Susan4

Just cancelled a flight booked with points. In the past, I chose option to refund tax to payment method. This option seems to be no longer available. Funds held for future use. No big deal but a bother to enter conf # and name to use funds. At least recent change makes funds easy to find.

oceanbreeez

I still see the option for refund to original payment method when cancelling flights booked with points. Are you certain that you didn't use travel funds for the tax when you booked the reservation? When I use travel funds for the tax, it doesn't give me another option since that is the original payment method.

dmbolp

I never use travel funds for taxes or fees, just use a cc, and if cancel I always have the taxes/fees go back to the cc. Don't want to bother with a bunch of $5.60 travel funds.

dmbolp

Also, made multiple cancels/re-bookings today, had no problem getting the fees refunded back to the cc

Susan4

Thanks for getting back to me. I do not remember using travel funds, but possible. Glad refund to cc is still available.

dlaue

I have experienced the same issue when rebooking companion pass reservations. Not 100% of the time, but it does happen.

geo979

I have cancelled MANY MANY points-booked flights for both myself and my companion over time. I always have the $5.60 refunded to the credit card. I have never seen a case where the option to refund to the credit card was not allowed as an option.

storewanderer

I canceled one just now and it allowed a refund to initial payment method (credit card) for the 5.60 and refunded the points back just like always.

dlaue

So have I over as many years as the companion pass has been available. The disappearance of the refund option has only occurred in the last 6 months or so. And it has only occurred ~ 20% of the time.

geo979

Well, I have probably cancelled at least 30 flights in the last 6 months. The refund option was available on 100% of those cancelled flights. I strongly suspect human error is involved in your ~20% of flights.

joshua362

FWIW, it is very easy to miss the refund option, the default is to hold as travel funds and IIRC there is a lot on the page to look at and confirm at the same time. Very easy to pass it by, likely by design

SWAVictor

Actually, if the funds are refundable, there is no default. You must choose one or the other.

If the funds are non-refundable, then there is no choice and its defaulted to hold.

geo979

This has been my experience as well for refundable flights. If you "forget" to check whether you want a refund or whether you want to apply the funds to a future flight, the system will give an error message and ask you to decide which way you want the funds applied. There is no default. You must consciously pick one way or the other.

SWAVictor

Correct, its a required field and is not defaulted, so the cancel will error out until you make a choice of what to do with refundable funds.

FindAWay

I will add another datapoint that Southwest erroneously fails to present an option for refunds on taxes/fees on points bookings.

Here are my 2 datapoints from today:

Flight #1: USA-HOU-CUN scheduled for 11/xx/2022
Booked 4/yy/2022
Payment: 6,333 points + $36.57 by Chase Visa credit card (x2 - 2 passenger itinerary)
----no schedule changes and no changes made (i.e., itinerary untouched since booking)---
9/7/2022: Navigated to "My Trips" selected "cancel" on trip and no option presented for refund....only that funds would be held for future use.

Flight #2: CUN-HOU-USA scheduled for 11/zz/2022
Booked 4/yy/2022
Payment: 2,615 points + $61.69 by Chase Visa credit card (x2 - 2 passenger itinerary)
----no schedule changes and no changes made (i.e., itinerary untouched since booking)---
9/7/2022: Navigated to "My Trips" selected "cancel" on trip and no option presented for refund....only that funds would be held for future use.