FB01

Hi,

I have couple of Southwest Giftcard. I could not find information on their website.

If I purchase the ticket with SW Gift card and cancel it before my flight, does the amount goes back to SW Gift card and I can use it whenever I want or they give a voucher with expiration date.

Anyone has any idea?

Thanks
FB

rrgg

When I've done this I get a 1-year voucher.

toomanybooks

You get Ticketless Travel Funds, tied to you, good for a year from date of purchase.

If you use those funds and combine them with other funds or cash, the whole new amount takes on the soonest expiration. So be careful.

Assuming nothing has changed with the new reservation system cutover.

FB01

"If you use those funds and combine them with other funds or cash, the whole new amount takes on the soonest expiration" ..I did not get you meant by this..can you give some more clarification..i would appreciate it..

Thanks,
FB

glg

You purchase a flight for $100 today using your gift card. At some later point you cancel that flight. The $100 credit is good until May 10, 2018 (one year from booking date, *not* flight date). In July, you use that credit plus another $50 to purchase another ticket. If you cancel that ticket, you now have $150 credit good until May 10, 2018. Now in January, you use that $150 plus another $100 to purchase a ticket for May 1, 2018. You cancel that flight the day before and now have a $250 credit that expires in 10 days. The original $100 can "taint" later money added to it.

The advice is to take care when using credits that you don't get into a situation like I spelled out above. Especially take care with small credits. It'd be much worse if you had a $10 credit leftover from a reprice that you used on a $400 flight and then cancelled, causing $390 to have an earlier expiration date.

ursine1

Note that this applies to all fare types, including "refundable" fares as well.