I didn't know this was a new policy until this month when I decided to book a flight and use up some old travel funds. I used $3 in travel funds towards purchasing a new ticket that cost $213. Unfortunately, two weeks after I booked the flights, my fiancee passed away I had to cancel the trip. Guess what? Now I have to forfeit the $210 that I just paid by credit card because the $3 expires in March 2017, rather than January 2018 as expected. I want to use these travel funds to go see my fiancee's family, but it will expire before I can go. Sorry Southwest, this is a terrible policy and is actually quite sneaky. I didn't get a message during checkout that all the travel funds would have the soonest expiration date until the confirmation came via email. I was shocked. And by then, it was obviously too late to do anything about it. It's really not that difficult to give people what they pay for--just let all the travel funds expire a year after purchase, no matter if they're from different confirmation numbers. I mean, it's not a loss for you SWA--those funds are earning interest in your bank account, afterall, AND you get to keep them at year's end whether you provide a service or not. I've only flown Southwest for the last 17 years, but the great freedom Southwest used to provide is getting replaced by policies too arduous to have to sift through. I already pleaded my case to 2 representatives--over the phone and via mail--and no resolution. Two thumbs down on this policy.
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