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Alaska Airlines Credit for Cancellation

grgs

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I had 6 tickets booked for Maui on Alaska for a trip scheduled for May 25-June 4. The total was approx. $2400. This is there currently policy:

If you purchased a Saver fare for travel through May 31, 2020, you may:
I have a few questions, andI hope some of you may know some of the answers to them:

1. Am I to assume that I can only cancel the flight out (May 25) and receive a deposit back in my account? Unless something changes, am I out the return fare?

2. Is there an advantage to having the funds go in "My Account Wallet"? Or, is it better to receive a credit certificate?

3. Do the "My Account Wallet" funds have to be used by the same people on the original flight? Is it the same situation for a credit certificate?

I did look at the Alaska website, but I didn't see clear answers to these questions.

Thanks!
 

mjm1

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I spoke with them recently as we cancelled an upcoming flight. The rep told me that the advantage of receiving the credit certificate, which you receive via email, is that you can use it yourself or have someone else use it in their account. If you have it placed in your wallet then you can only use it in your account. Otherwise there is no difference. I opted to receive the certificate, which is just a code in one email and then a PIN in another email. Just make sure to keep track of it. Also note that it acts just like a gift card, so you don't have to use it all at once. Of course there is also an expiration date, which is one year from the date you originally booked your flight. You don't have to fly by that date, but you have to use it by then.

Best regards.

Mike
 

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I have a lot of experience with cancellations and changes on Alaska. I will pass on what I understand, with the proviso that you should confirm anything with Alaska Air. My comments are added to your post in bold red. I will answer in some detail. I apologize in advance if I'm being too detailed for your purposes.
I had 6 tickets booked for Maui on Alaska for a trip scheduled for May 25-June 4. The total was approx. $2400. This is there currently policy:

If you purchased a Saver fare for travel through May 31, 2020, you may:
I have a few questions, andI hope some of you may know some of the answers to them:

1. Am I to assume that I can only cancel the flight out (May 25) and receive a deposit back in my account? Unless something changes, am I out the return fare?

Everything is keyed to the confirmation code. If you booked as a round trip flight, so that outbound and return have the same confirmation code, then when you cancel all flights on that confirmation code would be cancelled and redeposited. If your outbound and return are booked separately, with different confirmation codes, that each flight will need to be cancelled individually.

2. Is there an advantage to having the funds go in "My Account Wallet"? Or, is it better to receive a credit certificate?

That depends - but most of the time it will be preferable to have the funds put into your wallet.

In either case, the funds will need to be used within one year. To have funds put in "My Account Wallet" requires that you have an Alaska Airlines on-line account, which will be tied to an Alaska Airlines frequent flyer account number. To use wallet funds, you need to log in to your account on-line (or through the call center using your account number).

After logging in, when you make a reservation and proceed to payment, you should see an option to apply wallet funds to the purchase. If you agree, the wallet funds will be applied to your purchase. If the purchase exceeds wallet funds you will be asked for a CC for the balance of the purchase. If the purchase is less than wallet funds, wallet funds will be applied, and the excess will remain in your wallet. At present, there seems to be no option to specify the amount of wallet funds to be applied.

A credit certificate is more useful if you want to give the refund to someone else. If you request a credit certificate, you will receive two separate emails. One will contain the credit certificate number. The other will contain a PIN for the credit certificate. So if you want someone else to receive the credit, you send them the credit certificate number and the PIN. That person can then use the certificate for whatever purposes they wish on the Alaska Airlines website.

If you want to use the credit yourself, there is no reason to ask for a credit certificate in lieu of having the funds deposited to your wallet. Only ask for a credit certificate if you think you may want to transfer the credit to someone else.


3. Do the "My Account Wallet" funds have to be used by the same people on the original flight? Is it the same situation for a credit certificate? No. Once the funds are in your "Wallet" they are available for any travel arrangements you complete while logged in to your account. You don't have to be the passenger. And once the funds are deposited into your wallet it doesn't make any difference how those funds arrived in your wallet. They are simply like cash in your wallet (but with a one-year expiration date), available for use in lieu of credit card.

Same thing applies with a credit certificate. If paying with a credit certificate, anyone who has the certificate number and the PIN can apply funds to the purchase.


I did look at the Alaska website, but I didn't see clear answers to these questions.

Thanks!
 

Luanne

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@T_R_Oglodyte I have one question about when you have to use the wallet funds, or credit. Do you have one year from date of the original booking? Does that mean you have to travel by then, or just make your next reservation by then?
 

T_R_Oglodyte

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As Mike noted above, the certificate must be used within 12 months of the data of initial travel of initial ticket issuance (or 30 after certificate issuance, if that is longer). That means new purchase made. See below for all of the terms and conditions. (edited to correct info. Thanks to @Luanne below for pointing out the error.)

 
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Luanne

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As Mike noted above, the certificate must be used within 12 months of the data of initial travel (or 30 after certificate issuance, if that is longer). That means new purchase made. See below for all of the terms and conditions.

Your credit certificate will remain valid for 12 months from the issuance date of your original ticket, or 30 days from the date of exchange or cancellation, whichever is greater.

I posted this because it contradicts what you said about the certificate needing to be used within 12 months of the date of initial travel.
 
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If you aren’t planning to reschedule your flights soon it might be better to wait a little. If ANY leg of a reservation is cancelled by the airline they have to give you a full refund if you request. If you get notification (email, text, etc) that the details of your flight have changed and any flight #’s are different they re-booked you on a different flight. Have them check to see if its because they cancelled it. I just got off the phone with Alaska Airlines after receiving such an email and they are refunding all our tickets and reinstated the companion pass that was used. If the companion pass has expired they’re extending the expiration date. Our companion pass is still good until the end of the year so I wasn’t paying close attention, but I believe it’s extended for a year.
 

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I went into the Alaska Airlines website to see what my options would be if I cancelled the tickets. These are my choices:

Select cancellation option



Deposit the value of the tickets as credit into My Wallet.
  • You are eligible for credit in My Wallet without any cancellation fees. Credit may be used for eligible flight purchases.
  • Credit expires October 25, 2020.

Email the ticket value as credit.
  • You are eligible to receive credit certificates by email without any cancellation fees. Credit may be used for eligible flight purchases.
  • Credit expires October 25, 2020.

Email the canceled ticket numbers and use later to retrieve the value.
  • Pay nothing today. At the time your ticket is exchanged for a new one, a per person change fee of $125 USD may apply, plus any difference in fare and taxes.
  • Save the ticket numbers you receive by email. You may use the value toward travel completed by May 22, 2021.

So from this is looks like my most flexible option would be the third one, to email the canceled ticket numbers and use later. The one question I still have it, when the other options say the credit expires October 25, 2020 does that mean travel has to be complete by that date, or just that a new trip needs to be booked by that date?
 

Talent312

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If you aren’t planning to reschedule your flights soon it might be better to wait a little. If ANY leg of a reservation is cancelled by the airline they have to give you a full refund if you request.

I unfortunately jumped on a waiver offered by Delta.
I requested it online, and was startled when "customer care" called.

The rep I spoke with was nice and agreeable (like a TS salesman).
I should'a said, "No, I'll take my chances."
Now, I'm sitting on a credit, with nowhere to go.

.





.
 

Luanne

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I unfortunately jumped on a waiver offered by Delta.
I requested it online, and was startled when "customer care" called.

The rep I spoke with was nice and agreeable (like a TS salesman).
I should'a said, "No, I'll take my chances."
Now, I'm sitting on a credit, with nowhere to go.

.





.
And this is why I am waiting to the last possible moment to do anything about my Alaska Airlines flight. I read that they are cutting 70% of their flights to Seattle. I'm just hoping we are affected by this.
 

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Email the canceled ticket numbers and use later to retrieve the value.
  • Pay nothing today. At the time your ticket is exchanged for a new one, a per person change fee of $125 USD may apply, plus any difference in fare and taxes.
  • Save the ticket numbers you receive by email. You may use the value toward travel completed by May 22, 2021.

So from this is looks like my most flexible option would be the third one, to email the canceled ticket numbers and use later. The one question I still have it, when the other options say the credit expires October 25, 2020 does that mean travel has to be complete by that date, or just that a new trip needs to be booked by that date?
Pay attention to that potential $125 exchange fee.

I'm pretty sure the requirement is that your purchase a trip by the expiration date. When the credit is issued (whether in your wallet or as credit certificate, an expiration date is assigned based on the date of issuance of the original ticket. After that it's divorced from the original flight details. Just use the credit by the expiration date.
 

Luanne

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Pay attention to that potential $125 exchange fee.

I'm pretty sure the requirement is that your purchase a trip by the expiration date. When the credit is issued (whether in your wallet or as credit certificate, an expiration date is assigned based on the date of issuance of the original ticket. After that it's divorced from the original flight details. Just use the credit by the expiration date.
If the requirement is to purchase the trip by the expiration date I'm okay with that. But if I have to take the trip before then, I'm not. We think we can use the credit for a flight to Maui next March. I'd like to call and ask someone, but I don't really want to try to call at this point since most airlines are asking that you not unless you are traveling within the next 72 hours. Also still hoping the flight will be changed or cancelled so I can get a full refund.
 

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Thanks everyone for your input! The information has been very helpful!
 

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I reached out to Alaska Airlines on Facebook with my question and they got back to me right away. I'm a happy camper.

Me: I don't want to try and call and take up time with your agents right now, but I do have a question I hope you can help with. We have tickets for a flight to Seattle at the end of May 2020. We have cancelled that trip. I haven't cancelled, or charged the tickets yet as I am confused about my options. I know I can change with no penalty, book looks like the trip would need to be taken by February 28, 2021. If I put the money into my wallet I have until October 25, 2020 to use those funds. Does that mean the new flights need to be taken by October, or does it just mean that the new flights need to be booked by then? The same question applies if I take a credit for later use.


    • Alaska Airlines
      Author
      Alaska Airlines Great question, you have 1 year from your booking to purchase a new flight with those funds. You can travel after that -Julie
 

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I am waiting until the last minute as well for an end of may trip. I can cancel now without penalty but would lose my companion certificate. It sounds like if I wait and they cancel, I will receive a replacement.
 

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I am waiting until the last minute as well for an end of may trip. I can cancel now without penalty but would lose my companion certificate. It sounds like if I wait and they cancel, I will receive a replacement.
I'm in the same boat. I really don't remember what they said about companion fares right now. But if I lose that, I lose that. That's the least of my worries at this point.
 

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When I have had to cancel a flight that was booked with a confirmation certificate, I have always received a new companion certificate. The new certificate has the same expiration date as the previous one, so no extension in time. But I've always received a new certificate.
 

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When I have had to cancel a flight that was booked with a confirmation certificate, I have always received a new companion certificate. The new certificate has the same expiration date as the previous one, so no extension in time. But I've always received a new certificate.
I couldn't find anything on the Alaska Airlines site, but I did find this on another travel site:

You cannot cancel your ticket without losing the companion fare.
Alaska has a pretty generous cancellation policy. MVP Gold and 75K elite members can change their ticket at any time without penalty. (This benefit does not carry over to non-elite and regular MVP members in the same reservation; they need to pay $125.) However, canceling a ticket will lose the companion fare discount.
 

T_R_Oglodyte

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From the Companion Fare Certificate Terms and Conditions:

Changes and Refunds: Changes and refunds are allowed per the applicable fare rule and may result in the forfeiture of the Discount Code.

So it sounds as if there might be some discretion. Under the circumstances I would think Alaska would be generous in returning the discount code if the travel was cancelled due to COVID-19. That being said, the Companion Fare certificate program is really run by BofA, and not Alaska.
 

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From the Companion Fare Certificate Terms and Conditions:

Changes and Refunds: Changes and refunds are allowed per the applicable fare rule and may result in the forfeiture of the Discount Code.

So it sounds as if there might be some discretion. Under the circumstances I would think Alaska would be generous in returning the discount code if the travel was cancelled due to COVID-19. That being said, the Companion Fare certificate program is really run by BofA, and not Alaska.
You said in your earlier post that you've always gotten the companion fare back. So it sounds like those cancellations were even before COVID-19?
 

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When I spoke with a rep recently she told me they would residue the companion certificate. That appears to go against their stated policy, but maybe they do have flexibility. I hope so. I won’t be cancelling our flight for a while, so it will be interesting to see what actually happens for us and others in that situation.

Best regards.

Mike
 

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You said in your earlier post that you've always gotten the companion fare back. So it sounds like those cancellations were even before COVID-19?
Yes. One that I specific recall is when we had a change in plans due to a death in the family.

I have a foggy recollection that there has been at least one other, which was more related to change in plans.
 

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Be prepared to wait until close to the last minute if you want the best solution on this issue. Alaska and all the other airlines want you and everyone else to cancel and take a credit. They have a very easy process to do this online. They want to conserve cash and not issue you a refund. However, they are required to issue you a refund to your original method of payment if they cancel your flight. For almost all flyers a cash refund is the best option. Some airlines are even offering incentives to take a credit instead of a refund(I have seen up to 30% extra mentioned on Flyertalk).

As an example, I have a flight to Kona from PDX on April 16th currently in place. I know I am not going. Alaska knows they are not going either. If you try to buy a ticket for that date the Alaska site shows they have no flights on any route to get me from PDX to KOA on that date as all those flights are cancelled. They have not told me they have cancelled the flight as they want me to cancel and take a credit. I haven't told them I want to cancel my trip as I want them to admit the flight is cancelled and refund my money. We are waiting each other out. Most flyers will take the credit as they don't realize they could be eligible for a refund. I hope this helps. Don
 

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Be prepared to wait until close to the last minute if you want the best solution on this issue. Alaska and all the other airlines want you and everyone else to cancel and take a credit. They have a very easy process to do this online. They want to conserve cash and not issue you a refund. However, they are required to issue you a refund to your original method of payment if they cancel your flight. For almost all flyers a cash refund is the best option. Some airlines are even offering incentives to take a credit instead of a refund(I have seen up to 30% extra mentioned on Flyertalk).

As an example, I have a flight to Kona from PDX on April 16th currently in place. I know I am not going. Alaska knows they are not going either. If you try to buy a ticket for that date the Alaska site shows they have no flights on any route to get me from PDX to KOA on that date as all those flights are cancelled. They have not told me they have cancelled the flight as they want me to cancel and take a credit. I haven't told them I want to cancel my trip as I want them to admit the flight is cancelled and refund my money. We are waiting each other out. Most flyers will take the credit as they don't realize they could be eligible for a refund. I hope this helps. Don
Only thing is with my flight from ABQ to SEA at the end of May Alaska Airlines is still showing that flight available. So we are playing the waiting game.
 

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When I went in for my May 23rd flight booked on a companion certificate and started the cancellation process (also a saver Fare), I clicked on cancel, and it gave me an option to deposit funds to wallet or certificate and there was a checkbox that stated that I acknowledge that the companion certificate would be forfeited

Confirm and continue
By continuing with the cancellation, I am forfeiting my companion fare discount code and will not be able to use it toward future travel.
Proceeding with this cancellation will forfeit future use of the companion fare discount code that was applied to your original ticket. I agree to the requested changes and understand that my Bank of America companion fare discount code will no longer be valid for future travel.About Proceeding with this Cancellation

* I agree to forfeit my companion fare discount code.

I am hoping that flight will be canceled so I will get it back
.
 
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