Missed 24 month travel period by 16 days, any chance to get lost points back?
Dec 7, 2015, 12:26 pm
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: May 2005
Posts: 4,736
Missed 24 month travel period by 16 days, any chance to get lost points back?
My son last flew WN in November 2013 and had accumulated a fair number of points before then. He has 2 trips on it ticketed for this month (Dec 2015). Got an email today that said his points had expired and the account was down to 0. I called the Rapid Rewards number and asked about having the points reinstated when he travels later this month. In the past Delta and Alaska have both done this for me when there'd been a gap in our travels with them. The agent basically said "Hell, no!" but gave me a different phone number to call. The wait time on hold for that number is quoted as 35+ minutes today. (Are WN Rapid Rewards people usually rude and crabby? That one sure was)
Is it worth my time to try to get the points back? The gap in his travel is 16 days over their time limit; Delta gave me back 16,000 points 2 months past the deadline.
Is it worth my time to try to get the points back? The gap in his travel is 16 days over their time limit; Delta gave me back 16,000 points 2 months past the deadline.
Dec 7, 2015, 1:20 pm
#2
Join Date: Mar 2011
Posts: 6,286
It's probably worth talking to Customer Relations, if you have the time to wait out the lengthy hold. But, if the complaints and official replies I've seen on Southwest's Facebook page regarding this scenario are any indicator, no, it's very unlikely.
Dec 8, 2015, 12:44 pm
#3
Original Poster
Join Date: May 2005
Posts: 4,736
Thanks for the response. Based on the attitude of the Rapid Rewards staffer I spoke with, it didn't seem likely that spending my time on hold with Customer Relations would be productive, so your response saved me 45+ minutes I might have wasted giving it a try.
Dec 8, 2015, 12:59 pm
#4
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Can't you put the phone on speaker and multitask?
Is there some reason for the gap in son's WN travel?
Depending on his age, shouldn't he be the one to do this rather than you?
Some organizations let you buy back miles or points that have recently expired.
Is there some reason for the gap in son's WN travel?
Depending on his age, shouldn't he be the one to do this rather than you?
Some organizations let you buy back miles or points that have recently expired.
Dec 8, 2015, 1:20 pm
#5
Moderator: Southwest Airlines, Capital One
Join Date: Sep 1999
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Hang up, call again is something of a mantra for FlyerTalkers. However I suggest writing a letter and making a specific offer. Ideally, you should complete a trip on Southwest and THEN write a letter asking for your points to be restored. That would give the person responding a solid new reason to overrule the default and the prior decision.
Your odds may still be less than 50% but if you are flying anyway it's worth a try.
Your odds may still be less than 50% but if you are flying anyway it's worth a try.
Dec 8, 2015, 4:13 pm
#6
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Join Date: Jul 2001
Location: Phoenix, AZ
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Unless I'm missing something, you could have purchased the minimum number of points before your son's points expired. There were any number of ways to get this done, rather than begging and pleading.
That said, in your case, you may get a better response by writing a nice letter (and do come up with a plausible excuse for your son's lack of travel).
That said, in your case, you may get a better response by writing a nice letter (and do come up with a plausible excuse for your son's lack of travel).
Dec 8, 2015, 5:45 pm
#7
Original Poster
Join Date: May 2005
Posts: 4,736
He's 15, so no, he shouldn't be the one dealing with this.
The gap in his WN travel is because all the flying he's done since then was on award tickets on other airlines. Don't think I should mention that to WN when I contact them.
But next month we start visiting colleges, and several of those trips will be by air on routes WN serves, so having the miles back would make me more likely to choose WN for those trips. As they no longer are cheaper than the legacy carriers for most of our travel I'd need incentive to choose them over any other carrier, and the attitude I caught from them this week certainly wouldn't make me choose them.
Dec 8, 2015, 5:46 pm
#8
Original Poster
Join Date: May 2005
Posts: 4,736
Unless I'm missing something, you could have purchased the minimum number of points before your son's points expired. There were any number of ways to get this done, rather than begging and pleading.
That said, in your case, you may get a better response by writing a nice letter (and do come up with a plausible excuse for your son's lack of travel).
That said, in your case, you may get a better response by writing a nice letter (and do come up with a plausible excuse for your son's lack of travel).
Did you mean to be that offensive?
Last edited by CDTraveler; Dec 11, 2015 at 8:47 pm
Dec 8, 2015, 6:09 pm
#9
Join Date: Mar 2011
Posts: 6,286
I'd give the chance of the points being reinstated a less than 5% odds. This is one of the more frequently posted complaints on Facebook, and the reps there have never once to my knowledge replied with anything other than a form "sorry."
Unfortunately, Southwest reps, even at Customer Relations, are less empowered today than they used to be in the past, and many policies are being enforced strictly.
Unfortunately, Southwest reps, even at Customer Relations, are less empowered today than they used to be in the past, and many policies are being enforced strictly.
Dec 8, 2015, 7:23 pm
#11
Join Date: Apr 2012
Location: MLB Spring Training park AZ, USA
Programs: Globallist
Posts: 287
I'd give the chance of the points being reinstated a less than 5% odds. This is one of the more frequently posted complaints on Facebook, and the reps there have never once to my knowledge replied with anything other than a form "sorry."
Unfortunately, Southwest reps, even at Customer Relations, are less empowered today than they used to be in the past, and many policies are being enforced strictly.
Unfortunately, Southwest reps, even at Customer Relations, are less empowered today than they used to be in the past, and many policies are being enforced strictly.
Dec 8, 2015, 10:52 pm
#12
Join Date: Mar 2011
Posts: 6,286
To the people chastising the OP for the son not having a transaction in the 24-month period, please consider the following: Perhaps they were unaware of the 24-month requirement.
1) Southwest's advertising misleadingly states that points "don't expire":
Your points don't expire*
Plan your getaway for next week or next year. Either way, it's no problem since your points no longer have an expiration date.
Plan your getaway for next week or next year. Either way, it's no problem since your points no longer have an expiration date.
2) Unlike most other carriers, Southwest doesn't send any alerts prior to the points expiration date. But they do let you know after the fact, which of course is too late to do anything about it. This likely saves WN money through breakage, but is, on so many levels, stupid.
3) Southwest specifically blocks frequent flyer benefit aggregation sites such as Award Wallet, which would allow customers to more easily track their earned points.
So much for transfarency.
Dec 10, 2015, 11:23 am
#13
Join Date: Apr 2000
Location: san antonio, texas
Programs: 3.2MM AA, 1.4MM UA,StwdLftPlt
Posts: 1,586
I'd say unlikely you will receive much sympathy..I let an award ticket expire several years ago after paying the $50 to extend it once and caught it about a month after expiration. My two inquiries went nowhere.
Dec 10, 2015, 5:28 pm
#14
Join Date: Jan 2015
Location: Mid-MO
Programs: Hilton Honors, Southwest Rapid Rewards
Posts: 66
Unfortunately, it is very unlikely.
Start by writing a letter to customer service. Then escalate it up the chain to corporate office asking nicely. Explain tha son is 15, and getting ready to begin visiting colleges, and that you look forward to a long relationship with Southwest as he attends college in another state.
After this, make sure you either purchase points every months or buy something via rapid reward shopping portal every 21 months to keep his points active. We've bought points before when ours were about to expire on a young person, and a small amount of purchased points meant an award ticket to the grandparents was covered.
Start by writing a letter to customer service. Then escalate it up the chain to corporate office asking nicely. Explain tha son is 15, and getting ready to begin visiting colleges, and that you look forward to a long relationship with Southwest as he attends college in another state.
After this, make sure you either purchase points every months or buy something via rapid reward shopping portal every 21 months to keep his points active. We've bought points before when ours were about to expire on a young person, and a small amount of purchased points meant an award ticket to the grandparents was covered.
Dec 11, 2015, 8:53 pm
#15
Original Poster
Join Date: May 2005
Posts: 4,736
Sorry, but I can't understand what you're trying to say here or the point you're trying to make.
To the people chastising the OP for the son not having a transaction in the 24-month period, please consider the following: Perhaps they were unaware of the 24-month requirement.
1) Southwest's advertising misleadingly states that points "don't expire":
Only when you read the small print is it disclosed that points do in fact expire, and that there is in fact an expiration date. (*Points dont expire as long as you have flight or Partner earning activity every 24 months.)
2) Unlike most other carriers, Southwest doesn't send any alerts prior to the points expiration date. But they do let you know after the fact, which of course is too late to do anything about it. This likely saves WN money through breakage, but is, on so many levels, stupid.
3) Southwest specifically blocks frequent flyer benefit aggregation sites such as Award Wallet, which would allow customers to more easily track their earned points.
So much for transfarency.
To the people chastising the OP for the son not having a transaction in the 24-month period, please consider the following: Perhaps they were unaware of the 24-month requirement.
1) Southwest's advertising misleadingly states that points "don't expire":
Only when you read the small print is it disclosed that points do in fact expire, and that there is in fact an expiration date. (*Points dont expire as long as you have flight or Partner earning activity every 24 months.)
2) Unlike most other carriers, Southwest doesn't send any alerts prior to the points expiration date. But they do let you know after the fact, which of course is too late to do anything about it. This likely saves WN money through breakage, but is, on so many levels, stupid.
3) Southwest specifically blocks frequent flyer benefit aggregation sites such as Award Wallet, which would allow customers to more easily track their earned points.
So much for transfarency.