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LUV Vouchers are impossible to use- get a refund instead!

aimeec
Explorer C

I don't know about you all, but I got excited when I was issued LUV Vouchers after being INCREDIBLY patient with a mechanical issue that left me and my significant other stranded in an airport for nearly 5 hours waiting for our connection. I thought, "Great! I've been saving up my points, so I can use these to afford the last bit for when I fly to my best friend's wedding!" NOPE. You can't combine them with points. You can't redeem them for points. (which are a ripoff anyway, the purchase to spend ratio for point values is INSANE. $200 gets you about 7000 points, but a $226 seat costs you well over 14000 points. I'm never buying points again.)

So I was basically told "Sucks to be you, spend more money that you don't have because you spent it on points."

 

This is awful. DON'T ACCEPT LUV VOUCHERS, Y'ALL. MAKE THEM GIVE YOU YOUR MONEY BACK. or make sure those vouchers are ACTUALLY worth your while and will cover an entire flight. 

5 REPLIES 5

Re: LUV Vouchers are impossible to use- get a refund instead!

TheMiddleSeat
Aviator A

You could have certainly canceled the flight and requested a cash refund because of the delay, but it's unclear how you would have gotten to your destination. Southwest attempted to acknowledge the pain they were imposing on you and offered a voucher as an apology. Seems better than offering nothing? As you mentioned, a LUV voucher is treated like cash and cannot be combined with points to purchase a flight. Also, it's worth mentioning again that purchasing points is never intended to be a method to pay for an entire flight and should only be done when you need just a few more points to top off your existing points balance enough to purchase a flight.

 

If you don't want the LUV voucher I'm sure you could find someone who would appreciate the gift.

 

--TheMiddleSeat

Re: LUV Vouchers are impossible to use- get a refund instead!

bec102896
Aviator A

@aimeec

 

I'm sorry your disappointed with the LUV voucher and how it can be used.

 

LUV vouchers are valid for revenue flight purchases only and it will not cover taxes. You are not able to buy points with the voucher or use it to take some of the cost off a points ticket. 

 

If you got the voucher by email you could see the terms of the voucher on that email which might help you understand the voucher more 

 

Hope this helps

Blake 

Re: LUV Vouchers are impossible to use- get a refund instead!

dfwskier
Aviator A

In addition to what was said above, airlines ( all of 'em) do not give cash in lieu of vouchers - except in the case of involuntary bumping and that is required by law. Even then you have to ask for cash. If you don't ask, you get a voucher.

 

A $100 voucher is the same as $100 cash to you. You just have to spend it at Southwest.

Re: LUV Vouchers are impossible to use- get a refund instead!

elijahbrantley
Aviator A

I personally LUV vouchers!  Any travel I don't have to pay out of pocket for is good travel.  With that said, there is a way you can get creative with "combining" points purchases with cash/voucher purchases: purchase one leg of the trip on points and purchase the return leg of the trip using the voucher.

-A List, Companion Pass holder

Re: LUV Vouchers are impossible to use- get a refund instead!

CareforNOLA
Frequent Flyer A

@aimeec

sorry that it did not work the way you expected.  Did you think about buying two one-way tickets instead of a round trip?  One with voucher, one with points?

 

I have a boat load of travel funds, and figured out that I could use more of them booking tickets that way.  Keep in mind that even using points, there will still be money due for the taxes and fees (typically $5.60 each direction).