I am sorry if this SW change has been discussed already but I can't find anything about it in a search. I've been flying SWA for over 13 yrs., long-time RR members, RR credit cardholder, etc. New CP holder since summer.
The one aspect I have always loved about booking with SWA points is how easy it is to cancel a flight or change flights and if you get a better rate or need to cancel, points simply return to your bank.
Well dh and I have a flight booked for this weekend on points and I am booked on a companion pass, which is relatively new to us. I do know that to make changes to a ticket with a companion, one must cancel the companion first, make the changes, then add the companion. Fine. When I booked the flight in dh's name, I only bought EBCI for him, in case I need to cancel my CP and change/rebook dh's ticket. When I noticed a price drop, I began the change process and a big alert popped up warning me that if I change flights, it will convert to non-refundable fare. Which means if I need to cancel or change again in the future, those points will not go back to our bank. ugh! When did this start?
I discovered this while making changes for ds17 who is also flying next weekend but going with a friend's family to WDW, hence our mad dash to have a childless escape anywhere in FL.
Unfortunately, I've been battling a longer than expected illness (mono with reactive arthritis) and I could probably drag myself there but I'm really not myself. The fatigue is awful; like I am trying to swim in a pool of shampoo, and I've been out of work since early December.
So before I got sick, I had already made a change to this flight so these points are now non-refundable. Since I already paid for RT EBCI, I'd hate to cancel the reservation and I only have a few more days to do SOMETHING with it.
If I change it to a lower-priced flight for now until we figure out when we can actually fly, do I still retain my original # of points that are "locked in"? If I change it to a cheaper flight now, let's say in May, and then perhaps in March when I'm feeling better and I move it to a March flight, do my original "locked in" points stay with that confirmation #?
I don't mind if we end up flying a more expensive flight; we have a lot of points. I just want to make sure we don't somehow "lose" points as we make changes.
Lesson learned. Next time I will not book EBCI until a week prior so if I want to make a change, I will simply cancel and rebook. Also I am going back to my old way of booking separate one way tickets. RT makes everything more complicated.
Thanks for any tips, feedback, advice...