Extending the life of Online Credit Certificates
 

Hi there, I know this has been covered in other airline threads, but not sure if on AS (I couldn't find anything--only a post 2 years ago from someone, but no replies to that post)

Anyway, I have 3 online travel certificates for a total of just over $100 because of a fare drop on a trip I booked back earApril 2014.

Thus I have until early April 2015 to use them. However, I know I will not be taking any trips on AS in 2015 except for a trip I already booked and paid for before I got these certs.

So the earliest I'd use them is probably for summer 2016. Based upon other airlines it seems the best way to prevent these from expiring is buy a refundable ticket (Y or F) and use the certs and pay any difference in fare.

Then when I decide to actually book something (which I probably will know by fall 2015 what dates for summer 2016 I want) , call AS (or do it online) to cancel/change the itinerary and book the new ticket. The full amount (credits + whatever I paid) should be applied, with no penalty to the new ticket?

Does it matter if I book the lowest, cheapest full fare ticket I can find? (which seems to be a OW from SEA-PDX). Even if I am not departing out of either airport? (I'm in the bay area). don't want them to raise any eyebrows. I could book a full fare from SFO-PDX or SFO-SEA, but then I'd have to pay more out of pocket (sure I'll get it back if everything works, but what if it doesn't work?....) . I assume also I should book as far out as possible (331 days from when the certs expire, would be early March 2016)

Not sure if this matters, but I am MVP Gold through 2014, but won't qualify for 2015 so will have no status by April 2015.

Thanks

You really won't be flying AS at all in 2015?? I would wait for a $49 SFO-PDX/SEA sale (possibly the traditional cyber Monday sale next month) and fly up for a weekend getaway or make a day trip out of it.

Unfortunately I'll only be flying AS once in 2015 and I've already booked and paid for those tickets. Weekend getaways and day trips aren't an option. So I am left to looking at 2016.

Any other suggestions?

Why would your ticket for SEA-PDX have to be a refundable (full fare) ticket? You could just buy a cheap SFO-PDX/SEA ticket and keep extending the date before you reach the 60 day time limit for changes.

That's a very good point! Keep in mind that AS will allow ou to change your ticket free of charge provided that it's at least 60days before departure

That is a great idea! Since it seems AS is the only one (at least that I know of) that offers this option, I never thought of it.

Do you know if you can change your itinerary multiple times w/out penalty (as long as you are > 60 days out?)

And when you finally decide on a "real" itinerary that you ticket, I presume all the funds just go straight toward the purchase and not "refunded" to the original form of payment (which in my case would be a certificate that by then expired)?

I think you do have to travel within a year of ticketing though

One year from your original ticketing date? Or one year (331 days) from when you change and re-ticket?

So in my case, my certs are expiring in early April 2015. If I book something as far out as I can right before my certs expire, that would be around March of 2016.

Then in the fall of 2015 (>60 days from my travel date of March 2016), I change my itinerary, can I book it as far out as say August of 2016? (331 days in advance?)

I'm not quite sure about that. I think the farthest you will be allowed to change will be one year from the origional date of issue for the ticket

Do you know if the same holds true then if I book a fully refundable (Y class) ticket? The other way we were discussing won't work for me, as the original date of issue will be April 2015, but I won't be able to travel until probably summer 2016 (> 1 year out).

Yes, I think so. But you can always just refund the ticket and use that value towards a new ticket. However, there MAY be restrictions regarding refunds since you've partially payed with a certificate.