Skip to main content

Southwest Airlines Community

Travel Funds not being extended

sddavis110
Explorer C

Last year in May 2021 my husband and I booked a trip to Las Vegas for the National Finals Rodeo, which also would turn out to be our honeymoon. Well the rodeo moved to Dallas but we still wanting to get away. After Thanksgiving Las Vegas shut down again due to COVID-19 so we had no choice but to cancel the trip. We both received travel funds for future use. The other day I was going to plan a summer vacation for us and noticed the funds had the expiration date of 5/29/21. That is in 2.5 months... 

I called SWA to see why was this not extended like other credits to 9/7/22. 

They explained to me that was after their allowance and would not extend the credits. this is $400 worth of travel funds that will be lost. So I get online to look at some places that we would want to travel to and all have restrictions. Not my way of traveling. Called Customer Relations to ask for an extension and was told No!!! This was out of our control and the destination we were traveling to was shut down, why would an extension be granted??

I am very upset with Southwest!!! I was told that an extension would be granted with a 100 fee by the normal customer service but I had to call customer relations. THIS IS VERY POOR CUSTOMER SERVICE BY SWA!!!

13 REPLIES 13

Re: Travel Funds not being extended

dfwskier
Aviator A

9/7/22 expiration dates were assigned to flights that cancelled between 3/1/20 and 9/7/20.

 

If yours did, then then 9/7/22 should be your date. If not, your date would be one year from the date your ticket was originally purchased.

Re: Travel Funds not being extended

bec102896
Aviator A
Solution

Southwest did have a time period where travel funds would be extended until September 7th 2022 however you would have needed to cancel your flight before September 7th 2020 for this exception to apply. 

 

At this time it seems no other travel funds extensions are happening other than after your funds expire you can Contact Customer Relations to see if any exception can be made. On a case by case basis they will issue you a LUV voucher valid for 6 months for the funds minus a $100 fee per travel fund. You would need to request this within 6 months of your funds expiring. 

 

Since you still have a couple months see if you can find a weekend getaway somewhere that way you don't lose the funds. 

 

-Blake

Re: Travel Funds not being extended

TPALMER
Explorer C

I am so upset with Southwest!

I booked a trip for my husband and I last Christmas, 12/2020 and had to cancel because of covid.

I'm a planner so these were booked on 6/11/2020 before covid was controlling our lives.

I was told we would have a year to use them. So we were planning another Christmas trip just like the one that was canceled, just to find out last week that they expire 6/11/2021!!

After 2 emails with no response and several calls being either not answered or on hold for over an hour each time I was finally able to talk to someone that basically said "to bad, our policy is they expire 1 year from date of purchase or you can pay another 100.00 each and try to get them extended. 

I ask if they could even be extended for 90 days and was told "NO, not unless I paid them 100.00 for each ticket"!

I tried to explain that we did not have the vacation time right now and my job is still making people quarantine for 10 days after returning from a trip. we had no plans to travel this summer but did however plan a Christmas vacation.

THEY DID NOT CARE!!

 

Re: Travel Funds not being extended

Steinweaver21
Explorer C

I've had the same issue.  We had $800 in travel vouchers from flights and requested these to be extended.  I knew that Southwest was taking $100 per traveler (total of $200) even though, as you said, our travel plans (twice) were halted due to COVID shut down.  When I contacted the Travel Funds Department, I was issues only $400 back in vouchers, not the $600 that I felt they owed us.  When I inquired about it, I received an email from Anne Pickwoad that basically said they extended our vouchers as a gesture of goodwill and sorry that they didn't give us the full $600 back!  However, I find it ironic that they are advertising their credit card that comes with a companion pass for a year, while not taking care of their current customers.  This year has been horrible for everyone, not just Southwest.  I realize they have lost money, but making some of that up by not extending vouchers for some travelers, while offering to give companion passes an extra year of validity, as well as the September 7 vouchers, doesn't make anyone else want to be loyal to them.  I just booked two flights on Southwest and had been given the full $600 owed back, it would have taken care of our flights totally, but instead I'm out more money again!  Hope they appreciate the customers that are still flying with them.  I haven't decided if I'm going to use up the airline points I've accumulated through my Southwest card with them and then never fly Southwest again or not.  I've always had excellent customer service until this past year.  It's sad and I think will only hurt them in the long run.  Good luck.

Re: Travel Funds not being extended

lharms2
Explorer C

I am having the same issue rationalizing their priority of new customers vs. loyal.

 

We worked really hard last year to try and earn a companion pass and just barely got one. Now they are basically giving them away with little effort. They have also stated that they don't plan to extend the current calendar year companion passes that we earned, so I'll be surprised if we get much use out of ours. 

 

I was also part of the group that had an existing flight last year and cancelled within the Sept 2022 extension but then I optimistically booked another flight for the holidays. As others have mentioned, it seemed to me like we were punished for attempting to fly since when we cancelled that holiday flight, our travel funds reverted back to expiring in March 2021. Seeing as I haven't been eligible to receive a vaccine, I'm not going to risk flying when I could easily wait a few months and hopefully be vaccinated. 

 

Unfortunately, I have 4 separate travel funds(each for a different person so can't be combined) for about $104 each, so asking for the 6-month after expiration extension would result in $4...

 

After reading about all the extensions other airlines are offering, I am really surprised that Southwest hasn't gone their usual above and beyond. 

Re: Travel Funds not being extended

chgoflyer
Aviator A

@lharms2 wrote:

I am having the same issue rationalizing their priority of new customers vs. loyal.

 

We worked really hard last year to try and earn a companion pass and just barely got one. Now they are basically giving them away with little effort. They have also stated that they don't plan to extend the current calendar year companion passes that we earned, so I'll be surprised if we get much use out of ours. 

 

I was also part of the group that had an existing flight last year and cancelled within the Sept 2022 extension but then I optimistically booked another flight for the holidays. As others have mentioned, it seemed to me like we were punished for attempting to fly since when we cancelled that holiday flight, our travel funds reverted back to expiring in March 2021. Seeing as I haven't been eligible to receive a vaccine, I'm not going to risk flying when I could easily wait a few months and hopefully be vaccinated. 

 

Unfortunately, I have 4 separate travel funds(each for a different person so can't be combined) for about $104 each, so asking for the 6-month after expiration extension would result in $4...

 

After reading about all the extensions other airlines are offering, I am really surprised that Southwest hasn't gone their usual above and beyond. 


 

 

Question: When did you use those 2022 funds to book for the holidays? Your funds should now expire one year from that date (not their original expiration date). It seems unlikely it was March 2020, as that was still the beginning of the pandemic. Is that when you originally booked your flights?

 

There is a known issue with funds that were cancelled during the period that allowed extension through September 7, 2022 (March 1 - September 7, 2020), that were actually not extended. If you cancelled then rebooked on the same day, for example. These funds would continue to expire on their original expiration date after rebooking.

 

If this applies to you, reach out to Customer Relations and carefully explain the issue.

 

Contact Customer Relations 

Re: Travel Funds not being extended

lharms2
Explorer C

I originally booked March 2020 and then cancelled in June 2020. I then used those cancelled travel funds to book something in June 2020 for December 2020. I didn't cancel that flight until November of 2020 and now those travel funds are stated as expiring in a few days(March). 


If I read your interpretation, they should expire June, not March, correct? 

Re: Travel Funds not being extended

chgoflyer
Aviator A

@lharms2 wrote:

I originally booked March 2020 and then cancelled in June 2020. I then used those cancelled travel funds to book something in June 2020 for December 2020. I didn't cancel that flight until November of 2020 and now those travel funds are stated as expiring in a few days(March). 


If I read your interpretation, they should expire June, not March, correct? 


 

 

When you cancelled in June you created a travel fund that should have been extended to September 7, 2022. When you used that fund to book in June (for December) those funds took on a June 2021 expiration, which is what you should have received when you cancelled in November.

 

It's only 3 months more, but if it's worth it to you reach out to Customer Relations and carefully explain the scenario.

 

Let us know how it works out. Good luck!

 

Contact Customer Relations 

Re: Travel Funds not being extended

mestiene
Explorer C

I was also told "NO"  And, I was never offered a LUV voucher either.  My funds expire April 20, 2021.  Considering my husband and I will just be getting our second vaccination shot this Sunday, there is no way we could travel responsibly or would have, for that matter, before we are fully vaccinated.  I'm very disappointed in Southwest for their non-handling of my complaint!