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Beware tying tickets together

CarolAnne
Explorer C

If you have a ticket getting near expiration of the one year limit to use, if you are going to use it, make sure you get 2 one-way tickets. I needed to cancel & reschedule after combining the $100 credit with $300 cash. Then i find out that by rescheduling after that, The new $300 will expire same time as the original $100 will--in a matter of a couple weeks. At which point you are scrambling to figure out how to use a $400 trip credit in a tight time line. The lower the amount of combined money the lower the risk of losing it. In my case, If I had combined the prior credit with $100 for a one way ticket, i would use that amount in my outgoing flight. But with a return beyond the tight expiration date, the extra $200 paid toward the r/t ticket is lost then you have to pay $200 for a new return ticket. So if there had been 2 one way flights the original flight would have been $100 cash+$100 credit all used. Then $200 spent on new ticket. Only reason $200 was lost was due to buying a r/t ticket instead of 2 one way. It also makes it easier to change one leg of the travel timeline. I will never again buy a r/t ticket.

2 REPLIES 2

Re: Beware tying tickets together

bec102896
Aviator A

Yes buying one ways can be helpful when it comes to using travel funds and cash I do this to avoid these situations as well. Sorry you have to lose so much time to use your funds 

 

After you funds expire you could request an extension and they can issue a voucher for the funds minus $100 you would need to Contact Customer Relations to request this and the voucher would be valid for 6 months. 

 

-Blake

Re: Beware tying tickets together

DancingDavidE
Aviator A

Agreed, there are many benefits to buying one-way tickets with Southwest. 

The main downside seems to be ease of accommodation in irregular operations but the agent should still be able to help you with separate one-ways, it may take some explaining.

 

But there are many benefits:

  • earn your rewards faster instead of waiting to end of trip
  • easier to change online through self service where a RT may require a phone call in some cases
  • exposure to an expiration as you mentioned
  • use points and cash on the same trip to separate it by legs - only have a few points? Use them only on one leg
  • use more travel funds and vouchers instead of limit of three methods of payment -  separate one-ways in effect makes it six methods for the same round trip
  • Buy EBCI only for the desired leg - you can do this but have to call.
  • mixing co-terminal airports MDW / ORD for instance, leave from one and come back to the other.
  • use an expiring travel fund that would otherwise expire mid-trip

 

Lots of good reasons to use one-ways.

 

Home airport MDW, frequent visitor to MCO to see the mouse.