Rebooking airline tickets: How to sort out various vouchers and credits for future flights

Here’s a guide to the various credits offered by the 10 largest domestic airlines

For the last two-plus years, flights and travel plans have routinely been canceled. Finally in 2022, many Americans may be smiling at the thought of traveling again. Since the pandemic hit American shores, consumers who canceled flights received different types of credits and vouchers, which the airlines have tweaked a bit as COVID restrictions and concerns have eased.

But airlines are still canceling flights with regularity, often because of staffing issues. When an airline cancels or significantly delays your flight, you have rights.

Before agreeing to credits or vouchers, consumers should ask for a full refund. Refunds are more useful because having money in your pocket gives you more control than money that’s good only for a flight with a specific airline. Airlines prefer giving credits or vouchers, so consumers may need to be persistent to get a refund. If consumers are unsatisfied with how problems were solved, they can file a complaint with the Department of Transportation. Sometimes refunds cannot be acquired, so it’s important to understand the different credits and vouchers.

Listed below are the 10 largest airlines in the United States (listed by market share), according to the Department of Transportation, and the credits they give out. In general, the credits and vouchers are extremely complicated to understand. Sometimes there are date restrictions for usage, or complicated situations dictating under what circumstances they can or cannot be used. It’s also important to know when the credit/voucher expires because even though most expire after a year, that is not always the case.

The list below should help you know what the airline is giving you, But whenever an airline offers you something besides a refund, ask for a refund instead. If the airline won’t give you a refund, make sure you know all of your options and what the credits cover.

American Airlines has three types of credits. There are trip credits, flight credits and travel vouchers.

Trip credits are issued for the difference between flight exchanges and expire a year after being issued. Eight credits can be redeemed and used on a single trip.

Flight credits can be used only on flights, not on extra bags or other extras. It can be used only by the person who was given the flight credit within a year of it being issued. For AAdvantage members, an original ticket issued between Jan. 1, 2020, and Dec. 31, 2021, the value of the unused ticket can be used by Sept. 30, 2022 for travel through Dec. 31, 2022. The flight credits can be used on multiple flights until they are all used.

Travel vouchers can be electronic or paper vouchers. Travel vouchers received for the difference between flight exchange can be used only on flights, not on extra bags or other extras. It can be used by the person who was given the flight credit within a year of it being issued to buy a flight for anyone. Paper vouchers cannot be replaced if lost. They will be replaced by trip credits after once the pandemic is over.

Both types of credits must be used within a year of being issued and can be used for someone other than the person the credit was issued to, but Vacation Travel Credits cannot be used for online purchases.

Spirit Airlines has two types of credits. Of the two, Reservation Credits are better than Future Travel Vouchers. The Credits can be applied to tickets, bags, seats, vacation packages, fees and taxes, while the Vouchers can be applied only to tickets, fees, taxes and other services related to flights. Reservation Credits have to be used by the person they are issued to within a year of being issued, unless issued after June 1, 2020. Credits issued after June 1, 2020, expire on May 31, 2021. Credits stay on a profile until fully used. Vouchers also must be used within a year of being issued. A voucher can be used only on a single purchase, with any leftover value on the voucher being lost. Spirit also restricts the dates the vouchers can be used on for flights.

Frontier:
Frontier has two types of credits. Of the two, Flight Credits are better than Flight Vouchers. Neither can be transferred to another person. Both can be used for future flights. Credits must be used within a year of being issued, but vouchers must be used (with flights booked) within 90 days of being issued. While credits can be used on as many flights as needed until they’re fully used, vouchers can be used only on one flight, with any leftover value going to waste.

Originally published at https://uspirg.org.