Booking an R ticket (buy a ticket but use miles to upgrade)

'Mileage Upgrade- lowest fares'

Trying to use an ECV - value is from a cancelled full fare ticket, not a bump voucher, etc.

After your first search you can ask for 'More Search Options' and get back to the original window. This time you can select the dollars off option and enter the ECV#
So if you think you didn't select the correct ECV option first time (of the 3 options) you can go back and get all the options in the drop down.

From then on the site tells you:

"Prices do not reflect the ECV voucher you entered. This discount will be applied later in the purchase process after you select a flight."

Not true!

Right up to the point you purchase the ticket. It doesn't actually apply the ECV though it's difficult to tell that from the purchase page and email.

After 1 1/2 hours on the phone (first rep hung up inadvertantly) NWA says using miles to upgrade a paid ticket is considered 'Award Travel' and the ECV can't be used. Even though it reflects money you once used to purchase a ticket on a cancelled record. And this is a 'support issue' for the site.

I have used ECV's in the past with this option (still have the paper receipt) so I guess a partial patch is in place on the site.

The user experience was confusing, misleading and aggrevating {OK, that's never happened to anyone else in air travel

I have no status with NWA (former gold and silver). I asked the rep to take the miles and do an op-up on the voucher paid fare. No deal.
Extend the voucher life (it expires on Sunday). No deal. I have to email the 'other' customer service group.
So I sent an email and they did respond in 3 hours. The response said they would respond in 5 biz days. Well after the voucher expires.

I'm just posting to alert that the site seems to have tightened on ECV's and that there are use cases where you think it is going to be applied when it's not. IMHO if the ECV does not apply to this fare class then don't let me enter it and don't tell me it's going to be applied when I click purchase.

Believe it or not, I've never received an ECV, but I for one have a tough time believing it can't be used to buy a ticket and upgrade it.

After all, what's stopping you from verifying that there is "R" space on a flight by phoning NWA, and then using nwa.com to buy a economy ticket in the appropriate class (remember, non-elites can only upgrade with miles on certain fare classes for domestic travel), thereby using the ECV, then phoning nwa to do the upgrade?

If this is against the rules, it should specifically be listed in the terms & conditions of the ECV.

I have used the old TCVs for the same purpose before as well.

Please post any response you get back from nwa!

I encountered the same thing on NWA.com, but was able to get it fixed immediately when I called the elite line. This was for an "I" ticket.

I had purchased an international "B" fare partially funded by an ECV and upgraded with miles on nwa.com. I got the same message that it would be applied, but the receipt didn't reflect this.

I called the elite line the same day, and they explained that the website computers just were not able to process both at the same time. This had to be done manually, and it took them a bit to figure it out.

Ultimately I was able to use the ECV toward the B fare, and miles to upgrade. My original full B-fare was refunded. It took about 2 months before they deducted my miles, but I have always been listed as WBC. I look forward to the trip to visit my brother and family in Japan in the fall.

I was platinum at the time, and this likely contributed toward the "fix" going very smoothly for me. I did have both the full "B" fare and the B fare minus the ECV on my credit card for a while. I got the original fare refunded on the next billing cycle, but if you don't have the cash flow to cover it, it could be a problem.

I would recommend that people who want to pay for an ECV and then use miles to upgrade go ahead and call first. Hopefully the regular reservationists would be able to help as well, although I am not looking forward to eventually having to test this out. I will miss the elite line when I am no longer gold.

NWA.com and the computer processes were the barriers here, not the ECV itself.

I recently purcharsed a ticket using an ECV for $ off, which I received for being voluntarilt bumped. Anyhow, I had the option of upgrading the tickets on nwa.com. It would not go through however, stating that I did not have enough miles to upgrade. I did have enoguh miles, so I called the gold/plat line and the rep upgraded me using the miles as I had intended to do.
So there are some success stories around using miles to upgrade a ticket purchased with certificates.
Benz3000

I tried to book a trip on-line using an ECV...wouldn't let me.

I called Sustomer Service, booked TKT, when it came to entering ECV it wouldn't take it...She checked and came back and told me that ECV's do not apply to low web fares. I thought that sliding scale ECV applied to any fare...just different amount of discount?????

I tried to use an ECV once on a "starred" promotion fare and the system would not recognize the number. I called the PE line and was told that an ECV cannot be used on promotional (starred) fares.

So if you still have status you might get some love from a CSR on the phone.

Sorry but the more I think about this the more it looks like nwa is neglecting this 'bug'. I offered an out with an op-up and take the 30k miles but they didn't go for it.

I could see if the ECV came from being bumped or delayed but not as a credit from a paid fare.

Since my ECV expires tomorrow I bought the coach fare for October travel today. One of my 2 annual trips to Minnie. I can never upgrade it now, though.

I think I'm done with NW and will also change my Visa which is where I got many of my miles over to Hilton. I just feel like I was scammed by a website.

Anyone from NWA monitor this site?

You can still upgrade after you buy the ticket, I believe.

You used to be able to do so, I don't think the rules have changed on that one. Correct me if I am wrong.