Your Southwest flight credits won’t expire: Airline’s new policy applies to all tickets
What to know about using your airline vouchers
What are flight credits?
During the height of the coronavirus pandemic, more travelers than ever got acquainted with flight credits. Airlines issued vouchers for future travel in many cases, instead of cash refunds, when travelers had to change their plans.
Here’s a refresher on those basic economy plane tickets
Green said that Southwest heard customer feedback that the old policy wasn’t flexible enough.
“(The pandemic) has lengthened the horizon where customers think ‘what if my plans change?’ ” he said. “If life happens and your plans do change, that money is going to be there for you to use whenever you’re ready to fly.”
What changes under the new credit policy?
Starting July 28, all existing credits will be extended.
“Customers will begin seeing a placeholder expiration date of December 31, 2040, on valid flight credits ahead of additional work later this year that will update technology systems to altogether remove expiration dates on flight credits,” the airline said in a statement.
New credits that are issued on or after July 28 will not expire, either. Green noted that customers can also earn credits if the airfare for their trip goes down. Eagle-eyed travelers who notice cheaper tickets can cancel their original itinerary, rebook at the lower price and retain credit for the difference.
“If flexibility is more important to consumers than it’s ever been and it’s a hallmark of the Southwest brand, we thought ‘we have to be the best on this,’ ” he said.