Airline Flight Credits: Expiration Rules by Carrier (2026)

Do airline flight credits expire? As of August 2026, almost all of them do, and the windows are shorter than most travelers assume.

About one year is the legacy-carrier norm, though the full spread runs from thirty days to five years depending on the carrier and the reason for the credit.

The catch that costs people most is the start date. On most credits the clock begins on your original ticket or booking date, not the day you canceled.

Here is how the six major US carriers compare as of August 2026.

When does a flight credit expire? The clock starts at your original ticket date

This is the single most expensive misunderstanding about airline flight credits. As of August 2026, most carriers start the clock at your original ticket or booking date, not the day you canceled.

A credit issued ten months into a ticket you bought in January can have only weeks left. You do not get a fresh year from the day you cancel.

American puts it plainly for its Flight Credit: "Travel must begin within 1 year of the original ticket issue date" (aa.com). United, Delta, JetBlue, Alaska, and Southwest each anchor to their own original ticket or booking date as of August 2026.

'Book by' vs 'travel by': what your deadline actually means

Two credits with the same twelve-month window can still expire differently, because the deadline measures different things. A book-by date means you only need to make the new booking in time, while a travel-by date means the trip itself has to start before the clock runs out.

Flight credit expiration by carrier

Same idea, six different instruments. Here is each carrier's flight credit expiration in brief, with a link to the full guide where we have one.

American: Trip Credit vs Flight Credit

American runs two credits that travelers constantly mix up, as of August 2026. Trip Credit is the flexible one; Flight Credit is the restrictive one.

Trip Credit can book travel for anyone, up to eight per reservation, and lasts 12 months for AAdvantage members or 6 months for non-members on credit issued on or after April 2, 2024.

Flight Credit stays locked to the same passenger and expires one year from the original ticket issue date, on a travel-by basis. Our guide to American repricing covers how that value gets created.

United: Future Flight Credit, ETC, and TravelBank

United recognizes two travel credits plus a separate cash account as of August 2026, and the names matter because they expire on different terms.

A Future Flight Credit runs about 12 months on a travel-by basis, anchored to the original ticket date. An Electronic Travel Certificate runs about 12 months on a book-by basis and can book travel for anyone.

• Future Flight Credit: about 12 months, travel-by, original ticket date, same traveler only.
• Electronic Travel Certificate: about 12 months, book-by, usable to book for anyone.
• TravelBank cash: 5 years from each deposit, spent earliest-first, for United flights.

How each is earned and spent lives in our guide to United's future flight credits, ETCs, and TravelBank.

Delta: eCredits expire in 1 year, or 5 if Delta caused it

Delta issues eCredits, and how long yours lasts depends on why it exists, as of August 2026.

Cancel voluntarily and the eCredit is valid for one year from the original ticket date, minus any cancellation fee. If Delta cancels or significantly changes your flight and you take a credit instead of a refund, that eCredit runs five years from issuance.

eCredits are name-locked to the original ticket holder and cover the fare plus government taxes, but not bags or upgrades (delta.com).

Delta lists the expiration date but not whether it is book-by or travel-by, so as of August 2026 plan on booking by that date. See how Delta eCredits work for redemption details.

Southwest: 6 or 12 months since the 2025 change

Southwest brought back credit expiration in 2025, and how long you have now depends on the fare you bought, as of August 2026.

A Basic fare produces a flight credit that expires six months from your original booking date. Choice, Choice Preferred, and Choice Extra produce a Transferable Flight Credit that lasts twelve months.

The deadline is travel-completed-by, so the whole trip has to finish before the date. Reservations booked or changed on or before May 27, 2025 still never expire (southwest.com).

Our guide to Southwest's 6- and 12-month rules has the payment-method breakdown.

JetBlue: Travel Bank credits, 12 months from ticketing

JetBlue holds travel credits in what many still call the Travel Bank, and the clock is the part people get wrong, as of August 2026.

It is a book-by deadline, so you apply it to a new booking before it expires, and travel can fall later. Credits are not transferable between accounts, but there is no name-lock, so you can book a flight for someone else (jetblue.com).

For the full picture, including July 2026's fare changes, see our guide to the JetBlue Travel Bank.

Alaska: 12 months, with a 30-day floor

Alaska credit certificates last twelve months from the original ticket issue date, or thirty days from the date of exchange or cancellation, whichever is greater, as of August 2026.

The thirty-day floor is the part worth knowing. If you cancel close to the original expiration, you still get at least thirty days to rebook.

It is a book-by deadline, and travel can take place up to eleven months later. Certificates are non-transferable and cover the fare plus applicable taxes, but not service, change, or bag fees (alaskaair.com).

Alaska has no dedicated credit guide yet; our guide to Alaska repricing covers how the value is earned.

These credits are also what a fare drop turns into after you book. When the price falls, that difference is money you are owed, but the airline releases it only when someone reprices the ticket.

Autopilot tracks your reservation from the moment you add it, reprices it when the fare drops, and claims the difference for you. On most carriers it lands as one of the credits above, so this expiration table is your cost model.

The charge is 25% of what Autopilot recovers, and nothing when there is nothing to recover. Adding a trip takes about ten seconds with your confirmation code.

Can you transfer a flight credit to someone else?

Mostly no. As of August 2026, only a couple of these credits truly move from one person to another.

Southwest's Transferable Flight Credit from the Choice tiers allows one irreversible member-to-member transfer of the whole amount. American's Trip Credit and paper Travel Voucher let the holder book travel for anyone.

Alaska states its certificates are non-transferable and void if sold or bartered, so do not treat a certificate code as something you can hand off, as of August 2026.

What flight credits can and can't buy

Across all six carriers the pattern is consistent as of August 2026. A flight credit pays for the fare and its taxes, and rarely anything else.

• Usually covered: the base fare plus government taxes and fees.
• Usually not covered: checked bags, seat assignments, and change or service fees.
• American Trip Credit is the exception on bags: it can pay online bag charges, but not seats or extras.

None of these credits is cash, and none can be cashed out. The only route to actual money is a refund, covered next.

If the airline cancels your flight, you may be owed cash, not a credit

There is one situation where you should not accept a credit by default. As of August 2026, when an airline cancels or significantly changes your flight and you choose not to travel, US Department of Transportation rules entitle you to a cash refund to your original payment (transportation.gov).

A credit is optional in that case, not mandatory. If you take one instead, it typically runs longer, and American and Delta extend airline-caused credits to five years.

Can you extend an expiring airline flight credit?

The honest answer is no. As of August 2026, none of these six carriers documents an official way to extend a flight credit past its printed expiration.

So the practical approach is to use it on a trip you will actually take, well before the date. Set a reminder for a month out, since the carriers count from the original ticket, not from when you remember.

One more thing worth separating: flight credits and miles are different systems with different rules. If you are working out how long your points last, we answer that in whether airline miles expire.

Flight credit rules keep shifting; 2025 and 2026 already moved Southwest's and JetBlue's. The safest habit: read the date on your own credit, count from your original ticket, and spend it early.