WWYD about flight credits

[mbcdefg]

I booked a flight very early in 2020, then had to cancel it in the spring because of COVID. I now have a $290 United credit and can’t get a refund. I’m not nuts about flying right now - or at all, really - but I also don’t really want to eat the fee if I can help it. I have to book something by March and travel by December to retain the credit.

I don’t have any loved ones who I’d need a plane trip to visit, I don’t want a solo trip, and I don’t have any girlfriends I could take a trip with - so I’m looking at places I could go with MH and DD. MH is a teacher so his travel time is limited to July-August, or the first week of November during teachers’ convention. DD turns 5 in mid-June so she’ll get her first COVID vaccine by then unless they approve it sooner for under-5. We live right by Newark Airport (EWR) so we’d fly out of there. Obviously $290 won’t completely cover three RT tickets to most places but we’re not looking to spend a ton OOP.

Any suggestions on where we could go? We like big cities and sightseeing. If we pick a summer date we don’t want to go somewhere super hot. DD is pretty easygoing when we travel, but we need a destination where we can get around by walking or public transit (including the airport) since we won’t have a car and Ubers likely won’t have a car seat.

MH and I have been to San Francisco, PDX, Seattle, Portland ME, Chicago, and Vegas, plus places drivable from the NYC area (not looking to fly anywhere under ~6 hours’ drive from EWR). MH suggested NOLA in November since we’ve never been there - any input on how it is for small kids, and how COVID has affected things there? We have no desire to even think about Florida or Disney right now.

I’m also wondering if it’s better to just offer the credit to my sister, who is child-free and is much less concerned with travel during COVID than MH and I are. She still masks/vaxxed and follows guidelines and such, but she’s not as worried about it and has flown a few times in the past couple years without thinking twice. I don’t want to waste the credit but I also don’t want to spend the whole trip worrying.

Thanks for any thoughts.

[noodleoo]

You should come to Boston! Summer and fall are beautiful up here. It’s a small city, so easy to navigate by walking or taking the subway. We have a great children's museum, aquarium, and museum of science. But we love just walking through the parks in the summer, the waterfront (which both the aquarium and children's museum are on), Faneuil Hall, the freedom trail, etc, etc. Hotels might be expensive though.

[purplepenguin7]

Would your sister pay you (maybe split it?) if you gave it to her? If yes, I would do that. It sounds like booking something might be more stressful than losing the money. It’s not a small amount but it sounds like it might be worth your own sanity just to forfeit it.

If you do want to use it here are some suggestions: Nashville, Savannah, Charleston, Raleigh/Durham, Denver/boulder. I took my 3 year old to Sedona and the Grand Canyon and it was gorgeous. 5 might be a hard age for that though. My 3 yo was too little to complain and we just threw her in the stroller if she was tired. Some of these might be too hot for July/august but Sedona is much cooler than Phoenix so might not be too bad.

[sent]

If I was in this situation, I'd give it to your sister. EWR is my home airport also and we have no plans to fly with the kids anytime soon since DS is still 3. At the moment we have driving trips tentatively planned for Orlando during spring break and Chicago over the summer. I'm flying to a CE course without my family next week. I just cancelled my reservation at the main meeting hotel so I can use up 2 hotel vouchers that will otherwise expire because we literally can't think of anywhere else to use them before the first one expires.

Nashville is gross in the summer (I lived there for a while as an adult), personally I would not drag my kids there at this age. Same reason I don't go to Orlando in the summer either. I don't do well in the heat, but maybe others are ok.

[tcu2003]

We took our kids (newly 9 and almost 5 at the time) to NOLA this past summer, and they enjoyed it. We wore masks everywhere, but not everyone did (though I saw more masking than I expected). My kiddos enjoyed the Mardi Gras museum, aquarium, eating beignets, hotel rooftop pool, and children museum (for the almost 5yo, the 9yo was unimpressed with the children’s museum).

[latte]

Can you book a ticket and then cancel that, extending the credit out for a longer time? I know a few who people who have done that.

[konapoppy]

It seems like you would be spending a lot of money and energy to use a smaller credit you have. I would just give it to your sister and book a trip where you want closer to when you feel comfortable going.

[mambo123]

I thought credits were non transferable?

I would eat the cost at this point, no reason to spend thousands to save $290.

[thebreakfastclub]

I'd go to Savanah in November. It's a great small city to explore, lots of kid friendly things to do, beaches to visit, great food.

[dcn]

Charleston SC is a fun place. I’d go in the fall/winter though bc it is hot. You could do Savannah too - we lived there though and didn’t find it particularly child friendly. Maybe for a visit you could find enough to do.

What about Denver? San Diego?

Your 5 year old could use a bubble bum booster for travel for an Uber or shuttle.

[macmars45]

Jan 8, 2022 2:38:28 GMT -5 latte said:

Can you book a ticket and then cancel that, extending the credit out for a longer time? I know a few who people who have done that.

My sister just did that at the recommendation of whatever airline she had the flight credits through.

[joy]

Just throwing out that the Ride Safer vest is great for traveling with a kid who needs a carseat. We started using it at 3 since we live in the city. Ubers, cabs, etc - easy to carry, easy to put on. 👍🏻

[joy]

Jan 8, 2022 9:33:46 GMT -5 dcn said:

Charleston SC is a fun place. I’d go in the fall/winter though bc it is hot. You could do Savannah too - we lived there though and didn’t find it particularly child friendly. Maybe for a visit you could find enough to do.

What about Denver? San Diego?

Your 5 year old could use a bubble bum booster for travel for an Uber or shuttle.

We took our three year old to Charleston, SC a few years ago! We did a horse tour, aquarium, walked tge market, took her to restaurants, visited Ange Oak and went to the aircraft carrier! My husband also took her out to Fort Sumter and I went on a ghost tour.

[goldengirlz]

$290 isn’t a lot of money for three airline tickets so your best bet is to run some dates through Google Flights and see what different destinations cost.

Air travel carries some risk (and it’s riskier with omicron), but studies have shown that with the HEPA filters and the way air circulates, it’s not as risky as other things you might do on vacation like eating indoors or going to a show. So I’d pick a place with lots of outdoor activities.

[dcn]

Jan 8, 2022 11:20:09 GMT -5 joy said:

Jan 8, 2022 9:33:46 GMT -5 dcn said:

Charleston SC is a fun place. I’d go in the fall/winter though bc it is hot. You could do Savannah too - we lived there though and didn’t find it particularly child friendly. Maybe for a visit you could find enough to do.

What about Denver? San Diego?

Your 5 year old could use a bubble bum booster for travel for an Uber or shuttle.

We took our three year old to Charleston, SC a few years ago! We did a horse tour, aquarium, walked tge market, took her to restaurants, visited Ange Oak and went to the aircraft carrier! My husband also took her out to Fort Sumter and I went on a ghost tour.

Yes! We’ve been to Charleston a couple of times when our kids were younger and there is lots to do there!

[pandorica]

Jan 8, 2022 10:50:58 GMT -5 macmars45 said:

Jan 8, 2022 2:38:28 GMT -5 latte said:

Can you book a ticket and then cancel that, extending the credit out for a longer time? I know a few who people who have done that.

My sister just did that at the recommendation of whatever airline she had the flight credits through.

Is this really a thing? I thought if you canceled a flight you were charged fees or something. We also have a flight credit we need to book by March but don't really want to use it just yet!

[waverly]

Easiest course of action would be to see if sister would pay you for part of it and can you transfer it? Actually maybe not that easy since phone calls to airlines are taking forever.

Otherwise, I am going to throw out Denver as an option. It isn't too hot in the summer if you go then, and isn't too cold in the winter if you do November. There can be weird weather/ snowstorms occasionally if it is too early or too late, but generally speaking it is pretty good weather wise.

[macmars45]

Jan 8, 2022 13:51:49 GMT -5 pandorica said:

Jan 8, 2022 10:50:58 GMT -5 macmars45 said:

My sister just did that at the recommendation of whatever airline she had the flight credits through.

Is this really a thing? I thought if you canceled a flight you were charged fees or something. We also have a flight credit we need to book by March but don't really want to use it just yet!

I've never done it myself. That's just what my sister told me.

[mccallister84]

Jan 8, 2022 13:51:49 GMT -5 pandorica said:

Jan 8, 2022 10:50:58 GMT -5 macmars45 said:

My sister just did that at the recommendation of whatever airline she had the flight credits through.

Is this really a thing? I thought if you canceled a flight you were charged fees or something. We also have a flight credit we need to book by March but don't really want to use it just yet!

I think it just depends on the airline. With Covid some have had more lenient policies. We always fly southwest and they have no charge change fees. But we were supposed to go away next week with my sister and we canceled because of the current surge in cases. She was flying United and had no problem moving her flights either.

[goldengirlz]

Jan 8, 2022 13:51:49 GMT -5 pandorica said:

Jan 8, 2022 10:50:58 GMT -5 macmars45 said:

My sister just did that at the recommendation of whatever airline she had the flight credits through.

Is this really a thing? I thought if you canceled a flight you were charged fees or something. We also have a flight credit we need to book by March but don't really want to use it just yet!

Most airlines are waiving change fees these days.

[bronxgirl]

I've never been to either of these places, but I'm thinking either Savannah, GA or Charelston, SC in November could be a fun family trip.

[vmars]

I would fly to Charleston, rent a car and stay on Kiawah Island. They have really nice and affordable condos close to the ocean, the beach is private so it’s never crowded. There is a cute shopping and restaurant area nearby or you are 45 minutes from Charleston.

[jc2009]

If it were me I'd do Orlando, hear me out....

Flights to Orlando are insanely cheap, so are vacation rental homes and vehicles on Turo.

I'd fly in to MCO, rent a cheap sedan on Turo with a car seat and stay in a townhome in Windsor Island Resort. We own there and the brand new clubhouse is across the street from the townhomes and included in your stay. There is a lazy river, mini golf, heated pool, slides, etc. Plus townhomes have their own pool as well.

There are some great budget friendly things to do in the area as well like Circle B Reserve, ICON park, Showcase of Citrus.

Here's an example of the townhomes. This is my friend's property:
abnb.me/beTfK0FcGmb

[mbcdefg]

Thanks all - I have until March to re-book so we’re going to see how things go. Right now we’re leaning toward NOLA in November - it’s a trip we’ve always wanted to take. We’ll revisit the idea in a few weeks and make a decision.


MH also pointed out to me something I completely forgot - DD will be in kindergarten in November (where does the time go???) and they didn’t release the school schedule yet so I don’t even know if she’ll have the same days off as MH in November.


I asked my sister if she has any travel plans for this year and she said not right now, so I’m not planning to use the credit for a ticket for her at this time.

[ohgillian]

mbcdefg Have you converted it from a flight credit into a travel certificate? This is something that United has allowed and it pushed the expiration date out for, I think, two more years.

[mbcdefg]

Jan 9, 2022 12:21:40 GMT -5 ohgillian said:

mbcdefg Have you converted it from a flight credit into a travel certificate? This is something that United has allowed and it pushed the expiration date out for, I think, two more years.

Not sure, I have to look closely.

[af1212]

Jan 7, 2022 22:20:13 GMT -5 noodleoo said:

You should come to Boston! Summer and fall are beautiful up here. It’s a small city, so easy to navigate by walking or taking the subway. We have a great children's museum, aquarium, and museum of science. But we love just walking through the parks in the summer, the waterfront (which both the aquarium and children's museum are on), Faneuil Hall, the freedom trail, etc, etc. Hotels might be expensive though.

I would not fly from Newark to Boston. It’s less than a 4 hour drive. You will spend at least that much time if not more in airports.

[af1212]

Jan 9, 2022 11:31:29 GMT -5 mbcdefg said:

Thanks all - I have until March to re-book so we’re going to see how things go. Right now we’re leaning toward NOLA in November - it’s a trip we’ve always wanted to take. We’ll revisit the idea in a few weeks and make a decision.


MH also pointed out to me something I completely forgot - DD will be in kindergarten in November (where does the time go???) and they didn’t release the school schedule yet so I don’t even know if she’ll have the same days off as MH in November.


I asked my sister if she has any travel plans for this year and she said not right now, so I’m not planning to use the credit for a ticket for her at this time.

I’m sure another NJ family could weigh in here but according to my many NJ Fb friend posts they all (public schools anyway) have that week off in November for that convention.

[marie]

Jan 8, 2022 2:38:28 GMT -5 latte said:

Can you book a ticket and then cancel that, extending the credit out for a longer time? I know a few who people who have done that.

This just happened to me, but I did not do it on purpose.  I had a trip scheduled April 2020 that I canceled and used the flight credit to attempt to go to Aruba at the end of this month. I just canceled Aruba last week to be on the safe side.  Now I have a year to use this credit, which 50% of the credit was made up from my first credit from early 2020.