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Extending Expiration Date for Unused Travel Funds

doxer1050
Explorer C

I have unused travel funds with an expiration date of March 2018. I plan on taking a trip in April 2018. In order to use these funds I will have to wait for them to expire and pay the $100 fee for a voucher. I then can apply that voucher to my flight in April. I am afraid that waiting until mid March to book a flight for mid April may be more expensive compared to booking the flight now. For example; if I wait until the funds expire, pay for the $100 voucher and the flight is $100 more expensive at the time I book it, I really took a $200 hit.

 

I know this may seem like a lot of work to save possibly $200 but what if I were to book a flight prior to my unused funds expiration date, with a value as close as possible to the unused fund amount. Then cancel that flight next week. If I am correct I would then have a new expiration date for my unused funds of Jan 2019 and I can use them to book my flight for April 2018. This way I know the price will not go up as I get closer to April and I will not risk the flights I want being sold out.

3 REPLIES 3

Re: Extending Expiration Date for Unused Travel Funds

chgoflyer
Aviator A
Solution

Travel funds expire one year from the original date of purchase, not cancellation. If you apply them to a new booking, that new booking takes on that expiration date. Meaning that you can't extend the date by making a new booking, and than any new booking made that uses travel funds will have an expiration date that's shorter than a year -- sometimes much shorter, depending on when the original flight was booked.

 

 

Re: Extending Expiration Date for Unused Travel Funds

Housemouse
Explorer C

Is there a reason you can't book now and apply your travel funds to the April trip? 

Re: Extending Expiration Date for Unused Travel Funds

DancingDavidE
Aviator A

wrote:

Is there a reason you can't book now and apply your travel funds to the April trip? 


I think he said that the expiration is in March.

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