Originally Posted by alanwar
I've got 4 free ticket vouchers that expire August. (NO ! I am not trying to sell them !) I've only got one upcoming trip planned that I could use them and that is SEA -> ORD. However I'd really like a bonus trip from SEA -> LIH. The vouchers aren't good for LIH and the fares from SEA - LIH are $600 - $700. But I see that sometimes fares from California (SJC, SMF, etc) are much more reasonable and my thought was to use the voucher to fly from SEA to California and then use a paid fare from there to LIH. The fares to California are in the $200 range.
So is there a general rule about the value of these vouchers ? Is is much more $200 ? Would I be better off holding onto the voucher for my trip to ORD and paying the whole way for my trip to LIH ?
IMHO the vouchers are worth as much as little or as much as you want them to be. YMMV on whether or not you think it's worth using a voucher for a certain RT or not. I would much rather use my VDB to get a $250 ticket from IAD-ORD; rather than use my VDB to get a $300 ticket from IAD-SFO. As much as the free ticket is nice; I'd rather pay a little more, get the EQM and RDM miles, and have an opportunity at flying in C or F; rather than spend a long-haul in Y with no mileage.
If your vouchers are expiring and you need to make use of them; just go ahead and book whatever you need for wherever you need to go.
I would call United and see what you can use the vouchers for and what you can't use them for. IIRC, they are semi-flexible as long as you are outside the 14-day advance purchase and there are seats available in the applicable fare buckets.