Southwest Rapid Rewards - Transferring Early Bird purchase

I know you can't cancel it...but has anybody been able to transfer it to another flight? I ask because I had a trip this weekend but my grandmother passed away and now I won't be flying. I'd like to transfer my EB to a flight next weekend. Thought I'd check on FT before calling in...

Thanks! :p

From the EBCI FAQ:

If an EarlyBird Check-in Customer chooses to change a flight, will the EarlyBird Check-in options transfer to the new flight?

It depends. EarlyBird Check-in is tied to the Customer's reservation for which the EarlyBird Check-in purchase was made and will be transferred to the Customer's new flight if he/she changes the flight at least 25 hours prior to the original flight's scheduled departure time and so long as the change is to a flight that will depart in more than 25 hours. Since EarlyBird Check-in is associated with a reservation, any changes must be made within the same reservation record (same confirmation number) in which the Customer purchased EarlyBird Check-in.

(Emphasis mine)

If you don't cancel -- just change -- your existing reservation, it will keep the same confirmation code, and the EBCI will transfer to it. (Do this more than 36 hours before the new flight.) If you cancel the existing reservation and try to rebook later using the remaining funds (receiving a new conf number), the ECBI charge will not transfer or be refundable.

If you don't cancel -- just change -- your existing reservation, it will keep the same confirmation code, and the EBCI will transfer to it. (Do this more than 36 hours before the new flight.) If you cancel the existing reservation and try to rebook later using the remaining funds (receiving a new conf number), the ECBI charge will not transfer or be refundable.

It would be nice if once you bought an EBCI, you didn't lose it if you cancel/rebook. The ability to cancel/rebook without loss is a huge feature of SWA. I think it would encourage more people to buy EBCI if there wasn't a risk of losing it. Just my 2 cents.

It would be nice if once you bought an EBCI, you didn't lose it if you cancel/rebook. The ability to cancel/rebook without loss is a huge feature of SWA. I think it would encourage more people to buy EBCI if there wasn't a risk of losing it. Just my 2 cents.

You lose it if you cancel the reservation. Just rebook it out to the end of the window, and then rebook again when you are ready. EBCI transfered.

I can confirm that this is the case (even though this was over a week old). Changed my MKE to BWI flight for November 1, to a MSP to MCO flight in April and the EBCI transferred over.

It would be nice if once you bought an EBCI, you didn't lose it if you cancel/rebook. The ability to cancel/rebook without loss is a huge feature of SWA. I think it would encourage more people to buy EBCI if there wasn't a risk of losing it. Just my 2 cents.


FCfree,

I agree! It makes no sense that flight funds are transferable upon cancellation of a res and EBCI funds are not.

I agree also, but given how poorly the new web site works, I question their ability to implement this from an IT perspective.

Just a heads up -- I was told by a CS person today by phone that ECBI was "lost" whenever a change was made to an EXISTING reservation (under the same conf code). I told her no, this was not correct -- she checked with a supervisor and came back corrected: EBCI DOES transfer to a changed reservation under the SAME conf code (but not to a new res with a new conf code).

The problem is that, because of a computer glitch on SW's webpage regarding reservation modifications, the CS people are telling people by phone to just cancel and rebook, applying the unused funds, to avoid the IT glitch. But they are NOT telling people (because they apparently don't know) that they will have to pay their ECBI again if they do it this way! So be careful when you make changes!

Next part of the question, we plan a trip in June from MDW to MCO. I plan to purchase tickets for family (I have one reward ticket) on Dec 17 when schedule opens and buy EBCI for all tickets. As I understand, EBCI order is based on when you purchase EBCI. If a lower fare comes up at a later date (say April) and I change reservation, does my EBCI position move back based on the April date or do I keep my December position?
Part 2 - Same situation, but change to different flight on same day?

Thanks

Next part of the question, we plan a trip in June from MDW to MCO. I plan to purchase tickets for family (I have one reward ticket) on Dec 17 when schedule opens and buy EBCI for all tickets. As I understand, EBCI order is based on when you purchase EBCI. If a lower fare comes up at a later date (say April) and I change reservation, does my EBCI position move back based on the April date or do I keep my December position?
Part 2 - Same situation, but change to different flight on same day?

Thanks

If you CHANGE your reservation (using the change reservation link) you should be fine. If you CANCEL and rebook, you loose EBCI.

Next part of the question, we plan a trip in June from MDW to MCO. I plan to purchase tickets for family (I have one reward ticket) on Dec 17 when schedule opens and buy EBCI for all tickets. As I understand, EBCI order is based on when you purchase EBCI. If a lower fare comes up at a later date (say April) and I change reservation, does my EBCI position move back based on the April date or do I keep my December position?
Part 2 - Same situation, but change to different flight on same day?

Thanks

Good question! I think, based on my experience over the last few weeks with ECBI and changing existing reservations after booking ECBI, that your boarding order won't be seriously affected by a change made several months before your flight. (I recently changed a RR res 4 days prior, and still got very low A #s on very full flights.)

As to Part 2, however, if you change your flight the same day as you are flying, you will lose the priority boarding that is assigned 36 hours before the flight.

But do we know that EBCI order is currently determined by time of EBCI purchase? It seems to me that the Southwest site said that when it was first rolled out, but now they only say that Anytime fares get priority.

But do we know that EBCI order is currently determined by time of EBCI purchase? It seems to me that the Southwest site said that when it was first rolled out, but now they only say that Anytime fares get priority.

IIRC, both your points were addressed in the rollout announcement. EBCI order is based on time of purchase within the following order @ T-36.

1. A-List
2. Anytime fares
3. Wanna get away fares

IIRC, both your points were addressed in the rollout announcement. EBCI order is based on time of purchase within the following order @ T-36.

1. A-List
2. Anytime fares
3. Wanna get away fares

In the thread with the first announcement (http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/southwest-rapid-rewards/990920-earlybird-check-convenient-way-travel.html), SWA Brian said in post #12, "The first person to buy Early Bord [sic] gets the lowest BP." Post 125 (one day later, day 2 of rollout) is the first reference I find to Anytime fares getting priority. Since it took that many posts for it to be mentioned, I'm thinking it wasn't there from the beginning.

I tend to agree with your comment, but I think it's too early to tell how EBCI will work during high vacation (ie: long advance booking) periods. The vast majority of the people I met in MCO flew only one or two times a year and had never heard of EBCI or even understood the T24 concept.
If I can lock in my positon on EBCI on Dec 17 and then search for a lower fare without losing my initial purchase date, it would be great (at least for my wife, my kids don't care who they sit with).