New SWA/VISA Promo: $25 off a future flight with $100 southwestgiftcard purchase
Jun 17, 2008, 4:40 pm
#16
Join Date: Dec 2007
Location: Westchester Co, NY or Rio Grande Valley, TX or ???
Programs: BAEC G, WN A-, Hyatt G, HH G, MAR T, Hz PC, was [UA2P, FL A+Elite, BD G]
Posts: 2,278
I'm passing as well - all my expected WN travel for the rest of the current booking window has already been booked.
Jun 20, 2008, 1:56 pm
#17
Moderator, Southwest Airlines and Choice Privileges
Join Date: Mar 2008
Location: Central Texas
Posts: 3,042
Southwest does clearly state on the first page of the purchase process not to expect the gift card to be Emailed immediately. Unfortunately, however, the specific language does not accurately portray the actual situation. Footnote 2 reads: "Due to processing, the southwestgiftcard recipient's e-mail could be generated up to 12 hours after the order is placed" [emphasis added]. The clear impression given by the footnote is that gift card purchases are batch processed, probably twice per day. Thus if you miss a batch deadline by a few minutes it could take 12 hours for the gift card Email to be generated. Under those circumstances one would expect that sometimes the gift card Email would be generated almost immediately and that a normal distribution of processing times would give an average pretty close to six hours. My experience so far suggests there is a roughly 12 hour delay no matter what. Here are the time stamps from a series of gift card purchases between December, 2007 and June, 2008, with the delays shown in parentheses:
11:07 – 22:50 (11:43)
07:47 – 19:45 (11:58)
10:17 – 22:26 (12:09)
10:37 – 22:26 (11:51)
10:17 – 22:25 (12:08)
07:37 – 19:25 (11:48)
I realize that's not enough evidence to "take to court," but it leaves me with a pretty strong impression that there is an intentional 12-hour delay in delivery of gift card Emails. That's fine, but IMO Southwest should be honest and rewrite the footnote to accurately describe the situation. The deception, intentional or otherwise, is an irritant.
07:47 – 19:45 (11:58)
10:17 – 22:26 (12:09)
10:37 – 22:26 (11:51)
10:17 – 22:25 (12:08)
07:37 – 19:25 (11:48)
Jun 27, 2008, 1:35 pm
#19
Moderator, Southwest Airlines and Choice Privileges
Join Date: Mar 2008
Location: Central Texas
Posts: 3,042
Interesting idea. The $25 incentive may make it worthwhile, but most folks should take into account that it is usually best to pay the fees for CP or award tickets with a credit card. The fees are refundable if paid by credit card. If paid by gift card they can't be put back on the gift card, so they'll become "locked in" to a one year expiry.
Most regulars on this board would not have trouble using up $5 of funds, except for the hassles that come into play due to the limit of applying a maximum of two PNR balances to a single purchase.
Most regulars on this board would not have trouble using up $5 of funds, except for the hassles that come into play due to the limit of applying a maximum of two PNR balances to a single purchase.
Jun 28, 2008, 5:42 am
#20
Join Date: May 2003
Location: VA
Programs: Marriott: LTP
Posts: 390
Interesting idea. The $25 incentive may make it worthwhile, but most folks should take into account that it is usually best to pay the fees for CP or award tickets with a credit card. The fees are refundable if paid by credit card. If paid by gift card they can't be put back on the gift card, so they'll become "locked in" to a one year expiry.
I think the the biggest incentive to use a GC is when you are making multiple CP purchases at the same time. If you use funds from a GC for your $ 5.00 CP purchase, you won't have the fraud alert from you CC company freeze your CC whilst you are in the middle of making your travel reservations.^
Jun 28, 2008, 2:24 pm
#21
Moderator, Southwest Airlines and Choice Privileges
Join Date: Mar 2008
Location: Central Texas
Posts: 3,042
Apparently, yes, even a fully refundable fare, Anytime or BS, purchased with a GC gets locked in to a one year expiry.
Excerpted from the T&C.
A southwestgiftcard redeemed for travel is not refundable and will be held as travel funds if travel is not taken. All held travel funds must be used and travel taken within 12 months of the original reservation date.
Jul 1, 2008, 5:05 pm
#22
Join Date: Jun 2007
Programs: CO-plat, SPG-plat
Posts: 1,655
how do I obtain my discount code?
I used my Visa to purchase a $100 WN giftcard on June 26 and have not yet received my discount code. Do I need to fill out a form to obtain my $25 discount code? I would like to book my flight as soon as possible. Thanks!
Jul 1, 2008, 9:05 pm
#23
Join Date: Jul 2001
Posts: 1,755
Per the T&C's: "The $25 fare discount will be sent via e-mail to the Visa cardmember's account. A valid e-mail address is required to receive the discount. Allow four weeks after the conclusion of the promotion to receive the discount."
Jul 1, 2008, 10:44 pm
#24
Join Date: Jun 2007
Programs: CO-plat, SPG-plat
Posts: 1,655
Regardless, thanks for your quick response and help! I can stop wondering now
Jul 2, 2008, 6:38 am
#25
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Sep 2002
Location: Chicagoland, IL, USA
Programs: WN CP, Hilton Diamond
Posts: 14,202
How do they square the "4 weeks after the conclusion of the promotion" for the issuance of the discount code with the eligibility period of use?:
""Purchase must be made between July 1, 2008 and August 30, 2008 for travel August 18, 2008 through November 19, 2008."
How do you book with a discount in July if you don't get the code until July 28? Uhhhhhh...
Or is this inartfully worded and we get the code soon, but the discount only comes in 4 weeks, via VISA credit or something? I have never heard of a "discount being sent via email to an account."
Geeeeez, somebody didn't think this one out too well. SWABrian, tell them not to bother next time.
Last edited by toomanybooks; Jul 2, 2008 at 6:49 am
Jul 2, 2008, 4:45 pm
#26
Moderator, Southwest Airlines and Choice Privileges
Join Date: Mar 2008
Location: Central Texas
Posts: 3,042
What doesn't make sense is the particular collection of restrictions. Officially the purchase window opens July 1, but we are told to allow four weeks after 30-June for distribution of the discount code Emails. I hope I'm wrong but I somehow suspect it will be awfully close to a full four weeks before the codes arrive. That would effectively leave a 28-Jul to 30-Aug purchase window for travel 18-Aug to 19-Nov.
Jul 19, 2008, 9:22 am
#28
Moderator, Southwest Airlines and Choice Privileges
Join Date: Mar 2008
Location: Central Texas
Posts: 3,042
Capacity controls on the discount???
Codes received here the afternoon of 18-Jul as well. Presumably it was planned that way with the first valid travel date being 18-Aug.
I've stayed away from the boards for a few days while working on an experiment (and also out of fear of being sent to a twelve-step program for ft addicts
), but had to drop by to post this question for Brian: Why does the system appear to be applying capacity controls to use of this coupon? The T&C mentioned it could not be used on Senior, Anytime and BS fares, but neither my memory nor my quick scans of my Emails and the postings above turn up mention of capacity controls. Yet I have seen several cases of "Unavailable" being shown for the discounted fare even though WGA fares are available.
I've stayed away from the boards for a few days while working on an experiment (and also out of fear of being sent to a twelve-step program for ft addicts
), but had to drop by to post this question for Brian: Why does the system appear to be applying capacity controls to use of this coupon? The T&C mentioned it could not be used on Senior, Anytime and BS fares, but neither my memory nor my quick scans of my Emails and the postings above turn up mention of capacity controls. Yet I have seen several cases of "Unavailable" being shown for the discounted fare even though WGA fares are available.