joshua362

Won't they still need some type of funny money delivery system, not tied to a specific PNR, for goodwill accommodations? (late flights, general FU's, etc),

rsteinmetz70112

Why can't it be tied to a PNR? IF there was a reservation that went sideways then there is a PNR, they could even make one up.

ursine1

Vouchers for other customer service accommodations will likely remain.

m907

I don't see why they would close the loophole. As long as they're getting a $30 premium I don't think they care.

libralibra

No, the loophole is: Traveler A has WGA funds. He books and just cancels a WGA+ trip, making the funds transferable to B. B books a WGA trip. Southwest is not getting any premium here.

m907

Southwest is getting money from A. They don't care if B uses it.

joshua362

They certainly do, about 20 years back they changed their rule tying it to the original traveler. To encourage expiration and breakage and the forfeiting of funds. With the current removal of expiration dates, this is likely less of a focus. I wouldn't be surprised to see it go away or a fee charged to transfer to another traveler. Outside of FT, how much of the general population is going to know and use the WGA+ trick?

BTW, nothing in the corporate world is given for free. They've simply figured out how to make up the breakage income somewhere else, likely with higher fares.

ymx

I had $1300 in expired travel funds. Went though a phone agent last week and she issued a case number and said it would take 30-45 days.

Yesterday I DM’d on Twitter and the voucher appeared via email within 4 hours.

I then booked $1300 worth of flights and cancelled. Now I have funds that don’t expire.

nsx

Maybe not so simple. I booked a trip with a small early-expiring LUV voucher, a travel credit, and credit card. I canceled and refunded the credit card.

The Travel Funds list shows a non-expiring travel credit, but when I try to use it, the software reports the original early expiration date. Ruh-roh.

Some of the software does not know that the reservation I just created and canceled was created today and therefore should not expire. Other parts of the software do know that it should not expire.

Edit: The expiration glitch had fixed itself a few hours later when I tried to use these funds. No expiration now.

It's a temporary thing, but the phone agent I spoke to claimed that the initial behavior was correct. Some training on this glitch might help.

Kelly Fuller King

Thanks so much for the info! Did you cancel right away, or did you wait 24 hours, or does it not really matter?

figment7

I booked and canceled right away so no waiting required.

unofficially speaking to agent said the amt of time wasted on travel funds expiration and reviving expired travel funds was his theory to why no more expiration dates.

alchemista

I was trying to convert LUV vouchers that expire December 2022, into future flight credit with no expiration. It didn't work.

1. I booked a flight in December with LUV vouchers.
2. I immediately canceled, refunding the paid portion to original payment, and the website showed the LUV-paid portion would be a future flight credit. It said with "NONE" expiration, as if it was not expired.
3. I checked my Travel Funds and it showed the credit with NONE expiration.

HOWEVER,

I then tried a test booking to buy a flight in 2023 with my new "none" expiration travel credit. At checkout, after applying the travel credit it failed to apply because: "Fund expires before travel is completed."

So even though the travel credits appear to be nonexpiring, it actually is still coding as if it does.

I could probably argue with Southwest that my account clearly shows that this travel credit does not expire, but I was really hoping this would be all automatic.

nsx

Wait an hour and try again. It should work.

alchemista

Same problem 2 hours later.

nsx

I would try it again after 1230am central time before spending time on the phone to request help.