Post all SW questions concerns, etc. here...

Can someone clarify what’s going on with EBCI if I cancel my April flight? Not wanting to reschedule right now. I might have rescheduled for May, but that isn’t looking likely either. We have a trip already booked for September, so not too interested in going in July or August. I might look at December or January. Normally I know I would lose the EBCI if I cancel, but I think I have read some people getting refunds for it now? Thanks!
That's a great question, same question I have. Hoping against hope for an early May reopening but not feeling very optimistic about it.
 
I have a question about the newly released policy "Any travel funds created because of a flight cancellation between March 1-May 31, 2020, will have an expiration date of June 30, 2021."
Is this only if Southwest cancels my flight, or does this also apply if I cancel my flight?
We have mid-April flights that we purchased in September 2019, and currently any travel funds I have from price reductions in the April flight are showing as a September 2020 expiration date. I would like to know what happens to my travel funds if we choose to cancel the flight (but Southwest does not cancel it).
THANK YOU in advance!
 
I have a question about the newly released policy "Any travel funds created because of a flight cancellation between March 1-May 31, 2020, will have an expiration date of June 30, 2021."
Is this only if Southwest cancels my flight, or does this also apply if I cancel my flight?
We have mid-April flights that we purchased in September 2019, and currently any travel funds I have from price reductions in the April flight are showing as a September 2020 expiration date. I would like to know what happens to my travel funds if we choose to cancel the flight (but Southwest does not cancel it).
THANK YOU in advance!
I'm not sure if SWA has addressed this aspect but we are in the same boat. Travel funds expire in October 2020 and were used for flight in April 2020 with a bit more back for fare reduction.
 
I take it for the second bullet point that talks about travel funds created because of a flight cancellation, they're talking about a flight that SW cancels (removes from the schedule) rather than a flight that the customer cancels? I've been trying to decipher that one.
No. SW announced earlier in an email to customers (which did not include anything about schedule reductions) that customers cancelling flights between March 1 and May 31 will have the travel fund expiration date *reset* to June 30, 2021. The actual email is clearer that the posting above. The bullet you're talking about clearly is a sub-bullet under "If you decide not to travel, as long as you cancel your flight before its departure ".


Steve
See if this helps regarding flight cancellations and travel funds.
 


I have a question about the newly released policy "Any travel funds created because of a flight cancellation between March 1-May 31, 2020, will have an expiration date of June 30, 2021."
Is this only if Southwest cancels my flight, or does this also apply if I cancel my flight?
We have mid-April flights that we purchased in September 2019, and currently any travel funds I have from price reductions in the April flight are showing as a September 2020 expiration date. I would like to know what happens to my travel funds if we choose to cancel the flight (but Southwest does not cancel it).
THANK YOU in advance!
I contacted SW regarding the same question and I was told it does not matter whether I cancel the flight or if Southwest cancels between March 1 and May- you will get the travel funds to June 30 2021
 
I contacted SW regarding the same question and I was told it does not matter whether I cancel the flight or if Southwest cancels between March 1 and May- you will get the travel funds to June 30 2021
Thank you!

I canceled mine this morning and it defaulted to my purchase date (expires February 2021), but I read online (I think it was The Points Guy's blog) that any SW flights canceled in this time frame will eventually be updated to reflect the June 30 date.
 
I contacted SW regarding the same question and I was told it does not matter whether I cancel the flight or if Southwest cancels between March 1 and May- you will get the travel funds to June 30 2021
TY for your reply! Amazing news! Did they provide this to you in writing?
 


TY for your reply! Amazing news! Did they provide this to you in writing?
Yes- I contacted them through the messenger in Facebook (I always find that is the fastest way to get a response). I definitely will be saving the message I had with Rocky, the SW Agent, especially since I just came to grips that my April trip is not happening and just cancelled my DVC reservation; still going to hold off cancelling my flights bc I may just modify it to a new date when I figure out what date we are going.
 
Earlier this week we canceled our flight to Aulani for this past Friday. Flying out of Birmingham, AL we had to book 4 different reservations to maximize points and to save some cash. My daughter flies on our companion pass, so we had 12 reservation numbers to deal with.

We’ve rebooked for mid-June and have our fingers crossed that everything will work out. We have one flight credit that expires at the end of May 2020 that is in limbo until they update the flight credit expiration date. So we are out of pocket for that credit until it is fixed through SWA.
One of our flights is now dropped from the flight schedule, but we haven’t received any notifications for changes. Anyone else experiencing this? I know they are greatly reducing their flight schedules. I wonder when they will communicate changes to customers.
 
Earlier this week we canceled our flight to Aulani for this past Friday. Flying out of Birmingham, AL we had to book 4 different reservations to maximize points and to save some cash. My daughter flies on our companion pass, so we had 12 reservation numbers to deal with.

We’ve rebooked for mid-June and have our fingers crossed that everything will work out. We have one flight credit that expires at the end of May 2020 that is in limbo until they update the flight credit expiration date. So we are out of pocket for that credit until it is fixed through SWA.
One of our flights is now dropped from the flight schedule, but we haven’t received any notifications for changes. Anyone else experiencing this? I know they are greatly reducing their flight schedules. I wonder when they will communicate changes to customers.
I am experiencing this...kind of. We have flights for April Break. I didn't cancel yet but I noticed these flights are no longer on the schedule. I am hoping that one of these days SW will cancel them?
 
I am experiencing this...kind of. We have flights for April Break. I didn't cancel yet but I noticed these flights are no longer on the schedule. I am hoping that one of these days SW will cancel them?
My April flights are also gone from the schedule. If Southwest cancels them does anyone know if they’ll refund us, or just give travel credit?
 
I am not sure where I read it but, my understanding is if I cancel it I would be given travel credit that expires one year from date of purchase. I think that when SW cancels the flight I would get a credit that expires in June or July. I am waiting for a while because I think I should get a cancellation from them and my travel funds would expire later.
 
I am not sure where I read it but, my understanding is if I cancel it I would be given travel credit that expires one year from date of purchase. I think that when SW cancels the flight I would get a credit that expires in June or July. I am waiting for a while because I think I should get a cancellation from them and my travel funds would expire later.
From Southwest:
Can I receive a refund if I’ve booked a ticket on Southwest and feel uncomfortable flying?
Nonrefundable tickets not flown on the travel date, but canceled in accordance with Southwest’s No Show Policy, can be applied to future travel up to one year from the original purchase date aside from the below exceptions. All travel funds must be used by the individual named on the ticket.

In recognition of the current travel environment, we are extending the expiration date of some travel funds:
  • Customers’ funds that have expired or will expire between March 1-May 31, 2020, will now expire June 30, 2021
  • Any newly created travel fund due to a flight cancellation between March 1-May 31, 2020, will have an expiration date of June 30, 2021
For any nonrefundable tickets that do not fall within either date range noted above, the travel funds can be used up to one year from the original purchase date but must be used by the individual named on the ticket.
Any travel planned through the end of April can be changed online for up to 60 days from the original date of travel without paying any difference in fare if you are traveling between the same origin and destination. Look for flights that display as “Available.” Flights that show a price point are not eligible for a change without paying a fare difference.
Refundable tickets not flown on the travel date can also be applied to future travel. More information on refunds can be found on Southwest.com. We hope these policies continue to give our Customers flexibility and options for travel planning.
If my funds are still active and have not expired, how can I use the funds or be notified of the expiration date extension?
It will take several weeks to implement the expiration extension of unused funds. Once the extension is complete, more information will be provided on how Customers can access and apply their travel funds.
Is there a fee to change my flight to a different date?
Southwest does not charge fees to change or cancel flights, although applicable fare differences may apply.
 
We were scheduled to fly SW in April, but I cancelled and rebooked a flight for end of October a few days before this announcement. We are from Canada and they were already advising against international travel, and talking about closing land borders (which they did.). I couldn't find this addressed on their site but does anyone know if that means I'd be able to use the credits from this flight, originally purchased Nov. 1 2019 towards a trip up to June 2021? Or am I screwed because I rebooked before they made this announcement? The confirmation number is the same as my original booking, so I'm hoping that it could be extended, if needed.
 
Does anyone know if the new policy is for flights booked with prior travel credits as well? We have April flights that were booked using a partial travel credit from flights last Fall. Because the partial travel credit was used from flights in the Fall, the April travel fund expiration date is the date we purchased our Fall flights - so our current travel funds expiration is June 23, 2020. I hope that makes sense - confusing to explain in type! lol. Anyway, I was told last week to call when our travel funds are expired and they may be able to waive the $100 travel funds extension. But curious if anyone has inquired about a similar situation to know if this new policy would apply?
 
I'm not sure if SWA has addressed this aspect but we are in the same boat. Travel funds expire in October 2020 and were used for flight in April 2020 with a bit more back for fare reduction.
From their website it says that both funds expiring and travel cancellation funds are both extended to June 2021

If you want to cancel your flight
If you decide not to travel, as long as you cancel your flight at least 10 minutes before its scheduled departure, the funds used to pay for a nonrefundable ticket are normally valid for one year from the date of purchase. However, in recognition of the current travel environment, we are extending the expiration date of some travel funds:
  • Customers' funds that have expired or will expire between March 1 – May 31, 2020, will now expire June 30, 2021.
  • Any travel funds created because of a flight cancellation between March 1 – May 31, 2020, will have an expiration date of June 30, 2021.
 
From their website it says that both funds expiring and travel cancellation funds are both extended to June 2021

If you want to cancel your flight
If you decide not to travel, as long as you cancel your flight at least 10 minutes before its scheduled departure, the funds used to pay for a nonrefundable ticket are normally valid for one year from the date of purchase. However, in recognition of the current travel environment, we are extending the expiration date of some travel funds:
  • Customers' funds that have expired or will expire between March 1 – May 31, 2020, will now expire June 30, 2021.
  • Any travel funds created because of a flight cancellation between March 1 – May 31, 2020, will have an expiration date of June 30, 2021.
That's not the same as my situation and a few other posters though which is causing the confusion and to be fair SWA does say they are extending only to some travel funds likely because they want to be able to play it by ear.

I believe a poster mentioned that they used travel funds which when they cancelled the flight still reflected the existing expiration date but they had heard (from Points Guy I believe) that the funds would eventually be updated to June 2021. The thing for those of us that used travel funds to purchase tickets that are now needing to be cancelled or will be cancelled by SWA is we don't have confirmation from SWA that the travel funds will have the June 2021 date because it's not explicitly stated. Right now it's only for people who have used travel funds to purchase a ticket with an expiration date up to May 31st, 2020.

Our travel funds expire October 2020 (from a flight cancellation we did in October 2019).
  • Those funds were used to purchase 1 of our 2 tickets for an April 2020 flight.
  • No new travel funds are being created here
  • AND our travel funds have an expiration date outside of the present window being provided.

That's the difference between what they are talking about in your above statement and my situation though I totally appreciate you trying to help out :) .

So it's kinda a waiting game and I would feel much more confident if I knew someone's travel funds has already been updated to June 2021 when their original expiration date was past the May 31st date. We know we'll get the points back for my ticket if we cancel because that's just how it works. It's my husband's ticket that has the travel funds attached that we are wondering about. We're just waiting it out for a bit. The flight was April 12th so a lot of info can come out between now and then.
 
That's not the same as my situation and a few other posters though which is causing the confusion and to be fair SWA does say they are extending only to some travel funds likely because they want to be able to play it by ear.

I believe a poster mentioned that they used travel funds which when they cancelled the flight still reflected the existing expiration date but they had heard (from Points Guy I believe) that the funds would eventually be updated to June 2021. The thing for those of us that used travel funds to purchase tickets that are now needing to be cancelled or will be cancelled by SWA is we don't have confirmation from SWA that the travel funds will have the June 2021 date because it's not explicitly stated. Right now it's only for people who have used travel funds to purchase a ticket with an expiration date up to May 31st, 2020.

Our travel funds expire October 2020 (from a flight cancellation we did in October 2019).
  • Those funds were used to purchase 1 of our 2 tickets for an April 2020 flight.
  • No new travel funds are being created here
  • AND our travel funds have an expiration date outside of the present window being provided.

That's the difference between what they are talking about in your above statement and my situation though I totally appreciate you trying to help out :) .

So it's kinda a waiting game and I would feel much more confident if I knew someone's travel funds has already been updated to June 2021 when their original expiration date was past the May 31st date. We know we'll get the points back for my ticket if we cancel because that's just how it works. It's my husband's ticket that has the travel funds attached that we are wondering about. We're just waiting it out for a bit. The flight was April 12th so a lot of info can come out between now and then.
Yikes- this all confusing. I'm in a similar boat- I used some travel funds from an November 2019 flight (price reduced) to book April 2020 flights. These funds were to cancel in May 2020. I cancelled the April flights and the 2 (out of 6 booked) flights that used the funds, are saying all my funds expire May 2020 (other flights Oct 2020). I'm hoping to use all the funds to book for November. Just have to wait it out I guess.
 

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