refundable ticket that went DOWN, didn't get all my funds back so i applied for the refund as instructed - maybe $25 was fees/taxes on 2 tickets - i have no idea....OR maybe SW just felt like giving out $25 credits that day, lol. Whatever, but they gave me the difference back and i am happy with that.

Actually, I did not mean YOU made the error. I probably should have said something made the error. My guess was it was a computer "glitch". Sorry about the wording. Glad you got your money back.

 

[cepmom]

The way it has happened for me is this: I have booked many flights, and the cost of the flights has gone down many times, sometimes a lower fare happens, sometimes a ding. I have cancelled the flights and rebooked immediately using the credit from the cancelled reservation. I then called SWA's customer relations (not the reservation line) and have requested a refund to my credit card. Since the flights have always been the same, just a different fare, they have been happy to apply the remainder of the credit to my credit card. The only time that you would not get the credit to the credit card is when you change a date, time, departure or arrival location.

I hope you're right then....I just booked my DD on a flight while I wait for a rr award to be reissued. I was nervous that the flight would fill before we get he award reissued and then I wouldn't be able to get her on the same flight as us. Hopefully when the award is reissued I can book her on the same flight and cancel the original reservation and get a refund. I think it's a long shot, but worth a try. Thanks for the info.

 

[Donna]

Actually, I did not mean YOU made the error. I probably should have said something made the error. My guess was it was a computer "glitch". Sorry about the wording. Glad you got your money back.

I see what you were trying to say now and honestly, thats the only explanation i have too. She just got done telling me there'd be no charge and yet i got $25 less back so i thought SHE was wrong. I have never heard of an airline that doesn't penalize you for changing/cancelling so i figured i'd have to eat that $25 until i saw where i could apply to get it back. I hesitate to do business with any airline other than SW at this point. I like their customer service, their website and their planes and for us, they've always been on time! Not to mention those cheap DING fares!

 

[disneyldwjr]

I hope you're right then....I just booked my DD on a flight while I wait for a rr award to be reissued. I was nervous that the flight would fill before we get he award reissued and then I wouldn't be able to get her on the same flight as us. Hopefully when the award is reissued I can book her on the same flight and cancel the original reservation and get a refund. I think it's a long shot, but worth a try. Thanks for the info.

That is a long shot and completely unrelated to anything I conveyed about refunds. Nothing was mentioned about awards in my post, it dealt totally with making and cancelling reservations with a credit card and getting a refund if there were no changes.
I do wish you luck and I hope you enjoy your vacation.

 

[disneyldwjr]

I see what you were trying to say now and honestly, thats the only explanation i have too. She just got done telling me there'd be no charge and yet i got $25 less back so i thought SHE was wrong. I have never heard of an airline that doesn't penalize you for changing/cancelling so i figured i'd have to eat that $25 until i saw where i could apply to get it back. I hesitate to do business with any airline other than SW at this point. I like their customer service, their website and their planes and for us, they've always been on time! Not to mention those cheap DING fares!

Not that anyone could tell, but I LOVE SWA!!!!! For the reasons you mentioned and for the fact that the majority of times they are early in their arrival and they are just fun.

 

[cepmom]

That is a long shot and completely unrelated to anything I conveyed about refunds. Nothing was mentioned about awards in my post, it dealt totally with making and cancelling reservations with a credit card and getting a refund if there were no changes.
I do wish you luck and I hope you enjoy your vacation.

I do realize that you never mentioned anything about awards travel. What I was told and what you have actually been able to get refunded are two different things.

I guess if you can get refunds to your cc when you change your reservation to a different fare category (keeping the same date, flight # etc) then I thought it's possible that when I change my DD's ticket from an "internet one way" to an award (keeping the same flight #, date etc) that maybe SW would credit my cc. Like I said ~ it's a long shot, but I'm going to ask anyway.

As we all know SW agents regularly tell customers that there will be no cc refunds unless you purchase the refundable fares, but plenty of us have been able to get refunds nonetheless.

 

[ro80]

This is exactly why we were so confused on this. Why can't CS and the reservationists all be on the same page. It's so frustrating. Either you get the refund or you don't. We still SW anyway!!!

 

[disneyldwjr]

This is exactly why we were so confused on this. Why can't CS and the reservationists all be on the same page. It's so frustrating. Either you get the refund or you don't. We still SW anyway!!!

Because CS does this on a case by case basis as a courtesy. They are at a higher level than the reservationists. They are not lying to you either, the reservaionists cannot issue a refund, but, often they will tell you to call CS.
I think it is pretty nice of them to do it at all for non refundable fares.

 

[disneyldwjr]

I do realize that you never mentioned anything about awards travel. What I was told and what you have actually been able to get refunded are two different things.

I guess if you can get refunds to your cc when you change your reservation to a different fare category (keeping the same date, flight # etc) then I thought it's possible that when I change my DD's ticket from an "internet one way" to an award (keeping the same flight #, date etc) that maybe SW would credit my cc. Like I said ~ it's a long shot, but I'm going to ask anyway.

As we all know SW agents regularly tell customers that there will be no cc refunds unless you purchase the refundable fares, but plenty of us have been able to get refunds nonetheless.

I really just wanted to make sure we were on the same page.
I just hope that when you get the award that there are seats for you to switch to.

 

[DebbieB]

I am sure because my ticketless fund totals (refund) should have been $120 (the difference in the flights) and they were only $95. So i saw a link to apply for a credit on the fee charged and i filled that out. Checked my card and there it was SW credit of $25. I was surprised too because before i changed the flight, i called to be sure i was setting it up right (with two screens) and i specifically asked will i be charged that $25 and she said "no, not for cancel and rebooking" but i just figured she must have been wrong because i was. I was just glad to get it back.

I think $25 was the airport & security fees. I had a ticket for $177 and then a ding came along for $107. I remember when I cancelled the original, they asked if I wanted to have the fees refunded or applied to the ticketless fund. I wasn't sure, so I said ticketless fund. So the $70 is still sitting in the ticketless fund. I'm looking at my confirmation, $7.50 was PFC Fee & $5.00 Security Fee, so $12.50. You had 2 tickets, so $25.00. I guess legally they can't keep those fees on a cancelled ticket if you request them to be refunded.