Beware When Buying Airline Gift Cards

Jenn: [00:00:00] Hello, everyone, and welcome back to Travel Tip Tuesday with the Travel Mug Podcast. Today, Meggan, we have a bit of a beware story that I

Meggan: Spooky

Jenn: I know. I stumbled upon this one in one of the travel groups on Facebook that I am in, and it relates to buying airline gift cards. So especially with the holidays coming up faster than you think is possible, you may think that buying airline gift cards are a great gift for your travel-loving pals, and it probably is.

But I just read a story about someone trying to use multiple Air Canada gift cards for a flight, only to learn that they can only use two gift cards for one flight booking, and those two gift cards must cover the entire cost of the flight. Uh, so they ended up having to use one gift card and paying for the rest of their tickets on a- their credit card, which is not ideal if you think you have enough gift cards to cover your [00:01:00] whole flight.

Meggan: Nothing is ever ideal when you think you have something paid for and you don't

Jenn: you don't. Yeah, it's a big problem. So I looked into it and it seems like many airlines have a similar policy. So for instance, WestJet, you can use up to three different payment types, uh, or methods, but only one credit card, so you can't pay on two different credit cards and a gift card or something like that. Delta actually allows you to use up to five, certificates or e-credits or gifts for the initial purchase of a ticket, so they give you a little bit more options. And for Southwest, uh, they have a maximum of three gift cards per passenger, per reservation, as long as the three gift cards cover the whole purchase. If not, then you can use two gift cards plus a credit card.

Meggan: Okay

Jenn: I know, it gets a little bit complicated, but it is something to keep in mind if you've been, like, saving up gift cards for a [00:02:00] flight. Um, you know, if you have like a big expensive flight coming up and, you know, four or five people have given you a gift card to help you pay for it, you might not be able to use it depending on the airline. So it is just something to know. Meggan, have you ever used a gift card for a flight?

Meggan: No, but nor have I ever really considered a gift card for a flight. Obviously we're all aware of gift cards, but I never really even thought of them for flights or really even knew they existed. I mean, that's really cool, but you're exactly right though. Like how angry would you be if you thought you had this covered?

So that, this is a really, really great tip, but I mean, if you get a gift card for a flight, someone really loves you. Good for you

Jenn: I know, I know. But yeah, just something to be aware of and to keep in mind this gift-giving season. So that is it, for Travel Tip Tuesday this week, a short and sweet one. Let us know on social media if you've ever run into this problem. You can find us on Facebook and Instagram @travelmugpodcast. [00:03:00] Um, if you've ever found one of our episodes helpful, we would really appreciate it if you left us a review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. They really help, uh, travel-loving pals find the show, and we're always looking for new travel-loving pals. Um, you can also support the show through Buy Me A Coffee. We really appreciate that as well. And until next time, don't forget your travel mug, friends