Delta Air Lines Flight Credits Now Valid Until 2023

Just when you think travel is back on track, a new variant emerges. This is the reality many travelers face when booking and rebooking flights amidst ongoing pandemic challenges. Enter: Delta Air Lines’ latest extension for flight credits.

Starting January 12, Delta is offering all existing eCredit (the airline's term for flight credit) holders an additional year to rebook their flights that were canceled for various reasons. (COVID has led to numerous canceled trips.) Previously, customers had until the end of 2022 to rebook, but now they can do so by December 31, 2023, for travel until the end of 2024.

This revised policy is also applicable to all new flights purchased throughout 2022.

“Don’t panic if the new expiration date isn’t visible on your eCredit documents; our system will take some time to update, but you can still book tickets for travel anytime in 2022 or 2023 using your existing eCredits,” Delta stated regarding the new policy.

Delta Vacations customers with travel vouchers or upcoming trips will receive a one-year extension on their travel credits as well.

Delta has eliminated the change fee for all ticket types except Basic Economy.

Should flight credits have an expiration date?

While Delta’s extended flight credit policy is currently the most generous, some lawmakers believe airlines should do even more. In a June 2021 letter to Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg, they urged the U.S. Department of Transportation to remove expiration dates on pandemic-related travel credits and address airlines' failure to provide refunds.

In summer 2021, President Joe Biden issued an executive order directing Secretary Buttigieg to investigate and take action against airlines for not providing refunds for flights canceled due to the pandemic.

Travelers should remember that airlines are required to refund them—not merely provide future flight credits—for canceled flights.

However, without government action, passengers will have to make do with future flight credits for any changes or cancellations they initiate.

So, what are other airlines doing about flight credits? Here are the latest policies as of now. (There have been numerous updates during the pandemic, so be sure to check for the most current information.)

United Airlines

According to United’s current policy, flight credits for tickets booked between May 1, 2019, and December 31, 2021, are valid until December 31, 2022.

For flights booked in 2022 that were subsequently canceled, the future flight credit must be utilized for travel within 12 months from the original ticket issue date.

Regarding change fees, United has eliminated them for all ticket types except Basic Economy.

American Airlines

At American, most existing future flight credits (American has three distinct categories) must be redeemed by March 31, 2022. New travel booked by this date can extend as far out as January 2023.

For “trip credits,” which represent any remaining value from a used future flight credit, these can be utilized up to one year after the trip credit was issued.

American has eliminated the change fee for all fares except Basic Economy purchased after April 2, 2021. (Basic Economy tickets bought between March 1, 2020, and March 31, 2021, can be changed without any fee.)

JetBlue

Generally, JetBlue’s future flight credits expire one year from the date they were issued (the day you canceled your flight). However, flight credits issued between February 27, 2020, and June 30, 2020, expire after two years instead of one.

JetBlue has eliminated change fees for all fare types, and for its lowest-tier Blue Basic fares, these fees have been waived for travel occurring until January 31, 2022.

Southwest

Southwest takes pride in never charging a change fee, a practice they implemented long before the pandemic.

Future flight credits remain valid for up to one year from the original purchase date of the ticket—not from the date the flight credit is issued—so be sure to note this when canceling a flight.