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Re: Difference in fare

msmarie8811
Explorer C

Hello,  This is my first time.  How will I know when there has been a fare change?  Do you all let us know of any price drops?

Re: Difference in fare

franktravel
Aviator B

You have to keep checking yourself. 

 

Good Luck

Re: Difference in fare

ghazzalehr
Explorer C

Can you use travel credits (earned by timely cancelling previously reserved/booked flights) towards any portion of a Southwest Vacation package? I have approx $250.00 credit i want to apply toward purchase of a flight + hotel package totalling apprx. $1,300.00. 

Re: Difference in fare

chgoflyer
Aviator A

Unfortunately, no. Southwest Vacations is actually a completely separate company than Southwest Airlines. Southwest Vacations is really Mark Travel doing business under that name, one of many they use. Their customer service ratings aren't great, and once common complaint is that if anything goes wrong, Southwest Airlines won't help -- they'll just direct you to Southwest Vacations.

 

From the Southwest Airlines website:

 

Unused Ticketless Travel Funds: Southwest Airlines accepts unused ticketless travel funds for Passenger travel purchased through Southwest Airlines, excluding the Southwest Airlines Group Desk and Southwest Airlines® Vacations. Unused ticketless travel funds may be redeemed at Southwest.com, through Southwest Airlines Reservations, and at Southwest Airlines Ticket Counter locations. All travel involving unused ticketless travel funds must be completed by the expiration date. Unused ticketless travel funds may only be applied toward the purchase of future travel for the individual named on the ticket.

Re: Difference in fare

SummerTravel
Explorer C

Hi Lindsey,

 

You said" If you purchase tickets and the fare goes down, you can certainly rebook and keep the difference to use toward a future reservation. The credits do need to be used by the person to whom they orginally belonged. "

 

This only applies to a wanna-get-away fare, correct? 

 

If you booked an anytime fare for another person and the price goes down, can you get the fare difference as a refund back to your credit card for the difference?

And if the person does not take the flight, i.e. cancels ahead of time or within the time constraints on the day of the flight, can you get a refund back to your credit card for the cost of the flight?

 

 

Re: Difference in fare

LindseyD
Retired Community Manager

Yes, that is correct. The Anytime and Business Select Fares are both fully refundable. So, if you purchase one of them and the fare goes down, you can rebook at the lower fare and receive a refund for the difference. 

 

And, as you pointed out, if a Customer cancels the flight (at least 10 minutes before scheduled departure), the flight can be fully refunded. 

 

Re: Difference in fare

chgoflyer
Aviator A

Regarding "fully refundable" fares:

 

Be aware of a recent change that can effectively make refundable = non-refundable.

 

In an astonishing policy change, if you make any changes to a "refundable" ticket itinerary, you'll lose the ability to cancel for refund at any later point. Any itinerary change will force that ticket to become non-refundable, generating only travel funds upon cancellation, with the same restrictions and expiration as a WGA fare.

 

Going forward, never change any itinerary that includes a "refundable" fare -- always cancel that itinerary and request a refund, then rebook the new itinerary. Yes, this means that your money will be tied up by Southwest until the refund is issued (sometimes many weeks later) but that's the only way to ensure you won't lose refundability.

 

 

Re: Difference in fare

sg0086198
Explorer C

Where do the "credit funds" reside, in a traveler's Rapid Rewards Account?  Tied to the credit card originally purchased on?  

 

The reason i ask is, if a refundable ticket is purchased by a company on a company credit card and the traveler then exchanges or modifies the ticket instead of refunding it (making the ticket now non refundable) and then doesn't use the ticket, is the the value of the ticket refunded" back as a credit to the traveler's personal Rapid Rewards number account?  If so, then theoretically the traveler could use those funds for personal travel and the company would not be any wiser, correct?  

 

If so, this is a huge gap and leaves the system open to much abuse at the companies expense.

 

Steve

 

Re: Difference in fare

chgoflyer
Aviator A

@sg0086198 wrote:

Where do the "credit funds" reside, in a traveler's Rapid Rewards Account?  Tied to the credit card originally purchased on?  

 

The reason i ask is, if a refundable ticket is purchased by a company on a company credit card and the traveler then exchanges or modifies the ticket instead of refunding it (making the ticket now non refundable) and then doesn't use the ticket, is the the value of the ticket refunded" back as a credit to the traveler's personal Rapid Rewards number account?  If so, then theoretically the traveler could use those funds for personal travel and the company would not be any wiser, correct?  

 

If so, this is a huge gap and leaves the system open to much abuse at the companies expense.

 

Steve

 


Yes you are essentially correct.

 

If a passenger changes a refundable fare that was paid for by a business, that fare then becomes travel funds usable only by that passenger.

 

This recent "refundable becomes non-refundable" policy change is going to burn a lot of people, and -- as you point out -- a lot of businesses. 😞

Re: Difference in fare

Ebavery
Explorer C

If I find a lower fare from a different departure city than my current flight will I still receive credit? How long until the credit expires?