How to Use Travel Vouchers When an Airline Cancels or Delays Your Flight
What a travel voucher is and how it works
A travel voucher is a credit issued by an airline that lets you book a future flight instead of getting cash back. The airline sets an expiration date — typically one to three years from issue, depending on the carrier and when it was issued. You use the voucher code at booking, either online or by phone, and it reduces what you owe for the new ticket.
The voucher covers only the base fare, not taxes and fees. If your original ticket cost $400 and included $60 in taxes, the voucher covers $340. You pay the remaining taxes and fees on the new booking, plus any difference if the new flight costs more. If the new flight costs less, you do not get cash back — the voucher simply covers what it can.
Airlines issue vouchers under different names: some call them travel credits, flight credits, or future flight credits. The mechanics are the same. The voucher is non-transferable in most cases, meaning only the passenger named on the original ticket can use it.
Key Takeaways
- Travel vouchers expire on a specific date set by the airline, and you lose the credit if you do not book before then.
- The voucher covers only the base fare, so you will still owe taxes and fees on your new flight.
- You can usually book a flight for any passenger on the same airline, but the voucher itself is tied to the original ticket holder's name.
- If your new flight costs less than the voucher amount, the leftover credit stays in your account until you use it or it expires.
- Airline websites let you check your voucher balance and expiration date in your account, or you can call the airline directly.
Finding your voucher code and checking the balance
When an airline issues a voucher, it sends a confirmation email with a code — usually a string of numbers and letters. Search your email for "voucher," "credit," or "confirmation" from the airline. If you cannot find the email, log into your airline account and look for a section labeled "Trips," "Bookings," "My Reservations," or "Account Credits." Most airlines display active vouchers there with the balance and expiration date.
If you still cannot locate it, call the airline's customer service line. Have your original booking reference number ready — the confirmation number from your cancelled or delayed flight. The agent can pull up the voucher, read you the code, and tell you exactly when it expires. Write down both the code and expiration date, or take a screenshot.
Some airlines let you set up account alerts so you receive a reminder before the voucher expires. Check your account settings or ask the airline whether this option is available.
Booking a new flight with your voucher
Go to the airline's website and search for your new flight as you normally would. During checkout, look for a field that says "Promo Code," "Discount Code," or "Travel Credit." Enter your voucher code there. The system will apply the credit to your total and show you what remains to pay in taxes, fees, and any fare difference.
If you are booking by phone, tell the agent you have a travel voucher and provide the code. The agent will apply it to your new reservation. Some airlines charge a phone booking fee, so online is often cheaper if you can manage it.
The voucher applies only to flights on the same airline that issued it. If your original ticket was with United, you cannot use a United voucher on a Southwest flight. If you were booked on a connecting flight through a partner airline, check your confirmation to see which airline issued the voucher — that is the only airline where you can use it.
What happens if your new flight costs more or less than the voucher
If your new flight is more expensive than the voucher amount, you pay the difference out of pocket. For example, if your voucher is worth $340 and your new flight's base fare is $420, you owe $80 plus taxes and fees.
If your new flight is cheaper, the unused portion stays in your account as a credit. You can use it on a future booking until the expiration date. The leftover amount does not roll over after expiration — it disappears. Some airlines let you split a voucher across multiple bookings, so you could use part of it now and part of it later, as long as you stay within the expiration window.
A few airlines allow you to transfer unused voucher balance to another passenger, but this is rare and usually requires a phone call to customer service. Most treat vouchers as non-transferable.
Understanding expiration dates and what to do if yours is about to expire
The expiration date is firm. Once it passes, the voucher has no value and the airline will not restore it. The date is usually one to three years from the issue date, depending on the airline and the year the voucher was issued. Airlines that issued vouchers during the pandemic sometimes extended expiration dates, but those extensions have mostly ended.
If your voucher is expiring soon and you do not have an immediate travel need, book a flight anyway and cancel it later if plans change. Most airlines let you cancel a flight booked with a voucher and get the voucher credit back — though the new voucher will have a fresh expiration date from the cancellation, not the original date. Read the airline's cancellation policy before you book, because some restrict how close to the flight date you can cancel.
If you have already lost a voucher to expiration, contact the airline and explain the situation. Some agents will restore it as a one-time courtesy, especially if the expiration date was unclear or if you were not notified. It is worth a call, but do not expect it.
Using a voucher when you have a companion ticket or group booking
If you are traveling with others, each person needs their own voucher if each person received one. You cannot combine vouchers or use one person's credit to pay for another person's ticket, except in rare cases where the airline allows transfer (which most do not).
If you are booking a group flight and only some passengers have vouchers, book those passengers' tickets first using their vouchers, then book the remaining passengers separately. Most airline websites let you add multiple passengers to one booking, so you can do this in a single transaction.
If you have a companion ticket (a free or discounted ticket that comes with a paid ticket), check whether the voucher can be applied to the companion ticket. Policies vary — some airlines treat companion tickets as separate bookings and require a separate voucher, while others let one voucher cover both. Call the airline to confirm before you book.
What to do if your voucher does not work at checkout
If you enter the code and the system rejects it, the most common reasons are: the code was entered incorrectly, the voucher has already expired, the voucher was already used on another booking, or the new flight is on a different airline than the one that issued the voucher.
Double-check the code letter by letter — some characters look similar and are easy to mistype. If the code is correct, call the airline's customer service line. Have your original booking reference and the new flight details ready. The agent can check whether the voucher is still active and apply it manually if there is a system error.
If the airline says the voucher expired, ask when it expired and whether any extension was offered. If you believe the expiration date was unclear or you were not notified, explain that to the agent. If the voucher was already used, ask the agent to show you which booking it was applied to — this helps you track what happened.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I get cash instead of a voucher?
That depends on the airline and the reason for the cancellation or delay. Airlines are not required to offer cash refunds for all situations. If the airline cancelled the flight due to weather or a mechanical issue, they typically offer a voucher or rebooking on another flight, not cash. If you paid with a credit card, you can dispute the charge with your card company, but that is separate from the airline's voucher offer.
Can I use my voucher to book a flight for someone else?
No. The voucher is tied to the name on the original ticket. Only that person can use it to book a flight. However, once the new flight is booked, anyone can fly that ticket if the airline allows name changes (most do, for a fee). So you could book a flight for yourself using your voucher, then change the passenger name to someone else and pay the airline's name-change fee.
What if I book a flight with my voucher and then need to cancel?
When you cancel a flight booked with a voucher, most airlines return the voucher credit to your account with a new expiration date. The new date is usually one to three years from the cancellation date. You do not get the original expiration date back. Check the airline's policy on your confirmation email or website before you book.
Do taxes and fees get refunded if I do not use my voucher?
No. The voucher covers only the base fare. Taxes and fees from your original ticket are not refunded and are not added to the voucher. If you paid $400 total (including $60 in taxes), the voucher is worth $340. The $60 in taxes is gone.
Can I sell my voucher to someone else?
Most airlines prohibit this in their terms of service. Vouchers are non-transferable and tied to the original passenger's name. Some third-party websites claim to buy and sell airline vouchers, but these transactions are risky — the airline may refuse to honor a voucher that was transferred, leaving you without recourse.