Sep 17, 2014, 10:45 am
Last edit by: Tanic
Reminder: you must enroll and select Southwest as your airline BEFORE making a reimbursable purchase.
Some have suggested the need to wait several hours or even a day before making the purchase, but there are also several DPs that worked without waiting that long.
(BTW, you will often hear people refer to Southwest as WN. WN is the IATA code for Southwest Airlines. SW is the IATA code for Air Namibia.)
Caution: As of late July 2019, reports are that direct gift card purchases are no longer being reimbursed.
To purchase click here: https://www.southwest.com/gift-card/create-card.html Caution: Do NOT login to your Southwest Rapid Rewards account when making the purchase.
What does appear to work is buying flight tickets less than $100, OR using gift cards to get the charged amount down to less than $100.
Always read the last few pages to get up-to-date DPs.
Some have suggested the need to wait several hours or even a day before making the purchase, but there are also several DPs that worked without waiting that long.
(BTW, you will often hear people refer to Southwest as WN. WN is the IATA code for Southwest Airlines. SW is the IATA code for Air Namibia.)
Caution: As of late July 2019, reports are that direct gift card purchases are no longer being reimbursed.
What does appear to work is buying flight tickets less than $100, OR using gift cards to get the charged amount down to less than $100.
Always read the last few pages to get up-to-date DPs.
Airline fee $250/$200/$100 reimbursement reports: WN (2011-2019)
Aug 14, 2019, 10:44 am
#2132
Join Date: Jul 2010
Posts: 61
Will buying SW Earlybird checkin count as incidental?
Will update with my DP for Amex Biz Plat $80 flight if it credits. It shows as 1 transaction even though it is for 2 passengers on the same flight. Also used 2 GC's to get the price below $100.
Will update with my DP for Amex Biz Plat $80 flight if it credits. It shows as 1 transaction even though it is for 2 passengers on the same flight. Also used 2 GC's to get the price below $100.
Aug 14, 2019, 11:19 am
#2133
Join Date: Jul 2019
Posts: 1
Purchased 3 separate tickets all under 100 dollars on 8/9. Accredited statement credit 8/13 for 200 dollars on my biz plat.
Last edited by wewilldoitlive; Aug 14, 2019 at 11:19 am Reason: addding more info
Aug 15, 2019, 9:43 am
#2136
Join Date: Mar 2016
Posts: 267
I could call Southwest but based on prior experience, I feel like I'll get more reliable info here than a random CS rep. If I want to use my wife's HH Aspire airline credit by using the "partial payment" trick, and I want to subsequently cancel the "get away" ticket in such a way that the returned funds go to me, is it better to book a flight under my account and pay with her card (same address on the card), or to book flight under her account and ticket in my name. Not sure exactly how returned funds work, in the name of ticket's holder, or the purchaser, regardless who he's buying the ticket for.
Aug 15, 2019, 10:45 am
#2137
Join Date: Aug 2002
Location: NYC
Posts: 335
"All eligible refunds are provided according to your original form of payment."
Aug 15, 2019, 11:10 am
#2138
Join Date: Jul 2019
Posts: 2
Another data point: Travel Credit redeemd
Another (mostly) successful datapoint
August 1st: $100 travel credit remaining, set to Southwest
August 12th: buy two (2x) tickets from Southwest.com, for $85 each
August 15th: "You have used all of your $200 Airline Fee Credit for this year."
Still waiting on that $100 to be refunded, but looks good so far
August 1st: $100 travel credit remaining, set to Southwest
August 12th: buy two (2x) tickets from Southwest.com, for $85 each
August 15th: "You have used all of your $200 Airline Fee Credit for this year."
Still waiting on that $100 to be refunded, but looks good so far
Aug 15, 2019, 11:26 am
#2139
Join Date: Mar 2016
Posts: 267
https://www.southwest.com/html/custo...-info-pol.html
"All eligible refunds are provided according to your original form of payment."
"All eligible refunds are provided according to your original form of payment."
Aug 15, 2019, 11:27 am
#2140
Join Date: Apr 2011
Posts: 231
https://www.southwest.com/html/custo...-info-pol.html
"All eligible refunds are provided according to your original form of payment."
"All eligible refunds are provided according to your original form of payment."
Aug 15, 2019, 11:46 am
#2141
Join Date: Mar 2016
Posts: 267
Thank you, that's what I was looking for! I'm also assuming AMEX airline reimbursement is triggered that same way whether it's MR earning card like Platinum or Gold, or Hilton Aspire CC.
Aug 15, 2019, 11:54 am
#2142
Join Date: Aug 2002
Location: NYC
Posts: 335
https://www.southwest.com/flight/tra...ds-search.html
"Travel Funds FAQs
How do I get travel funds?
If you cancel your reservation at least 10 minutes prior to departure, the fare paid for the unused ticket (inducing taxes, security fees, and Passenger Facility Charges) will be applied as travel funds toward the purchase of future travel on Southwest.
Can I use Southwest travel funds for someone else?
The reusable travel funds can be used by the originally ticketed Passenger only."
Travel funds from unused or canceled flight reservations have to be used by the originally ticketed passenger on those reservations. That means your Southwest travel funds are all yours (sorry, Mom)."
Aug 15, 2019, 12:04 pm
#2143
Join Date: Mar 2016
Posts: 267
Can I use Southwest travel funds for someone else?
The reusable travel funds can be used by the originally ticketed Passenger only."
Travel funds from unused or canceled flight reservations have to be used by the originally ticketed passenger on those reservations. That means your Southwest travel funds are all yours (sorry, Mom)."
Aug 15, 2019, 12:54 pm
#2144
Join Date: Jan 2013
Posts: 340
Another (mostly) successful datapoint
August 1st: $100 travel credit remaining, set to Southwest
August 12th: buy two (2x) tickets from Southwest.com, for $85 each
August 15th: "You have used all of your $200 Airline Fee Credit for this year."
Still waiting on that $100 to be refunded, but looks good so far
August 1st: $100 travel credit remaining, set to Southwest
August 12th: buy two (2x) tickets from Southwest.com, for $85 each
August 15th: "You have used all of your $200 Airline Fee Credit for this year."
Still waiting on that $100 to be refunded, but looks good so far
Aug 15, 2019, 1:06 pm
#2145
Join Date: Aug 2019
Posts: 2
DP
8/15 - Meter moved down to $97.31
No credit yet, but this is hopeful. Was too chicken to try charging AMEX above $105, but I answered my own question about travel fund split charges, for anyone else who was curious too.