Help with airline credit...Delta

[Stressy]

Wondering if anyone can help with the wording below. I booked a ticket for a relative using Delta's new "Pay with Miles" They were his miles and we booked for his minor child. He paid part cash with his credit card and his miles.
This was in March. Fast foward to today. The child will be unable to go on the trip with us. No problem...we will cancel. I did understand that the miles can not be redeposited..but for 100.00 they will issue a credit for the full price of the ticket less the 100.00 but they wont give the credit to the Father....it has to be in the daughter's name. She won't be flying anywhere in the next year..she is grounded literally and figuratively.

Had this been a true award ticket, we would be paying the fee and having the miles redeposited. Delta is telling me that this is now a revenue ticket even though it could never earn miles and that we have to abide by the rules of the revenue ticket and that means her name for the credit..non transferable.

I guess my question is...do you see anywhere in the t&c's below that would indicate the credit could only be in the passengers name? Does "primary exchange document" indicate anything of that nature and do I have a leg to stand on asking for the credit in the Father's name? So far I have struck out with two reps...but one did suggest I email corporate.

Thanks for any insight you can offer....Pat (Camachinist) are you out there????









Refunds/Reissues:
Except for tickets refunded under Delta's Risk Free Cancellation policy, miles redeemed with Pay with Miles cannot be re-deposited in the member's SkyMiles Account - even for fully refundable fares. In the event of a ticket being reissued, any residual dollar value between the original price of the ticket purchased using full or partial Pay with Miles and the reissued ticket price, can only be returned as a non refundable e-credit valid for future transportation. E-credit will be valid for 1 year from original Pay with Miles ticket issue date. Residual e-credit value will follow current Delta e-Credit rules and will not be applicable on non-transportation fees. Pay with Miles unused tickets can be used as an e-Credit when it is a primary exchange document. All Pay with Miles terms and conditions will apply to any ticket purchased using an unused Pay with Miles ticket.
In the event of a refund (including fully refundable fares), only the paid portion of a refundable fare will be credited back to the credit card, the Pay with Miles portion of the fare will be returned as non-refundable credit equivalent to the dollar value of the portion of the ticket redeemed with Pay with Miles. Credit may be used to purchase future travel and Pay with Miles terms and conditions will not apply to such tickets.
In the event of a valid ticket cancellation under Delta's Risk Free Cancellation policy, Pay with Miles portion of the fare will be redeposited into the member's SkyMiles account and the paid portion of the fare will be credited back to the credit card.

[Carolinian]

DL's new ''pay with miles'' scheme is not something positive for the consumer, but I suspect before too long, it will be the only way to use SkyPiles. DL is one of the least consumer-friendly ff programs, and I am up in arms that they want to hijack my NW Worldperks miles, a far more customer-friendly program.

[Dave M]

I think you are stuck.

Other than the aspects related to the FF miles, that wording mimics much of the wording for many non-refundable fares. The airline does not allow you to transfer the residual value of any non-refundable ticket to someone other than the original passenger.

The wording you have highlighted in red merely means that the residual ticket value can be exchanged for that value in payment for a new ticket for the minor child. To allow otherwise would essentially be allowing a refund for the minor child and payment for a new ticket for someone else.

You can continue to try, but it's a long uphill battle.

I don't agree with Carolinian. The Pay-with-Miles program is a benefit, which can be very effective at reducing the out-of-pocket cost for some tickets, even when free award tickets are not available. It's available only to those who hold a specific credit card. And there is no requirement to use it. Those who don't find it useful can ignore it.

[Stressy]

Originally Posted by Dave M

I think you are stuck.

Other than the aspects related to the FF miles, that wording mimics much of the wording for many non-refundable fares. The airline does not allow you to transfer the residual value of any non-refundable ticket to someone other than the original passenger.

The wording you have highlighted in red merely means that the residual ticket value can be exchanged for that value in payment for a new ticket for the minor child. To allow otherwise would essentially be allowing a refund for the minor child and payment for a new ticket for someone else.

You can continue to try, but it's a long uphill battle.

I don't agree with Carolinian. The Pay-with-Miles program is a benefit, which can be very effective at reducing the out-of-pocket cost for some tickets, even when free award tickets are not available. It's available only to those who hold a specific credit card. And there is no requirement to use it. Those who don't find it useful can ignore it.

Thanks Dave.

I had the Mother email me the ticket confirmation this morning and it is all pretty much laid out. The good news is they will receive a credit so the miles were actually turned in to cash/credit...bad news is they probably won't use it. Glass half full-they only lost a little cash and the rest is miles....I'll have to present it that way

[SuzanneSLO]

Another couple of possibilities may exist.

First, if the cancellation is due to a documented medical issue, DL may be more lenient and at least allow the credit to be used for a ticket issued in another family memebr's name (and then again, they may not be).

Second, on AA, you must use the credit towards a ticket for the original passenger, but any remaining balance will be issued as a voucher and can be used to book a flight for another passenger. I recently was able to use a credit towards 2 tickets, one for me and one for my DH, because the credit was bigger than the price of a single ticket. If this is DL policy (and I don't know if it is), possibly a cheap 1 way ticket could be purchased for the minor child and the balance would then be available for booking another flight for a different passenger. Yes, more $$ lost, but at least not everything.

Best of luck -- Suzanne

[Talent312]

Originally Posted by Stressy

I had the Mother email me the ticket confirmation this morning and it is all pretty much laid out. The good news is they will receive a credit so the miles were actually turned in to cash/credit...bad news is they probably won't use it. Glass half full-they only lost a little cash and the rest is miles....I'll have to present it that way

I could be wrong, but it seems to me that, since they have only her name and not other identifying infomation, in theory, someone could legally change their name to the name on the ticket/voucher, obtain an ID in that name and thereby use the ticket/voucher.

You might find other such "great" ideas from poster to the rec.travel.air newsgroup or www.flyertalk.com

[Stressy]

Originally Posted by SuzanneSLO

Another couple of possibilities may exist.

First, if the cancellation is due to a documented medical issue, DL may be more lenient and at least allow the credit to be used for a ticket issued in another family memebr's name (and then again, they may not be).

Second, on AA, you must use the credit towards a ticket for the original passenger, but any remaining balance will be issued as a voucher and can be used to book a flight for another passenger. I recently was able to use a credit towards 2 tickets, one for me and one for my DH, because the credit was bigger than the price of a single ticket. If this is DL policy (and I don't know if it is), possibly a cheap 1 way ticket could be purchased for the minor child and the balance would then be available for booking another flight for a different passenger. Yes, more $$ lost, but at least not everything.

Best of luck -- Suzanne

Suzanne,

THANK YOU!!!

This is going to work. I called Delta because I read the ecredits are transferable...well the original ecredit would not be-but any residual balance would be. I get emails all the time for weekend flights in the 59.00 range...I'll book one in her name and then the residual balance can be used for ANYONE!! I'm so glad I asked.