vendsit

I need some help or suggestions for using travel funds.

I've been trying to find information regarding the use of travel funds from an unused ticket. I bought a ticket for my son last November for travel in January. We were not able to take the trip so he has a credit of $353 that expires on 11/15.

I'm trying to buy a flight for him on February 8, 2015 and cannot apply the funds. I called SWA and the agent told me that if I called the 214 customer service number, they could/would be able to extend the credit for 6 months (for a fee) so I could use them and book the ticket today.

When I spoke to the customer service rep, she told me that there's no way they can extend the funds past November, and that I would have to let them expire, and then use what's left.

Would I be able to by a refundable ticket for say, next week, cancel it a few days before, and then have the travel funds be good for a year from that date?

I hate having to try to find a work around, but I think it sticks that you have to pay a 25% penalty if you don't use the funds within a year.

Thanks for any help or suggestions.

lougord99

No.

Agree, but you knew that when you bought the ticket.

Often1

OP chose to buy a discounted ticket which carries restrictions. She could have purchased a "full fare" ticket which was refundable and then she wouldn't be mucking around with deadlines.

Who in their right mind would pay for the full fare if they could get the same terms for less?

flyventure

Really your only option at this point is to let them expire and then hope the Customer Relations Rep at the 214 number allows you to do an extension minus a fee. One of the reasons why I say "hope" is that Customer Relations is NOT required to allow you to extend for a fee. They can and do decline the requests more often then people think.

I will say this, several months before I left the company they were pushing very hard for customer service to STOP referring people to the 214 number unless the pax requested it directly, and only if the funds had already expired. They will never....never touch a RTF/TTF until it expires. I know Customer Relations (214 folks) get extremely annoyed when they are getting calls from people wanting extensions for unexpired funds - the internal communications were never pretty.

lvovsky

Can this be done: book a trip for dates before expiration then modify the trip to dates you want?

lougord99

The funds expire after 1 year.

There is no work around. If there was a work around, then the funds wouldn't expire.

NextTrip

Nope.

NextTrip

+1

tusphotog

My mom just had $450 worth of funds expire. What's the current "fee" for renewing them?

Calboy9903

You must call customer RELATIONS not the regular southwest customer service line. After the funds expire, you have 6 months to call for the reissue. They will deduct 100 from the values of the funds and send you a LUV voucher with a 6 month expiration. This LUV voucher can be used towards the base fare (not taxes and fees) of a ticket or tickets for anyone.
The extension is not possible if any portion of the expired funds were derived from a LUV voucher.

I have done this many times, including about a month ago.

SAPMAN

One post said deduct 25% and above says, I think means, $100 deduction from the funds. So if funds are $90, I guess there is no way to extend any of it???

NextTrip

Correct. The 25% comment is by the OP and is incorrect.

rsteinmetz70112

It is I think possible to use up to 4 TTFs to book a ticket, cancel that ticket and have one TTF with the earliest expiration date then allow that TTF to expire and ask to have it reinstated.

mile ho

I believe one can only use 2 TTFs to book a ticket. But you can book that ticket, cancel that one thereby creating a single TTF, then add another TTF to book another ticket. So you can get eventually get a ticket that has incorporated the 4 TTFs. Then you can let it expire and ask for an extension.