5 On Your Side

Check your airline voucher, it might be expiring

United States travelers are holding an estimated $10 billion in outstanding airline credits. To avoid losing the credit, be sure to read the fine print.

Posted Updated

By
Monica Laliberte
, WRAL executive producer/5 On Your Side reporter
MORRISVILLE, N.C. — United States travelers are holding an estimated $10 billion in outstanding airline credits.

To avoid losing the credit, be sure to read the fine print.

Many are finding the vouchers have restrictions and expiration dates that make them difficult to use.

Airlines offered vouchers instead of refunds over the last year, and there are use-by dates. That’s caused uncertainty with some travelers.

The Centers for Disease Control updated guidance, saying, …fully vaccinated people can travel at low risk to themselves."

That’s two weeks after your last recommended dose. But the CDC still discourages non-essential domestic travel if you’re not fully vaccinated.

Even if you’re not ready to go just yet, if you received a flight voucher, check it and your airline. Tickets normally expire one year after purchase.

Here are policies for the busiest airlines at Raleigh-Durham International Airport:

Some airlines did extend the use-by date though 2022. Now, Consumer Reports is pushing more carriers to allow vouchers to be used through September 2022.

Be aware that they’re issued in dollar amounts, not as a ticket replacement, so a particular flight could cost you more or less.

Some airlines, United and Frontier, for example, do not refund the difference.

Check with your airline about changes announced because, while they have been flexible, it won’t last forever.

 Credits 

Copyright 2024 by Capitol Broadcasting Company. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.