SWA and refunds/credits

[blessedby3]

I am watching the SWA website and hoping for a ding, but if I book a flight and then the price goes down, do you have to rebook or can you just call and get an adjustment? Is it a refund or a credit with SWA if this is done? If it is a credit with SWA, how long do you have to use it? Thanks so much for the help.

 

[Mady/Sophiemom]

I don't have the answer but I'm also curious.

 

[chiconh]

If it not a full price fare it will be a credit. I've done it numerous times. Next time you book a SWA fare there will be a box (ticketless travel funds) where you can enter your credit number in and voila...the credit is deducted from the new fare. SWA is the most friendly airline as far as getting and using credits.

 

[ctc917]

This just happened to me, my airfare went down by $120 for a family of 4 and I called Southwest and she said since it was a Internet special I would have to do the credit myself and she walked me thru it, it was very easy to do. So now I have a credit to use for future flights, the credit is good for a year from the date you make the orginal purchase not when you did the adjustment. I think I have read that if its not a internet special they can do the credit over the phone with SW and I think if its a refundable flight then you can get a credit on your credit card, but you would have to check that out.

ctc917

 

[jnrrt]

You do have to first cancel the flight and then rebook. But when I've done this, I've called, and they walked me through it. Even though it's very easy, it made me feel better just in case something happened.

Couple things:

One is that the remaining funds are good for travel that HAS TO BE COMPLETED by your original date of purchase. We did not understad this. We thought it was a year from the flight dates, not the purchase date. We got a lower fare, ended up with several hundred dollars in credit, but couldn't use it because we'd planned to use it for a flight next September, but they told me it would have to be used by my date of purchase which was in May.

Two is that many people have been successful in getting refunds even when they were not supposed to be able to, myself included. I called a few days ago, explained that I had misunderstood and asked very nicely for a refund. She did it for me with no hesitation, even though none of it should have been refundable. Needless to say, I love SW right now, and they have my business.

Three is that I've seen a lot of posters say that if they could not get a refund, they were able to get a six month extension on the remaining funds. This would have worked for us too, but I'm just happy to have the money back in my pocket.

 

[Sammy]

You do have to first cancel the flight and then rebook. But when I've done this, I've called, and they walked me through it. Even though it's very easy, it made me feel better just in case something happened.....

I wanted to comment on this as I had to go through the change process just this morning when my $79 flight dropped to $49. I always thought you had to cancel and rebook as well....but after talking to SWA this morning about it (had to call for a different reason), the CSA told me I could just change the reservation online!

Go through the Travel Center, then select "change airline reservation". I was prompted for my confirmation number, where and when I wanted to fly, and then they gave me all the available options for that date. I selected the flight I wanted at the discount price, and they applied funds from my previously-paid flight and gave me a $60 credit! VOILA! Painless and no fee!! I was careful to read everything to be sure there would be no fees associated with this change, and there weren't any!

So after all was said and done, we got RT for 2...nonstop from Manchester, NH to MCO for $230!

I really do love SWA!

 

[jnrrt]

You do have to first cancel the flight and then rebook. But when I've done this, I've called, and they walked me through it. Even though it's very easy, it made me feel better just in case something happened.....

I wanted to comment on this as I had to go through the change process just this morning when my $79 flight dropped to $49. I always thought you had to cancel and rebook as well....but after talking to SWA this morning about it (had to call for a different reason), the CSA told me I could just change the reservation online!

Go through the Travel Center, then select "change airline reservation". I was prompted for my confirmation number, where and when I wanted to fly, and then they gave me all the available options for that date. I selected the flight I wanted at the discount price, and they applied funds from my previously-paid flight and gave me a $60 credit! VOILA! Painless and no fee!! I was careful to read everything to be sure there would be no fees associated with this change, and there weren't any!

So after all was said and done, we got RT for 2...nonstop from Manchester, NH to MCO for $230!

I really do love SWA!

Wow, that's strange. I would have really loved this option, but both times when I did this the SWA person told me the only way to do it was cancel so that my funds were available and rebook. I didn't like doing it that way - yours sounds much better. I'll look at that if it happens again. Since we're going in 3 weeks I don't think it's likely before then, but maybe next time!

 

[Sammy]

I agree with you about cancelling/rebooking procedure. I've had to do it in the past and I was so stressed about the possibility of having the flights become unavailable again by the time I had cancelled, had the credit show up in the ticketless travel section, then rebooking. I liked going through the
Change procedure much better!

 

[SAWYERMAW1]

For those that received SWA credits, if you rebooked the same flights, you can call back and they will issue a refund for the difference instead of a SWA credit. I've done it many times.