In most cases, travel credits expire one year after the date they were issued. The expiration date will be listed on the credit itself. What that date means for you differs based on what type of credit you have. If you have a future flight credit, it's a travel by date.

The validity of flight credits, often called "Electronic Travel Vouchers" (ETV) or "Future Flight Credits," varies significantly by airline, but the standard window is usually 12 months from the date of the original ticket purchase, not the date the flight was canceled. This is a crucial distinction that often catches travelers off guard; if you bought a ticket in January for a June flight and canceled it in May, the credit might expire the following January. However, post-pandemic policies have led some carriers like Southwest to offer credits that never expire, while others like Delta and United have occasionally extended their windows to two years. It is essential to check whether the "expiration date" refers to the date by which you must book the new travel or the date by which you must actually complete the journey. Additionally, credits are usually non-transferable and must be used by the person whose name was on the original ticket. If the airline canceled your flight rather than you canceling it voluntarily, you are often legally entitled to a full cash refund to your original payment method rather than a credit, per DOT regulations.