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)
Sep 27, 2019, 10:42 pm
#2236
Join Date: Sep 2017
Location: SFO/LAX/SAN/LAS/DFW/JFK/LGA/EWR/MIA
Posts: 1,073
No more airline credit using Aspire for SW Gcs?
Have to book actual flights? What if I book award flight and pay the tax/fees with Aspire? Will trigger the credit? Have to use spend the entire $250 in one airline ticket or tax fees or i can use it again ( how long I have?) until I reach the spend req to trigger the credit?What about refundable flight?
Thanks
Have to book actual flights? What if I book award flight and pay the tax/fees with Aspire? Will trigger the credit? Have to use spend the entire $250 in one airline ticket or tax fees or i can use it again ( how long I have?) until I reach the spend req to trigger the credit?What about refundable flight?
Thanks
Sep 30, 2019, 9:18 am
#2237
Join Date: Sep 2019
Posts: 2
Potentially interesting DP:
9/22 - Selected Southwest as Airline for Amex Plat benefit. Minutes later received email.
9/22 - Minutes after email, purchased in two separate transactions two one-way tickets on Southwest.com totaling 196.48
9/24 - Charges go from pending to posted
9/25 - Meter moves, showing I have $3.52 left
9/26 - Credits totaling 196.48 post to my account. Additionally, I purchase a total of 8 one way tickets on Southwest for upcoming trip using my Amex Plat. None of them are under $108. I did use travel funds from previously purchased tickets (on 9/22) to cover some of the costs of two of the tickets...
9/28 - Those purchases go from pending to posted, and meter now shows I've used all my credits
9/30 - Credit for 3.52 posts to my account.
Weird... I don't understand the $3.52 unless by using the travel funds from the other tickets brought down the cost of the new ticket enough to trigger the Amex credit. Whatever it was, I'll take the remaining $3.52 that I thought was lost.
9/22 - Selected Southwest as Airline for Amex Plat benefit. Minutes later received email.
9/22 - Minutes after email, purchased in two separate transactions two one-way tickets on Southwest.com totaling 196.48
9/24 - Charges go from pending to posted
9/25 - Meter moves, showing I have $3.52 left
9/26 - Credits totaling 196.48 post to my account. Additionally, I purchase a total of 8 one way tickets on Southwest for upcoming trip using my Amex Plat. None of them are under $108. I did use travel funds from previously purchased tickets (on 9/22) to cover some of the costs of two of the tickets...
9/28 - Those purchases go from pending to posted, and meter now shows I've used all my credits
9/30 - Credit for 3.52 posts to my account.
Weird... I don't understand the $3.52 unless by using the travel funds from the other tickets brought down the cost of the new ticket enough to trigger the Amex credit. Whatever it was, I'll take the remaining $3.52 that I thought was lost.
Sep 30, 2019, 9:31 am
#2238
Join Date: Jan 2006
Posts: 43
If I book a ticket for me and a companion under the same reservation, say for $80 per ticket, so $160 total, would they show up as 2 charges of $80 or 1 charge of $160? I can't book under 2 separate reservations since the companion is a child.
I'm just wondering if they appear as 2*$80 then there would be a better chance of getting the credit applied
I'm just wondering if they appear as 2*$80 then there would be a better chance of getting the credit applied
Last edited by lordvaderman; Sep 30, 2019 at 9:37 am
Sep 30, 2019, 11:00 am
#2239
Join Date: Sep 2019
Posts: 2
If I book a ticket for me and a companion under the same reservation, say for $80 per ticket, so $160 total, would they show up as 2 charges of $80 or 1 charge of $160? I can't book under 2 separate reservations since the companion is a child.
I'm just wondering if they appear as 2*$80 then there would be a better chance of getting the credit applied
I'm just wondering if they appear as 2*$80 then there would be a better chance of getting the credit applied
Oct 1, 2019, 1:01 pm
#2240
Join Date: Nov 2011
Location: SFO/SJC
Programs: whatever comes with CCs
Posts: 1,082
Purchased one-way for 3 passengers each $73.xx (single record locator). Charges posted for each passenger separately. I got reimbursed a few days later.
Oct 1, 2019, 11:51 pm
#2241
Join Date: Jan 2016
Posts: 7
Bought $99 ticket on 9/27
Transaction posted on 9/28
Reimbursed 9/29
Transaction posted on 9/28
Reimbursed 9/29
Oct 2, 2019, 9:21 am
#2242
Join Date: Oct 2019
Posts: 6
Purchased one-way for 2 passengers for $99 each on a single record locator on 10/2. Shows as pending for the total amount
of $198. Will update on reimbursement once charge posts.
of $198. Will update on reimbursement once charge posts.
Oct 3, 2019, 5:55 pm
#2243
Join Date: Oct 2012
Location: SFO
Posts: 8
1) no. your airline purchase with GC combo did not post the same day you made the purchase.
2) call amex for the credit when its against the T&C? and say what? why your airfare tickets did not get reimbursed like the CSR? i suggest calling TPG for advice. and you do know amex is a travel agency and can see in extreme detail of your airline purchase right? anyway, given your lack of posts, i assume you got the credit already.
3) read more reddit sidebar
yes.
2) call amex for the credit when its against the T&C? and say what? why your airfare tickets did not get reimbursed like the CSR? i suggest calling TPG for advice. and you do know amex is a travel agency and can see in extreme detail of your airline purchase right? anyway, given your lack of posts, i assume you got the credit already.
3) read more reddit sidebar
yes.
2) Nah wasn't really going to call. Knew the rule but just wondering.
3) as of today 10/3, no credits. I guess i won't get them and will need to find another way/trips to trigger the credits. I was out of country and forgot to check back to post but glad to see most people got their credits. I'll try again and report back.
4) lack of posts and contribution also mean i am super new here...and still figuring out what/where reddit sidebar is.
Oct 4, 2019, 4:39 pm
#2244
Join Date: Sep 2017
Location: SFO/LAX/SAN/LAS/DFW/JFK/LGA/EWR/MIA
Posts: 1,073
Potentially interesting DP:
9/22 - Selected Southwest as Airline for Amex Plat benefit. Minutes later received email.
9/22 - Minutes after email, purchased in two separate transactions two one-way tickets on Southwest.com totaling 196.48
9/24 - Charges go from pending to posted
9/25 - Meter moves, showing I have $3.52 left
9/26 - Credits totaling 196.48 post to my account. Additionally, I purchase a total of 8 one way tickets on Southwest for upcoming trip using my Amex Plat. None of them are under $108. I did use travel funds from previously purchased tickets (on 9/22) to cover some of the costs of two of the tickets...
9/28 - Those purchases go from pending to posted, and meter now shows I've used all my credits
9/30 - Credit for 3.52 posts to my account.
Weird... I don't understand the $3.52 unless by using the travel funds from the other tickets brought down the cost of the new ticket enough to trigger the Amex credit. Whatever it was, I'll take the remaining $3.52 that I thought was lost.
9/22 - Selected Southwest as Airline for Amex Plat benefit. Minutes later received email.
9/22 - Minutes after email, purchased in two separate transactions two one-way tickets on Southwest.com totaling 196.48
9/24 - Charges go from pending to posted
9/25 - Meter moves, showing I have $3.52 left
9/26 - Credits totaling 196.48 post to my account. Additionally, I purchase a total of 8 one way tickets on Southwest for upcoming trip using my Amex Plat. None of them are under $108. I did use travel funds from previously purchased tickets (on 9/22) to cover some of the costs of two of the tickets...
9/28 - Those purchases go from pending to posted, and meter now shows I've used all my credits
9/30 - Credit for 3.52 posts to my account.
Weird... I don't understand the $3.52 unless by using the travel funds from the other tickets brought down the cost of the new ticket enough to trigger the Amex credit. Whatever it was, I'll take the remaining $3.52 that I thought was lost.
also, how did you purchase the 8 one way tickets? same record locator or separate transactions? what was the final cost for the tickets with travel funds applied? Did it bring down the total below $108? i find it very interesting that each of those 8 tickets were over $108, but you still got the last remaining credit.
1) I thought it was interesting that transactions were posted the same day I made the purchase. Purchases were made in early am, maybe that's why? No idea.
2) Nah wasn't really going to call. Knew the rule but just wondering.
3) as of today 10/3, no credits. I guess i won't get them and will need to find another way/trips to trigger the credits. I was out of country and forgot to check back to post but glad to see most people got their credits. I'll try again and report back.
4) lack of posts and contribution also mean i am super new here...and still figuring out what/where reddit sidebar is.
2) Nah wasn't really going to call. Knew the rule but just wondering.
3) as of today 10/3, no credits. I guess i won't get them and will need to find another way/trips to trigger the credits. I was out of country and forgot to check back to post but glad to see most people got their credits. I'll try again and report back.
4) lack of posts and contribution also mean i am super new here...and still figuring out what/where reddit sidebar is.
and as you already know, calling doesnt help. not when youre trying to exploit the system. but your DP is very interesting. i had assumed your credit posted just fine like all the other DPs in the thread. something must have happened. doesnt make sense. can you give us more details about your airfare purchase? so you made two $88 one-way tickets on two different transactions and used 2 x $50 GC on each transaction? so 2 x $38 separate charges on your Amex plat? what do you see as the transaction details on your statement?
i wonder if $38 is too low. lowest so far has been around $48. Would be nice to see DPs of airfare charges credit for even lower.
lastly, reddit sidebar is very easy to find on r/churning. its the entire right side column with various links to different guides on the home page.
Last edited by GundamWing01; Oct 4, 2019 at 4:49 pm
Oct 6, 2019, 12:36 am
#2246
Join Date: Feb 2014
Programs: Hilton Diamond, Marriott Titanium, IHG Plat.
Posts: 49
Purchase two one way tickets for a total of 211.96. Posted as individual transactions for 105.98. Got credit for both.
Oct 6, 2019, 9:54 am
#2247
Join Date: Apr 2002
Posts: 568
Anybody buy a one-way far for $125+, use a southwest gift card to bring down the balance to let's say $90, and then get the $90 credit from Amex?
Oct 6, 2019, 1:18 pm
#2248
Join Date: Jul 2006
Posts: 131
Yes, about 2 weeks ago. Bought 2X one-way for $148 each. $50 SWGC + $98 Amex (Hilton Aspire) charge. $98 was reimbursed for each.
Oct 8, 2019, 2:35 pm
#2249
Join Date: Aug 2019
Posts: 6
$98.98 flight
Charge posted on 10/4
Credit posted on 10/7
Schwab Platinum Card
Charge posted on 10/4
Credit posted on 10/7
Schwab Platinum Card
Oct 9, 2019, 6:58 am
#2250
Join Date: May 2019
Location: LAX
Posts: 11
So let me get this straight....
You can book a "Wanna Get Away" airfare that is less than $100 (for example, STL to Des Moines, IA = $97). Then, cancel your flight and those funds will be credited to your "travel funds" where you can then apply that to a later flight with an expiration date of 1yr of date of refund. AMEX will credit your charge ($97 in my example).
Is my understanding correct?
If so, do you have to choose your same destination you used in the original airfare in order to use the travel funds?
You can book a "Wanna Get Away" airfare that is less than $100 (for example, STL to Des Moines, IA = $97). Then, cancel your flight and those funds will be credited to your "travel funds" where you can then apply that to a later flight with an expiration date of 1yr of date of refund. AMEX will credit your charge ($97 in my example).
Is my understanding correct?
If so, do you have to choose your same destination you used in the original airfare in order to use the travel funds?