Locating Unused Travel Funds

[dfwskier]

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@SWAwillTravel wrote:

I agree, the method to determine if you have any unused SWA miles is terrible.  I can see an accountant in a SWA back office, clapping his or her hands every time a customer's miles get errassed because a customer did not know how to access unsued miles.  This seems intentional. 

Other airlines know how to track unused miles, SWA could easily do so aswell.   The is a perfect example of the tricks that airlines pull to make it more diffecult for customers to get the full benefit of what they paid for the tickets. 

SWA, you can do better.   

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If you are not talking about miles, but instead mean rapid reward points, it couldn't be easier to determine how many points you have.

1 Log in to the Southwest website

2) The following page (Very top line right of center) shows you name and the number of points in your account

EVERY TIME you log on to the SW website, your first page shows how many points you have.

If you want to check how many points you've recently earned/used, click on recent activity (left side of page in light blue shading) and you'll have access to every activity that earned or used mies -- this year or last year)

It's very transparent. All you have to do is look.

[Rocher45]

I wanted to use my travel funds and expected to see them when I went to pay for my flight,  but they were no where to be found. Not in a drop down option in the pat window and no where in "my account". I checked!  I found the information 3 days later. I was on hold with Custer service for half an hour only to be told they could not help me. They said I can cancel the flight I booked and then repurchase using the travel funds and i would get more travel funds . So essentially extend the travel funds expiration date, but I do not have anymore trips planned. I would like Southwest to show good customer service by allowing me to apply my travel fund or refund me for the amount of the travel fund because I did try to apply it at time of purchase, I just didnt know where to find it. It is not fair Southwest does not have the travel funds in "my account" nor are instructions provided on how to apply the travel funds. It is nice that Southwest allows free changes to be made to flights and issues travel funds, but by not making it user friendly in applying the travel funds, I feel many are often cheated out the the opportunity to apply them. Please make this right Southwest @LindseyD

[dfwskier]

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@Rocher45 wrote:

I wanted to use my travel funds and expected to see them when I went to pay for my flight,  but they were no where to be found. Not in a drop down option in the pat window and no where in "my account". I checked!  I found the information 3 days later. I was on hold with Custer service for half an hour only to be told they could not help me. They said I can cancel the flight I booked and then repurchase using the travel funds and i would get more travel funds . So essentially extend the travel funds expiration date, but I do not have anymore trips planned. I would like Southwest to show good customer service by allowing me to apply my travel fund or refund me for the amount of the travel fund because I did try to apply it at time of purchase, I just didnt know where to find it. It is not fair Southwest does not have the travel funds in "my account" nor are instructions provided on how to apply the travel funds. It is nice that Southwest allows free changes to be made to flights and issues travel funds, but by not making it user friendly in applying the travel funds, I feel many are often cheated out the the opportunity to apply them. Please make this right Southwest @LindseyD

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Sorry to hear that you are having difficulty.

First of all, this forum is a customer to customer contact area.If you wold like to discuss the issue with someone from, you will want to contact SW customer service. That will not happen here.

SW sends everyone that cancels a flight an e-mail that contains the amount of travel funds available for use, the confirmation number, and the expiration date of the funds. You can search you e-mail  system for e-mails that start with "Cancelled flight reservation" You can also have travel funds available when you change flights and end up with a new flight that costs less than your original flight. SW also sends to an e-mail when you change flights. As above you can search your e-mail system

for an e-mail that starts with "Updated flight reservation."

You need to keep those e-mails so you can access your travel funds I have a seperate e-mail folder that I keep them in called "Travel funds available."

People that travel a lot know this. People that travel less frequently might not.

Perhaps SW could put this line at the top of these e-mail "Keep this e-mail for future use."

[AlyssaTPA]

Lindsay,

You wrote, "there are some good suggestions in this thread for ways Customers can manage/keep track of their available credits."  That is untrue.  There is only one mediocre hack, not a solution, to locate old confirmation numbers, "Search your email!"  THAT IS NOT A SOLUTION.  

I agree with others that Southwest is hoping that customers pay for flights that never happen, or get so delayed that you have to rebook on another airline to make your engagements.  This happened to me twice in August, and the other airline (DELTA) was able to take me to my destination IN TIME when SOUTHWEST COULD NOT!  WHY?  Neither time was it a mechanical issue with the plane.

Please sugar coat it.  It's insulting.

[naparunner]

This is not a difficult thing for SWA to do for it's members. They simply choose not to!

[JHH]

This is about as articulate a description of this problem as one could possibly hope for. Hopefully, SWA will do something to resolve this issue. SWA should be ASHAMED that not only do some other airlines do a much better job with this issue, but so do Amtrak and Greyhound, for goodness sake!  Gary Kelly, where are you?  Oh yeah, some engine issues ... okay, okay, slightly more important.

[DeniseM]

Thank you...I have the confirmation numbers but was unsure where to check on them...

[angelasclark]

www.southwest.com/Flight/travel-funds-search.html 

This link does not work.

[chgoflyer]

The correct link is: https://www.southwest.com/flight/travel-funds-search.html

[pegjust]

 Having easy to find information about travel funds is not a nice-to-have but a must-have for a reputable company. Very disappointing that it is expected that the traveler search through old emails. Not happy with this service.