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)
#1516
Join Date: Sep 2014
Posts: 50
Both my $200 Plat and $250 Aspire credit were reimbursed today, purchased eGC from link in the wiki.
#1517
Join Date: Oct 2014
Location: TX, USA
Programs: Bonvoy Plat, Hilton Diamond, IHG SA
Posts: 140
Amex Aspire
$250 GC purchased 01/05/2019
credited 01/09/2019
Amex Platinum
$200 GC purchased 01/05/2019
credited 01/09/2019
$250 GC purchased 01/05/2019
credited 01/09/2019
Amex Platinum
$200 GC purchased 01/05/2019
credited 01/09/2019
#1518
Join Date: Mar 2015
Location: CLE -> BNA
Programs: IHG Spire Ambassador, Hyatt Explorist, Hilton Gold, Bonvoy Titanium, UA Silver, RR A-List
Posts: 312
Purchased $200 WN GC 1/6 (Biz Plat)
Reimbursement posted 1/10
Reimbursement posted 1/10
#1519
Join Date: Jun 2010
Posts: 28
Amex Hilton Aspire:
Jan 10 Credit AMEX AIRLINE FEE REIMBURSEMENT -$250.00
Jan 7 SOUTHWEST AIRLINES DALLAS TX $250.00
Jan 10 Credit AMEX AIRLINE FEE REIMBURSEMENT -$250.00
Jan 7 SOUTHWEST AIRLINES DALLAS TX $250.00
#1522
Join Date: Jan 2019
Posts: 5
Anyone have any ideas as to why I haven't received my credit yet? AMEX Business Plat
Designated airline on 12/31, bought $200 GC SW on 12/31 around 10:30 p.m. CST.
Designated airline on 12/31, bought $200 GC SW on 12/31 around 10:30 p.m. CST.
#1523
Join Date: Oct 2004
Posts: 115
1/7: Purchased $200 SW GC on Personal centurion, wife Plat, Business Plat $250 SW GC on Aspire
1/10: All 4 purchases were credited.
1/10: All 4 purchases were credited.
#1524
Join Date: Jan 2019
Posts: 1
American Express Business Platinum $200 airline credit issue
Hi,
I don't know if anyone has had this issue with the Amex Business Platinum. I got the card a few months ago and did not know about the e-gift cards. My cousin told me about it on 12/31 so I went ahead and did two separate transactions for $100 each after I selected the airline (I chose Southwest). I did this all within 1 hour of the new year. Today is now 1/11 and I still have not received the airline credit. Most people seemed to have received the credit within days (including my cousin who told me about this). Has anyone on here received the credit weeks after they did their purchase? Or am I one of the few exceptions that the gift cards trick did not work for?
I don't know if anyone has had this issue with the Amex Business Platinum. I got the card a few months ago and did not know about the e-gift cards. My cousin told me about it on 12/31 so I went ahead and did two separate transactions for $100 each after I selected the airline (I chose Southwest). I did this all within 1 hour of the new year. Today is now 1/11 and I still have not received the airline credit. Most people seemed to have received the credit within days (including my cousin who told me about this). Has anyone on here received the credit weeks after they did their purchase? Or am I one of the few exceptions that the gift cards trick did not work for?
#1525
Join Date: Feb 2000
Posts: 6,546
award ticket taxes, for ~$100 on intl-to-US segments, continue to be reimbursed.
statement credit > gift balance.
statement credit > gift balance.
#1526
Join Date: Dec 2018
Posts: 139
Hi,
I don't know if anyone has had this issue with the Amex Business Platinum. I got the card a few months ago and did not know about the e-gift cards. My cousin told me about it on 12/31 so I went ahead and did two separate transactions for $100 each after I selected the airline (I chose Southwest). I did this all within 1 hour of the new year. Today is now 1/11 and I still have not received the airline credit. Most people seemed to have received the credit within days (including my cousin who told me about this). Has anyone on here received the credit weeks after they did their purchase? Or am I one of the few exceptions that the gift cards trick did not work for?
I don't know if anyone has had this issue with the Amex Business Platinum. I got the card a few months ago and did not know about the e-gift cards. My cousin told me about it on 12/31 so I went ahead and did two separate transactions for $100 each after I selected the airline (I chose Southwest). I did this all within 1 hour of the new year. Today is now 1/11 and I still have not received the airline credit. Most people seemed to have received the credit within days (including my cousin who told me about this). Has anyone on here received the credit weeks after they did their purchase? Or am I one of the few exceptions that the gift cards trick did not work for?
3- If you selected your airline on the 31st & your charge was delayed (meaning it didn't show up for Amex until the 1st) you potentially lost your $200 credit for 2018. You'd need to reelect your airline for 2019. I'm not an expert on this though, I just followed exactly what the forums told me & it worked both times.
#1527
Join Date: Dec 2015
Posts: 48
How soon after designating the airline did you buy the GC? Had you already received the email from Amex confirming your airline designation? That's when it's considered safe (by some) to proceed with the GC purchase.
#1528
Moderator
Join Date: Jun 2003
Location: Miami, Mpls & London
Programs: AA & Marriott Perpetual Platinum; DL & HH Gold
Posts: 48,955
#1529
Join Date: Jan 2019
Posts: 5
Pretty soon (about 8 minutes apart for the emails), but I did receive the email first.
Last edited by incursion; Jan 12, 2019 at 9:44 am
#1530
Join Date: Feb 2008
Location: Denver
Posts: 21
Data point: I purchased a $200 Southwest e-gift card using my AMEX business platinum card on 1/9 and received the $200 airline fee reimbursement on 1/11.