Hi All,

MVP Gold 75k member.

Let's say there is a flight in the future that I want to secure seats on.

Sometimes I want to hold on to a ticket that I might need to cancel in the future for whatever reason.

For example, let's say I want to fly on Alaska a month from now, but not sure. Pending plans of other people. But I want to buy the tickets early so I have the seats I want in the class I want, or before they sell out.

Sometimes I'll buy the ticket, then cancel within 24 hours, and refund to my original form of payment. Then I'll by the same seats immediately after and repeat the same process less than 24 hours later (if needed).

This can result in substantial temporary charges on my credit card, and it can take a few days for Alaska to refund or cancel the original charge. This seems to mess up my credit score temporarily, due to the spike in utilization.

Other options are to buy the ticket, and cancel anytime before departure (as opposed to the 24hr window previously mentioned) then get a credit in "my wallet" instead of my credit card (original form of payment). This is very flexible as an MVP Gold 75k member I can cancel any flight up to time of departure for a refund to my wallet. I'm not wasting time purchasing and canceling tickets every 24hrs. Downside is Alaska then "owns" that money and I will never get it back as money; it must be used on Alaska.

Which is the best strategy? Refund to credit card and rebook, or refund to my wallet and hold onto the reservation longer?

(yes I know the best strategy is just to pick a firm date and go with it, but sometimes my schedule is not so clear)

Rules for Alaska Refunds:

The list below provides refund details for each payment method.

• Credit card - refund is credited to the original credit card used within 7 business days. It may take one to two billing cycles before the credit appears on your statement.
• Gift cards or gift certificates - refund is credited to a new gift certificate and sent to the ticket purchaser's email address within 7 business days.
• Bonus travel or credit certificates - refund is credited to a new certificate and sent to the ticket purchaser's email address within 7 business days. Expired funds will not be refunded.
• My Wallet - refund is deposited to the original My Wallet account within 7 business days.
• Mileage Plan™ - miles will be redeposited to the original Mileage Plan™ account within 7 business days.