It’s not just the expiration dates but the sheer complexity of the flight credits that can overwhelm the average customer.Ĭonsider Smithers’ case. Warning: Flight credits can get complicatedĪirlines are exceptionally good at keeping your money, and nowhere is that more true than with flight credits. They accept vouchers for their flights and then forget about them. But many passengers don’t know or don’t care. Smithers was aware that her flight credit had an expiration date. So effectively, when they give you a flight credit, they know there’s a 9 in 10 chance they will keep your money - legally. I’ve spoken with airline insiders who say less than 10 percent of their customers redeem their flight credits, which is known as the “spoilage” rate. They don’t want the liability of hundreds of millions of dollars worth of unspent flight credits on their balance sheets.īut the real reason is less complicated. Why do flight credits expire? Airlines argue that credits are unused tickets they must account for in their systems. Congress wants to require airlines to offer flight credits that last “indefinitely.”) (This was almost certainly a pre-emptive move. The exception among major domestic airlines is Southwest, which this summer removed the expiration dates on its flight credits. Let’s be clear about this: Almost all airline flight credits expire. Avoid accepting a flight credit at all costs.“I just want the value of my credit as was promised”.If my flight vouchers expire before I can use them, can I dispute my ticket purchase on my credit card?.What do you need to know about flight credits?.New flight credits - and a new expiration date. Warning: Flight credits can get complicated.If you have a flight credit, you might want to check your account now. Most flight credits last a year, but some disappear in as few as three months (here’s lookin’ at you, Frontier Airlines). Airlines often pressure their customers to accept flight credits either as an apology or instead of a refund. The administration wants to regulate some of the credits, but that is far off. This summer, carriers are expected to hand out more flight credits to delayed passengers. During the pandemic, airlines pushed their flight credits on passengers with canceled flights. She contacted her online travel agency, which delivered the bad news: Her American Airlines flight credit had expired two months ago.īut how could that be? Hadn’t Expedia told her she had four more months to use her flight credit?Įxpedia would hear none of it. “When I went to book a trip using the flight credit, it was gone,” she says. 5 base miles per $1 spent, others 1.5 miles or 2 miles, etc.After canceling her much-anticipated beach vacation to Kauai, Melissa Smithers thought she had $2,034 in American Airlines flight credits. For example, most AAdvantage ® credit cards earn 1 base mile per US$1 spent on eligible purchases, but some earn. Base miles earned vary by credit card type and issuing bank.Retail: Shell, NRG Energy, Reliant Energy, Xoom, Miles for Opinionsįor American Airlines AAdvantage ® credit cardmembers, eligible AAdvantage ® miles include the base miles earned on eligible purchases using your AAdvantage ® credit card, and do not include any bonus miles or accelerators.Cars: American Airlines Cars, Avis, Budget, Payless, Hertz, Dollar, Thrifty, Alamo, National, Sixt.Hotels: American Airlines Hotels, Hyatt Hotels & Resorts, Marriott International, IHG Hotels & Resorts, Marriott Vacations, RocketMiles.Portals: American Airlines Vacations, AAdvantage ® eShopping℠, AAdvantage Dining℠, SimplyMiles™.Base offers vary by partner and eligible partners include: All status and cabin of service bonuses earned when flying on American Airlines and eligible partner airlinesīase miles earned from spending with eligible partners.Base miles earned from flying on Loyalty Point-qualifying airlines (flights marketed by American Airlines, oneworld ® airlines, JetBlue, and GOL Airlines).
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