Does using travel funds and cancelling again extend the expiration date?

[m12s]

I had travel plans a year ago and cancelled that flight so I had $100 worth of unused travel credit. Now I've applied that travel credit to a $150 flight, but now need to cancel that one too. Do I get $150 worth of unused travel credit that is valid for a year from today? Or does the original $100 retain the original expiration date, and the additional $50 have a different expiration date of a year from today?

[dfwskier · Accepted solution]

Morning.

No the expiration date does not get extended. Further when you either combine different travel funds or add money to one when booking a new flight (and then cancel that one), the expiration date reverts to the oldest one used in the booking process.

So, in your case, if you cancel, you'll have $150 in travel funds with the same expiration date as was in place for the $100 in travel funds.

[CareforNOLA · Accepted solution]

@m12s,

That does not extend the expiration date.  It actually does the opposite.  If you have to pay a little extra for the new ticket, the earliest expiration date goes against the entire new travel fund confirmation number.

I feel your pain as  I have a lot of $ in travel fund vouchers, and a work schedule that is not letting me get away.  I hear the “tick, tick” in my head, but the expiration will hopefully be “poof” not “bang”.

Oh well, I am resigned to my fate and some potential Sunday 12 hour trips in my future.  Sorry to be the bearer of bad news.  

I think if you have one giant travel fund (one confirmation number), you can pay to convert it to one giant voucher, but I think that the fee to do that is over $100, so it won’t help you out, and it sure doesn’t help me with lots of funds in lower denominations.  But hey, my life took an unexpected turn, and it isn’t really SWA’s fault.  With other carriers, the change fee would have been high cost too.

[m12s]

Bummer, but thanks for the info @CareforNOLA and @dfwskier! Glad I didn't just cancel before checking first.