Time to check those Expiration Dates

During the pandemic, many travelers were forced to postpone or cancel their flights. In most cases, the airlines would only issue a flight credit for a later date. In many cases, those dates are coming due. So, it is time to look through those old flight cancellations, confirmations, and record locators and see what you have, and more importantly, when those credits EXPIRE. Some?credits were set to expire, one year from the date of the original flights, others were extended into 2022.

It is important that you know your airline's policy and determine when you need to rebook to get the full credit.

Here is a look at pandemic flight credits for some major airlines (please double-check with your airline(s) as policies and terms are constantly changing).

?Alaska Airlines travel credits issued on or after March 1, 2020, are valid through Dec. 31, 2021. Or you may cancel your ticket with no fee and deposit the funds into your My Account wallet or receive a credit for future travel.

?American Airlines is giving travelers until March 2022, but only if the canceled tickets were purchased by Sept. 30, 2020. If you purchased a ticket after that date you are covered by the standard one-year expiration date.

?Delta has extended travel credit expiration dates to the end of 2022 but only if you bought your ticket by April 17, 2020, otherwise, you have a year from the date of purchase.

?Frontier Airlines is offering one year from the date of the initial flight.

?JetBlue is giving passengers 12 months to use travel credits issued by June 30, 2021.

?Spirit Airlines extended the expiration date of credits issued from March 2020 to Dec. 31, 2021, but the flight must be booked by Sept. 30, 2021.

?United Airlines has extended the expiration date of tickets purchased as far back as May 1, 2019, to March 31, 2022.

Confused, so am I and I have spent the better part of four hours working on just two of my nearly dozen flights that I am seeking the flight credit expiration dates and information on. Each airline has different policies, and they are still changing. This does not include international carriers, codeshare partners, and flights purchased through third-party travel companies.

If you had planned and booked travel in 2020, dig out those confirmations, ticket numbers, and credit, including any emails from the airline(s), and contact the airlines NOW. The phones are probably busy, but they will get even worse toward the end of the year.

Search your email or travel documents for the confirmation you received when you or the airline canceled the flight. It's likely to have the expiration date of any travel credits and pertinent information you need to check balances and rebook online or over the phone, including the confirmation numbers and ticket numbers from the canceled flight.

Do Not Assume Anything. Read and print out those terms and conditions on your flight credit and talk to the airline now if there is any confusion. If you are not ready to book right now, find out the last date for booking, vs the last date of flying. Some airlines go as far as requiring all travel to be completed by the expiration date, some require you to start your travel by, and others only require you to book the new flights by that date.

Also, read the fine print on changes, increases in fares, as well as change fees, as this may eat up your credit. Ask if the credit may be used by someone other than the person named on the original ticket. Such as another family member. Most major airlines only allow the ticketed passenger to use the funds from canceled flights so you can't use those credits for another person. If the credit is in the form of a voucher, some airlines may allow you to add them up and use numerous vouchers toward a flight.

What can you do if you find yourself with credits that are about the expire???

The airline industry is far from back to the normalcy of pre-Covid. Airlines have already shown flexibility with the removal of those hefty change fees. There is some flexibility.

Call the airline customer service department or use your frequent flyer contact number. POLITELY explain your situation and ask for an extension. ?If rejected, call back and try again, or consider a post on the airline’s social media page.

You may be pleasantly surprised by the response.?