PayPal Payment Option Disabled After Selecting Early Bird Check-In Option

[csstile]

When I book online and select the Early Bird Check-In option the PayPal payment option is disabled and not selectable. If I DON'T opt for the EBC optiion then the PayPal Payment option is enabled and selectable. I've contacted SWA regarding this issue.

P.S. Why is there not a "Web Issues" or "Online Booking" discussio forum? This is the closest forum I could find. 

[TheMiddleSeat]

That is a very interesting "feature".  You could try purchasing the flight without EBCI via PayPal, then add EBCI to the reservation, but I don't know if PayPal is an option when just adding EBCI to a flight.

Perhaps @LindseyD can forward this on to the appropriate staff to determine if it's a bug or a feature.

--TheMiddleSeat

[csstile]

PayPal is a payment option, button displayed, for both EBCI and non-EBCI. The problem as stated is that the PayPal payment option is active / selectable WITHOUT EBCI and inactive / non-selectable WITH EBCI. This is a definitely a bug! Why would the PayPal payment option not be active for a ticket purchase with EBCI?! 

[LindseyD]

@bec102896 and @chgoflyer both provided great information. It isn't a bug, the system is actually working as it's designed. I know that's a frustrating set up for those who would like to make the full purchase with PayPal, and I'm sorry about the inconvenience. 

[bec102896 · Accepted solution]

@csstile

Unfortunately if you do add EB check in at time of booking you won't be able to use PayPal you can only use PayPal for the air only reservations I'm not sure why but that's how it has been for some time now because I had the same problem 4 years a go before I was A List and I wanted to buy EB and use PayPal and that's when I was told I couldn't. 

here's what I would do 

1. Book the flight without EB check in then you can use PayPal 

2. After booking you can add EB check in with your debit/credit card if you would still like to add it 

hope this helps

Blake 

[csstile]

Thx for the confirmation of the problem. This is a ridiculous limitation and needs to be fixed by SWA ASAP! There is NO justification for disallowing the ticket purchase with EBCI using PayPal. With the additional money I'm paying for EBCI I should not have to do a workaround to use PayPal!

[bec102896]

Southwest is not the only company that has this kind of problem 

another one I found was Hotwire if I add the trip protection I can't use PayPal 

i think it has to do with the company's system or PayPal says it only wants 1 item per transaction so it may consider EB check in as a separate thing just like you can't buy 6 round trip flights on one reservation. 

[csstile]

EBCI is NOT a separate / additional transaction when you do an initial ticket booking. EBCI is simply an option during the booking process for the final ticket pricing If you select EBCI at the time of the booking then the fees are added to the ticket purchase for one transaction / payment using PayPal. 

[chgoflyer · Accepted solution]

It works that way because Southwest does not allow PayPal to be used to buy EarlyBird Check-In. PayPal can only be used for the intial airfare purchase, and EarlyBird Check-In can only be paid for with a credit card.

Accepted only at southwest.com

• PayPal®: Southwest Airlines accepts payment from your PayPal account for initial airfare purchases. PayPal account purchases may be combined with Southwest gift cards, Southwest LUV Vouchers, or unused ticketless travel funds. PayPal account purchases may not be combined with funds from another credit card.

How much does EarlyBird Check-In cost?

• EarlyBird Check-In can be purchased for $15 one-way (origin to destination). A credit card must be used for the purchase of EarlyBird Check-In.

[csstile]

I hear the party line on the  justification of the current implmentation and PayPal EBCI payment limitations but the current implementation is not intuitive and can be improved. I also want an better explanation as to why I can't use PayPal as a secure credit card payment option for EBCI rather than it just doesn't work that way.

So here are my thoughts on what I as a customer want to have a better and more intuitive user experience when booking a ticket AND EBCI:

1. No one has given the specific reason why EBCI cannot be paid using PayPal and why it's different than purchasing the ticket. All I hear is, "That's the way it is? Why?!?!?!
2. For credit card payments PayPal is a secure payment option that uses my credit card for payment. So why is this not a valid credit card payment method for EBCI the same as for the ticket? The way the payment option is setup for EBCI prohibits me from using a secure payment option which is not a good thing.
3. The current implementation of bookng and puchasing a ticket with the option to purchase EBCI  using a different payment method is very confusing and non-intuitive. There is no intuitive information in the process that tells the user why the PayPal option is deactivated when selecting the EBCI option. In it's current implementation when EBCI is selected the PayPal payment is still displayed but non-selectable. It should be removed and only the Credit Card option displayed. The workaround to add EBCI after the ticket puchase adds extra steps which adds time and requires knowing where to go and how to add EBCI the booking.
4. So here is my suggested implementation that will allow both the ticket and EBCI to be purchased  using both PayPal and Credit Card in one seamless intuitive transaction without the confusion:
   1. Remove EBCI option from initial ticket booking page and allow Credit Card or PayPal to be used to pay for the the ticket.
   2. Add an additional / subsequent  EBCI option page once the ticket is paid for displaying only the credit card option with no PayPal option. Add a note to inform users that PayPal is not an option for EBCI.
   3. Display the final combined booking total and intinerary for confirmation for a seamless, simple intuitive booking.
   4. At the very least if the EBCI option is chosen in it's current implementation remove the PayPal payment option don't just deactivate it. 

      For laughs view this Tommy Boy movie clip with David Spade's experience at the airline ticket counter. I feel like David Spade in my attempt to explain and resolve this issue.

      https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ccoVuu_uovw