FlyerTalk Forums - View Single Post - Official "Tips on Re-using Ticketless Travel Funds" thread
Old Sep 4, 2009, 10:05 pm
  #3  
FCfree
 
Join Date: Mar 2001
Location: LAS-DEN
Programs: WN CP & B-list. Disillusioned fmr UA-1P/2P,F9-Ascent; Fmr AA-Plat,CO-Gold,NW-Silver,TWA-Elite
Posts: 1,630
Good grief, this is Just Plane Nuts!

You must be cancelling, re-fare-ing and adjusting a LOT of tickets to end up with that many outstanding TTFs. My hat is off to you for that. I'm impressed. Should I ever have that many outstanding TTF's, I'll come back and re-read this because I don't think I'm going to remember it.

The one trick that I have learned, which isn't even close to the category above, is to book one-way fares. I can use two TTF's per one-way instead of two TTF's per round trip. Also, by using the oldest first, I don't "taint" one ticket with the older expiration date. So, say I had 4 TTFs with expiration dates of 06/01/10, 06/15/10, 07/01/10 and 07/15/10. By combining the 6/1 and 6/15, that one way now expires on 6/1. The other one-way would expire on 7/1. Just in case that trip gets cancelled, I haven't lost too many of my days.

I do agree that one "merge-o-matic" web page would be nice. If you merge a bunch of TTF's into one, you merge them into the earliest expiration date. As we see above, there are ways around the current system by buying and refunding a complex series of tickets. If the tickets are refundable, then it isn't like SWA is getting to keep that money. It just makes more transactions, which I would think has a price -- both server time and credit card transaction processing fees. Of course, only a few FT'ers are probably going to be able to figure out the above, so maybe most people only use 2 of their TTFs at one time and that means that more expire.
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