What to do with Southwest Credits???

[GraceLuvsWDW]

As mdh715 pointed out everyone please check your credits! My credit were supposed to expire 3/1/11 and I used them this morning towards a June trip and it took them!

 

[ColinCodyMom]

Wow, that's a lot!

Since you already put up a Craigslist ad, this might be too late, or you might not be interested anyway, but you can also pay a fee to extend your credits.

As mdh715 stated, SW is making some changes to the program, but I don't think they changed the rules about extending credits. Definitely verify with them, but I'm pretty sure that as long as the credits are all on one confirmation number, $50 will extend them for a full year.

I always seem to end up with just a few dollars here and there, so extending credits has never been worth it to me, but with $700+ I'd definitely pay the fee.

It's actually four different confirmation numbers the way they booked it. It's a long story. So, it would cost more than the 50 I'd assume.

 

[cats mom]

It's actually four different confirmation numbers the way they booked it. It's a long story. So, it would cost more than the 50 I'd assume.

Yep, but you can use credits from 2 different confirmation numbers toward one flight, so you could combine them by rebooking and cancelling a flight (or two) to get them all on the same confirmation number before calling to get an extension. Then it would be $50 total for all $700+ in credits.

Of course from the last couple of posts it sounds like maybe the expiration dates have been automatically extended with the new program? I haven't read up on the changes, other than that credits must now remain in the name of the person the flight was originally for. So I'd definitely check that first.

 

[Feistygirl916]

bumpity bump

 

[MistressMerryweather]

I'm glad I caught this thread. I have $200 worth of credit that don't expire until Jan. 2012. They are in 5 different names though and I had better get them all in one name just in case. 2 days to do it. LOL I just realized this on my own tonight when I went to purchase dh a ticket using a credit that expires in June of this year. I had previously used credits to purchase an earlier ticket for him and it showed 2 credits in my name and 2 credits in dh's name. It will take 4 credits at once, but then wouldn't allow me to pay the $0.40 left by cc to cover the reservation. I had to remove one of the credits so that I had only 4 "payments" going in. Which now reminds me that I have a lone $10 credit that I could have just used instead of paying the $14 extra for the new ticket I just bought. Holy buckets! This can get really confusing.

 

[hsmamato2]

so- if I bookk a flight,then can't use it, do I have to rebook in that same name that I originally booked it in? b/c I can;t figure out which of us in our fam might be able to use a flight yet-or could I rebook with another name

 

[cats mom]

so- if I bookk a flight,then can't use it, do I have to rebook in that same name that I originally booked it in? b/c I can;t figure out which of us in our fam might be able to use a flight yet-or could I rebook with another name

Yep, starting 1/28 any credits from cancelling a flight, or rebooking to get a price reduction, etc. can only be used by the person whose name was on the original reservation.

I wish they would have at least allowed credits to be used by anyone on the original reservation. It seems to me that would have stopped the selling of credits they dislike so much, but would have been more customer friendly.

This new rule is really going to cramp my SW booking style. We've flown SW almost excusively the past several years, mostly because I always seem to have credits to use.

Since I'll have to be much more careful about how I book SW now, it makes sense to take a look at other airlines as well.

 

[yeahdisney]

How we used our credits. We had 12 small credits to use and they expired June 2011. 3 credits to each of our names. DH wanted to go to vegas I told him too expensive to fly there for 3 days. Our March flight prices went down 3 weeks ago and I read the new SW credit change. I told him we can rebook Florida for the cheaper price and then use the kids credits to go to Vegas Jan 27 and fly back on our credits. Tomorrow off we go to Vegas (adults only) cost us $67 each way after the credits. Maybe I can win enough for a dole whip each day at MK.