NWA E-Cert Use
 

Hi,

I'm travelling from DTW to MCO December 25 - January 1st. I'm getting ready to book my flights, and I'm considering purchasing an e-cert from ebay. Is there a specific type of e-cert I should look for, or avoid? (i.e. PK184, PK182, etc..)

I'm also planning on upgrading my seats to first class using my worldperks points. Will the e-cert work in conjuction with this upgrade?

From what I information I could gather on FlyerTalk, I cannot stack multiple e-certs on the same reservation, correct? If I'm purchasing a seat for both myself and my wife (with both seats getting upgrades from my worldperks account), is there any way to use two e-certs?

In general, are e-certs the best way to get a discount on fares? If not, what would you reccommend doing?

Thanks in advance for all your help...

Don't do it! Buy on ebay that is.

PK212 is representative of others. Here's #11 of terms and conditions. It is in bold print, by the way...

This E-Cert is not transferable and can only be redeemed for travel by the original recipient. This certificate cannot be sold, auctioned, bartered, divised or traded in any manner. Violators of this rule are subject to lawful prosecution and collection by NWA of a fare deemed by them to be appropriate for improper use of an E-Cert belonging to another person. Other enforcement measures could include WorldPerks account suspension or elimination of other NWA privileges.

If you do a search for "EBAY" you will find many answers
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/showt...highlight=EBAY

It is not recommended - to many fakes out there.

One way to use two e-certs is to make two reservations, one for you and one for her.

There are some risks, particularly if there's a schedule change or flight delay because you may wind up on separate flights.

Also, you'll have to select seats twice and check in twice etc.

Bob H

Correct me in my logic but if you have to purchase a discount, is it really a discount?

Althought I don't recommend purchasing these, the answer to the above question is obviously "it depends". If you can get the e-cert for $5.00, and it saves you $100, I would say, yes, it's a $95 discount.

The problem with these e-certs on ebay is that for a long time NW's certifiate number generation algorithm was too simple and had become compromised. Thus, in the past a lot of the certificates found on ebay were ones that had been genereated by individuals who had figured out the algorithm and were not legitimate. NW has become aware of this and I believe has taken action so I would procede with extreme caution with any cert bought off ebay.

and.............look at the expiration date - before you buy!

Good luck
 

I would assume anyone, regardless of where they got the e-cert will have a tough time redeeming it during this travel period. I have yet to successfully use an e-cert in my favor.

Most of the posts here have hit the nail on the head,
BUT, I have never had a problem with an ecert.
Only real issue is to confirm that they don't expire.
Some ecert have terms requiring travel to be commenced from a certain part of the county. There are some out there right no that need travel to be commenced from New England.
As long as the cert is legit, just confirm the terms and expiry and you should be o.k.
Pay by Paypal and you have some protection
Jigger

I find it interesting that most of the advice given ignores the simple fact that NW forbids the transfer, sale, or auction of e-certs.

Guess it's the latest in morality... "do it as long as you are not caught!"

When purchasing anything on ebay I would check to see the history of the seller and if ensure they have a solid positive rating. Read the details of the discount offer very carefully to make sure they will apply to your flight. You may wish to email the seller your itinerary to see if it will work with the offer. I have purchased a few of the certificates and have had no problems.

just a note about the morality issue..........
When Northwest cancelled my flight to LA with 24 hours notice and told me it was due to weather related issues (as opposed to Pilots maxing out on hours as the news had reported), and I spent several hours rearranging my schedule with no compensation, do you honestly believe Northwest gives a hoot about moral highground?

Not to mention most of the auctions aren't for the certificate but for envelopes that happen to have certificates in them. Also if you're in a market that only flies NW then yes the ecerts help out a lot.

Northwest is one of the more aggressive airlines in terms of pursuing Ebay certificate/WorldPerks buyers and sellers. You are certainly free to do what you please, but I simply ask that you spare us the subsequent FT thread on "NW made me buy a one-way ticket and closed out my WP account" should the airline discover what you're doing....