Southwest Airlines Community

Unfortunately, Southwest doesn't offer any way to share or combine Rapid Rewards accounts, such as how JetBlue does with it's Family Pooling. ... View more

You can, but you wouldn't want to.   You'd lose half of the value of your points (or more) by using them to buy a gift card. Points are worth 1.9 cents (at least, depending on fare) but if you spend them on a card you'll only get 1 cents worth of value per point. Plus, fares bought with gift cards aren't refundable, but points bookings are. RR Points can be used to book flights for anyone, so simply using your points to buy someone a flight is the best value. ... View more

So many glitches these days. 😞 ... View more

If you make the change in advance, it is not covered by the new A-List free standby policy -- you'll pay the fare difference.   If you show up at the airport within 2 hours following your scheduled departure, most carriers will accommodate you on the next available flight for no additional cost. This is referred to as the unofficial "flat tire rule." ... View more

I suspect it's yet another glitch related to the conversion to the new "next generation reservation system." 😞   All day I've been receiving the dreaded "We are unable to secure the price for the flight you selected" message when trying to make points bookings for multiple, different itineraries. The points needed to "accept and continue" are very small -- less than a dollar's worth. So it's not a huge issue, just aggravating. ... View more

Just checking in after another week has gone by. Any updates, Lindsey? ... View more

The loss of refundability is a new policy, caused by the new "next generation reservation system," and only applies to refundable fares (Business Select, Anytime, Senior, etc.)   There's much more info in this previous discussion.   Bottom line: For refundable fares, always cancel and rebook (don't change) in order to maintain refundability.   If you've purchased a non-refundable fare (Wanna Get Away), nothing has changed. Just use the "change flight" function and select the same flights, and you'll receive the difference as travel funds, good toward future travel for one year from the date of purchase, by the originally named passenger.   Note: When you apply those fund to a new booking, that new booking will take on the expiration date from the travel funds, meaning if you have to cancel that new flight, the funds will only be good for less than a full year.     ... View more

Carryons go under the seat in front of you. First row passengers' carryons have to go in the overhead compartment. ... View more

Hopefully they also mentioned the $100 fee to have expired travel funds reissued as a voucher? ... View more

That's a great suggestion, but it's more likely that the future will bring more restrictions on travel fund usage than less restrictions. (Southwest used to allow funds to be used by anyone, but stopped that in 2011.) ... View more

Make sure you're using the correct exact name and zip, along with the correct last 4 digits of the credit card. The offer I received, for example, was for my business card, not my personal one.   If you're entering everything exactly as shown on the mailer and it's still not working then you'll need to call Chase (not Southwest). Good luck! ... View more

If a WGA fare happens to still be available, you'll want to make the same-day change yourself online. At the airport, they may tell you that same-day changes aren't available, and make you upgrade to Anytime and fly standby (depending on the passenger load for the particular flights).   Fare Rules   Wanna Get Away Fares are nonrefundable but may be applied toward future travel on Southwest Airlines for the originally ticketed passenger only. Should a passenger fail to apply the nonrefundable ticket toward the purchase of future travel within the eligibility period, the entire amount of the fare, which includes without limitation, all fees, taxes, and charges, will be forfeited. Standby travel requires an upgrade to the Anytime fare. Fares may vary as seats are limited and may not be available on all flights and dates. Limited seating, advance purchase, and other conditions may apply. Fares are subject to change until tickets are purchased and may be available for a limited time only. When combining fares, all rules and restrictions apply. Lower fares may be available. No Show Policy: If you are not planning to travel on any portion of your itinerary, please cancel your reservation at least 10 minutes prior to scheduled departure of the flight. Customers who fail to cancel or change a Wanna Get Away fare segment at least 10 minutes prior to travel and who do not board the flight, will be considered a no show, and all remaining funds on this reservation will be forfeited, including Business Select and Anytime funds.   ... View more

Thanks for the correction.   The general rule is this: Partner bonus points do not count towards Companion Pass, except for Chase Southwest Visa Card bonus points, which do count (unless otherwise stated in the offer). ... View more

Interesting, thanks for posting this! This has never been possible before -- just adding a KTN to a profile never automatically added it to already-booked flights, it had to be added to each already-booked flight manually. This is good news... and hopefully means that Southwest is addressing some of the systems issues with PreCheck. ... View more

From what I understand, the issues may be related to either the old booking system, or the conversion to the new one. One hopes that they dissapear once the new "next egneration reservation system" is fully integrated. ... View more

There are also some known technical issues with Southwest's systems that may cause your KTN to not transfer from your profile, or drop off your itinerary.   Check online using Flight > Manage Reservations > Add Secure Traveler Information, and if your KTN isn't there, add it manually.   If you've already checked in and see that you haven't received PreCheck, a Southwest rep may be able to add your KTN for you either on the phone or at the airport (if this is the culprit) and then you can reprint your boarding pass.   While it's true that PreCheck is never guaranteed, with a properly entered KTN you should be receiving it almost every time. Good luck! ... View more

Southwest doesn't do standby or same-day changes in the same was as other carriers.   There is no "standby fee" or "same-day change fee." With a Wanna Get Away ticket, you must upgrade to the full Anytime fare in order to change to another flight on the day of travel. (A-Listers get this perk for free.)   You can check what that fare would be by finding your flight online and checking the Anytime fare. It's usually much more expensive than the Wanna Get Away one. If you already have an Anytime or Business Select fare, you can standby or make a same-day changes (when available) without any charge.   Southwest does overbook, but their load management software does a pretty good job of mitigating the need for denied boarding, although it does happen. If you'd like to be considered for a bump, let the gate agent know.         ... View more

Southwest doesn't have seating assignments. It's "open seating," meaning you choose any available seat when you board the plane.   The boarding order is based (basically) on the order you've checked in online, beginning at 24 hours prior to departure. Check in online at exactly 24 hours before your flight, and you should be able to get the seats you need.   You might want to consider paying the additonal fee for EarlyBird Check-In ($15 per person, each way), which will check you in automatically and assign a position earlier than those checking in at 24 hours. If your flight is very soon (next few days) don't bother with EarlyBird, as these boarding positions are assigned in order of EB purchase.   Good luck! ... View more

That offer is targeted, meaning it only applies to the person and credit card account to which it was sent. ... View more

Lindsey -- Can you double check that?I believe it's incorrect.   It's true that, in general, partner bonus points do not count towards Companion Pass. But the exception is Chase Southwest Visa Card bonus points. These are specifically mentioned in the terms and conditions as being Compaion Pass qualifying. For example, the Chase Southwest Visa sign up and anniversary bonus points do count towards Companion Pass earning.   From the terms and conditions (emphasis mine):   Companion Pass A Member who earns 110,000 Companion Pass qualifying points or who flies 100 qualifying one-way flights booked through Southwest Airlines per calendar year will qualify for Companion Pass. Companion Pass qualifying points are earned from revenue flights booked through Southwest Airlines, points earned on Southwest Rapid Rewards Credit Cards, and base points earned from Rapid Rewards Partners. Purchased points, transferred points transferred between members, points converted from hotel and car loyalty programs, and e-Rewards, e-Miles, Valued Opinions and Diners Club, points earned from program enrollment, tier bonus points, flight bonus points, and partner bonus points (with the exception of the Rapid Rewards Credit Cards from Chase) do not qualify as Companion Pass qualifying points. Points earned during a billing cycle on a Southwest Rapid Rewards Credit Card from Chase are not available for redemption or qualification for Companion Pass status until they are posted on your billing statement and posted to your Rapid Rewards Account. Only points posted on your billing statements and posted to your Rapid Rewards Account during the same calendar year are available for qualification for Companion Pass status. No points or Companion Pass qualifying points will be awarded for flights taken by the Companion using the Companion Pass.   Also, the offer does not specifically state that the bonus points do not count towards Companion Pass earning.       ... View more

Yes, vouchers can be used by anyone.   ... View more

Backup portable power packs are handy to have, but they also have to be charged, and are yet another item for a passenger to lug around. 😉 ... View more

Unfortunately that doesn't show payment info, just the details of the itinerary. 😞   You can, however, use the "Request Receipt" link on that page, and the email you'll receive will include the payment details.     ... View more

(Southwest doesn't fly out of ORD, so I assume you mean MDW?)   Unfortunately, travel funds are non-transferrable, linked to use by the original passenger only. Your only real option (depending on if the value of the funds makes it worth it) is to wait until they expire, then contact Customer Relations and request reissue as a voucher, which can be used by anyone. The fee for this is $100, deducted from the balance. You have 6 months from the date of expiration in which to make the request, and the voucher will be valid for travel for 6 months from the date of issue. Vouchers cover airfare only, not taxes or fees. Keep in mind that these requests are granted on a case-by-case basis, and this policy, including the amount of the fee, is subject to change at any time. Good luck! ... View more

Thanks! While two weeks + may seem like a long time to wait for the answer to a relatively simple issue, I'm sure your IT people have their hands full these days with all the issues related to the conversion to the new booking system. Please let us know when/if you eventually have any info.   ... View more

In general, for Companion Pass earning, partner "base" points count, while any multipliers or additional "bonus" points do not. ... View more

Southwest's "bring your own device" entertainment system, with free live TV, is actually pretty robust. (When it's working.) 😉   Power outlets would be very welcome, and often requested by customers. But it's very unlikely Southwest will add them anytime soon, if ever.   They just retrofitted their fleet with new seats ("Evolve") and they weren't added at that time, which would have been the time to do it. They spent millions doing it, with the end result being the addition of 6 seats per plane (and reduced legoom). This is an indication of the priorities in place.   New planes (Max) aren't being ordered with in-seat power as part of the even newer "Heart" seat configuration.   Ultimately, the most important reason is that adding power would increase the weight of the plane, which would reduce profits. And these days, at Southwest, innovation only comes when it postively affects the bottom line. ... View more

Those funds are held under the confirmation number of the cancelled flight. When you rebook, you'll enter that number into the payments section to apply the funds, and then use a credit card to make up any difference (if necessary). Keep in mind that 1) the funds are only usable by the original passenger(s), and 2) all travel must be completed by the expiration date (one year from the original date of purchase). ... View more