Expiring Credits
Tip: If you have airline credits from 2020, be sure to check your accounts and determine when your credits expire. Depending on the airline, you could forfeit your original ticket purchase price if you don't stay on top of this.
Throughout the pandemic, the travel industry has repeatedly reviewed policies and made adjustments to them. Policies covering cancellations, change fees, and rebooking were modified frequently. For the most part, the industry made changes that benefited their customers, however, there were often timeframes that needed to be met to take advantage of the modified policies. Staying on top of all these changes became a full time job for travel professionals who were there to guide their guests through the process.
Extending Expiration Dates
Some airlines, like United and American, have modified their original expiration dates to March 31, 2022 while others expire the end of this year or sooner. Southwest Airlines is the most restrictive in that they have no intention to extend the dates. Following are some of the major airlines current policies regarding flight credits. Please consult your carrier directly for the latest information, as this may change at any time.
United Airlines (Using Travel Credits)
Future flight credit (unused ticket)
Future flight credit can be used to book travel on United, United Express, and partner-operated flights. For most tickets, future flight credit must be used for travel within 12 months of the date your original ticket was issued. Future flight credit for tickets issued between May 1, 2019 – March 31, 2021, is only valid for travel commencing on or before March 31, 2022.
American Airlines (Travel Flexibility Updates)
Change fees are waived for tickets bought on or before September 30, 2020, for travel March 1, 2020 – March 31, 2021. This offer includes Basic Economy fares and AAdvantage® award tickets.
Keep in mind:
You may owe any difference in ticket price when you rebook your trip.
You’re allowed to change your origin and destination cities as part of this offer.
All travel for your new trip must be completed by March 31, 2022.
Plus, if you have a ticket that is expiring between March 1, 2020 and March 31, 2021, the value of your unused ticket can be used for travel through
March 31, 2022.*
*Change fees apply if your original ticketed travel was before March 1, 2020, Basic Economy tickets with travel before March 1, 2020 are non-changeable.
Popular Wanna Get Away fares are reusable but not refundable, and can only be used by the original ticketed Passenger. You can reuse Travel Funds associated with your Wanna Get Away fare for future travel as long as you:
Cancel your reservation in accordance with our No Show Policy (i.e., at least 10 minutes prior to departure).
Complete your travel within one year of the original date you purchased your ticket.
NOTE: Southwest does NOT extend the expiration date. There is an unpublished workaround that costs you $100 per ticket to get a six month extension AFTER the credit expires. This is not a new policy - you can find out more on their community forum from passengers that found themselves facing the loss of their flight credits.
Delta Airlines (Travel Update Center)
How Do I Use My eCredit to Rebook Later?
All qualifying eCredits (those from tickets purchased before April 17, 2020, for travel March 1, 2020, through March 31, 2021) will be automatically extended to December 2022 so there’s no action needed on your part. If your eCredit for canceled travel has not yet been processed or extended, or is temporarily displaying incorrectly, there is no need to call. Rest assured your flight value is secure and will be ready to redeem online when you need it.
Alaska Airlines (Credit Certificates)
When you cancel or change a nonrefundable Alaska Airlines ticket, you can choose to receive any remaining ticket value as a credit certificate for future travel.
Certificates are valid for 12 months from the issue date of your original ticket, or 30 days from the date of exchange or cancellation, whichever is greater.
Credit certificates must be applied to the purchase of a new ticket before the expiration date, but travel can take place after the expiration date.
Credit certificate extensions
As a part of our COVID-19 relief measures, credit certificates issued after March 1, 2020 with an original expiration date of July 5, 2021 or earlier were extended through December 31, 2021.
Check your certificate balance to verify your expiration date.
Consult Your Airline
As already mentioned, policies are very fluid during these times, so while this information was extracted from the representative airlines at the time of writing this post, their policies could change depending on the current situation. This list is also not intended to be exhaustive, so your airline might not be listed. Bottom line, if you are frequent fliers, check your online accounts for your credits and expiration dates. You can also contact your travel professional who booked your flights or the airline directly if you booked yourself.
Hoping to see you in the friendly skies again soon.
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