SWA: Would you book now with cheap rates to change date later??

[amandaluvsgoofy]

Saw incredible rates today, but our dates are missing by one week. They'll be available later this month. Should we go ahead and book and pay the small fee to change the flights/dates later?

 

[richmo]

If you know the dates you would book with the cheaper fares are no good, I don't see the point in booking. It is true that you'd only have to pay the difference, but it'll be the same in the long run. Plus, if you tie yourself into Southwest, if another airline had a better option, you'd be stuck with Southwest credits.

 

[jcarwash]

No.

Unless I'm missing something in your question, it doesn't work this way. The fares for the dates you want, when they are released, will cost whatever they will cost. It doesn't matter what fares you see for other days.

Also, Southwest doesn't charge change fees.

 

[Disneylover99]

I would only book if there was a possibility that you could actually use the flights.....otherwise, what would be the point?

 

[Allison]

Count me in as another person who doesn't see the point in doing this. OP-can you explain why you think this would be something you should do?

 

[LisaS]

I don't understand what you mean by

... our dates are missing by one week. They'll be available later this month.

 

[amandaluvsgoofy]

I guess I thought if I bought the tickets now, we could simply change the flights once our dates are released later this month. Best case scenario, we get flights that are similar in price and just switch them. Worse case, we change the flights and the prices aren't as good (but I'll have some credit already locked in with the currently purchased flights). I probably made this harder than it is. Sorry to confuse everyone, including myself. Just hoping for prices as good as this when our dates are finally released! Thanks everyone!

 

[amandaluvsgoofy]

No. Also, Southwest doesn't charge change fees.

This was why I thought this might be a good idea

 

[LisaS]

I guess I thought if I bought the tickets now, we could simply change the flights once our dates are released later this month. Best case scenario, we get flights that are similar in price and just switch them. Worse case, we change the flights and the prices aren't as good (but I'll have some credit already locked in with the currently purchased flights). I probably made this harder than it is. Sorry to confuse everyone, including myself. Just hoping for prices as good as this when our dates are finally released! Thanks everyone!

Ah, OK so you are saying that the recent schedule release did not include your travel dates so you are considering making a fake reservation that you will modify when they extend the schedule later this month.

You gain no advantage by making a fake reservation and there are some disadvantages. It will make booking your real reservation more complicated. If your real reservation ends up being cheaper, you cannot get the price difference back in cash. It will be in Travel Funds that will expire a year from the date you booked your original (fake) reservation. If you end up cancelling your real reservation or rebooking it due to a price drop, the Travel Funds you receive will have an earlier expiration date than they otherwise would if you wait until the end of the month to book.

Southwest usually releases their schedule extension just after 6am eastern time. When I'm making flight reservations at that time of day, I need things to be as simple and straightforward as possible so that I don't make a mistake. Don't make it more complicated than it needs to be, especially when you gain absolutely no monetary benefit from doing so.

 

[PlutoPony]

This was why I thought this might be a good idea

Is this what you are thinking of doing?

*You buy Flight A now, it costs $250 hypothetically. It's for the wrong date + you have no intention of taking this flight
*Flights for your real travel dates come out a couple months later. You want to buy Flight B and that costs $400 hypothetically.. You owe an additional $150 to change from Flight A to Flight B (which is the flight you wanted in the first place).

There is no benefit to you in buying Flight A. SW just gets some of your money earlier than they would of if you had never purchased Flight A.

Unfortunately there is no price bridging with airline tickets like there currently is with WDW tickets

Does that help at all?

 

[amandaluvsgoofy]

Thanks, LisaS! I think I just needed to read the options in front of me. I just couldn't believe how cheap the fares are, and they are literally one day before we want to travel!