For all the grief that US airlines rightfully received for extremely long hold times and slow refund processes through 2020, at least they did the right thing and extended validity dates several times on the huge amount of flight credits issued. But we're getting to the point I think where that will not be the case any more, and so it is time to look at your fine print closely and ascertain when your credit or voucher is valid until, bearing in mind that date for booking and date for travel can be different.

I'll refer to American Airlines as they are my main carrier from their major hub of Charlotte, but the following is generally true for all airlines now...

With AA it varies depending on what new itinerary you are trying to book but usually a payment option pops up at the end of the process to add a flight credit and it's a smooth process, but remember that flight credits can only be used by the original traveler and it's not possible to use them for anyone else's ticket. Combine that with different rules for eVouchers and it's still confusing to most consumers.

Read on for this weeks Top 5 Tips regarding those unused tickets, and please take note that we can absolutely work with you and the airlines to ensure you make the best use of them.

1. Credit (above) or Voucher (below)?
Definitely make sure you know whether you have a credit or a voucher, as there are critical differences between them as to who you can or cannot book with them respectively.
If you have a decent sized credit that is coming up to expiry and you can't think what to do with it to protect it's value, there is a trick (a little too long to describe here) that can turn it in to the much more flexible voucher and extend its validity. There is also another category with AA that is a little less common and that is a trip credit. Make contact with us for the inside skinny on all these.

2. Book Now
There are still very good fares appearing for travel this Fall. I personally booked a roundtrip to Hong Kong (below) for under $600 yesterday for late October using my last remaining flight credit from 2020. I'm hoping I will be able to upgrade it to business class with a systemwide upgrade or a mileage upgrade. Even if you think you might not make the trip, it is still worth booking especially using a credit because the booking terms are still very reasonable and worst case you end up with another credit that will be extended in to the future. This has to be better than letting the credit lapse altogether. We do think demand is going to surge in just a few months from now, as vaccination passports and better trends on Covid finally give the majority of potential travelers the confidence to take the plunge again. By waiting for that moment you will almost certainly be paying higher air fares for most destinations and airline terms and conditions will also likely tighten back up.