Can You Sell Airline Vouchers? How Flight Credits Work in 2026

By Joseph Hellman-Benjamin, Founder and CEO of The Points King. Last updated: October 12, 2026. Editorial Policy

Can you sell an airline voucher? Generally no. American, Delta and Alaska all state that a credit or voucher that is sold or bartered is void, and the buyer can be left with nothing. What you can often do is use the credit to book a ticket for someone else, and at Southwest you can transfer one type of credit once. Before any of that, check whether you were owed cash: when an airline cancels or seriously delays a flight, US rules give you a refund if you turn down the voucher.

I am Joseph Hellman-Benjamin, and I have run The Points King since 2017. We buy miles and points. We do not buy vouchers or flight credits, and this page explains why. There are no affiliate links on this site.

Contents hide
1 What a Flight Voucher Is
2 Rules by Airline in 2026
3 What Changed in 2025 and 2026
4 Before You Accept a Voucher: You May Be Owed Cash
4.1 If you are bumped
5 Why Selling a Voucher Goes Wrong
6 What to Do With a Voucher You Cannot Use
7 If What You Have Is Miles
8 Frequently Asked Questions
8.1 What is a flight voucher?
8.2 How do airline vouchers work?
8.3 Can I give my airline voucher to someone else?
8.4 Can I get cash for a flight credit?
8.5 Do flight credits expire?
8.6 Does The Points King buy airline vouchers?
9 Sources

What a Flight Voucher Is

Airlines use several names for much the same thing: a dollar balance you can spend only with that airline. You get one in three ways.

  • You cancelled a non-refundable ticket. The fare comes back as a flight credit, usually tied to your name.
  • The airline is making up for something: a long delay, a broken seat, giving up your seat on a full flight. This is the classic voucher or travel certificate.
  • Someone bought you a gift card. Gift cards follow their own, looser rules.

The differences matter. A credit from your own cancelled ticket is the most restricted. A compensation voucher can often be used for another traveler. Neither is meant to be sold.

How long flight credits last, and who can use themExpiry in months for the credits in the table on this page, colored by whether someone else can fly on them.
Can book for anyoneLimited transferNamed traveler only
American Trip Credit6 months for non-members
12 months
American Flight CreditNamed passenger only
12 months
Delta eCreditMostly named traveler
12 months
Delta Transportation Credit VoucherSame booking only
12 months
Southwest credit, Basic fareNamed traveler
6 months
Southwest credit, Choice faresOne transfer allowed
12 months
United Future Flight CreditOriginal traveler only
About 12 months
JetBlue Travel BankBook for anyone
12 months
Alaska Wallet fundsBook for anyone
12 months
Alaska Bonus Travel CertificateCan be given away
12 months
036912 months

Expiry runs from the original ticket date or booking date as set out in the table on this page; United’s figure is approximate. American, Delta and Alaska void credits that are sold; the other airlines are not stated or not checked.

Rules by Airline in 2026

Airline and credit Expires Can it pay for someone else? If sold
American Trip Credit 12 months for AAdvantage members, 6 for others Yes, you can book for anyone Void
American Flight Credit Travel must begin within 1 year of the original ticket No, named passenger only Void
Delta eCredit 1 year from the original ticket date Mostly no Not stated on Delta’s page
Delta Transportation Credit Voucher 1 year, no extensions Only if the named person travels on the same booking Void
Southwest flight credit, Basic fare 6 months from booking No Not stated
Southwest Transferable Flight Credit, Choice fares 12 months from booking Yes: one transfer to another Rapid Rewards member Not stated
United Future Flight Credit About 12 months from the original ticket No, original traveler only Not checked
JetBlue Travel Bank credit 12 months from original ticketing Yes, you can book for anyone Not checked
Alaska Wallet funds 1 year Yes, you can book for anyone Not checked
Alaska Bonus Travel Certificate 1 year Yes, it can be given away Void, and Alaska can charge the full fare

Sources: American, Delta and its voucher terms, NerdWallet on Delta (July 16, 2026), Southwest and its transferable credit page, Alaska, and AwardWallet on Alaska and JetBlue. United’s pages would not load when this was checked; that row is from One Mile at a Time, last updated in February 2024, so confirm it in your United account. Where the last column says not checked, I could not read the airline’s own terms; do not take that as permission.

Credits issued because the airline cancelled or badly delayed your flight last five years at American, Delta and Southwest.

What Changed in 2025 and 2026

  • Southwest credits expire again. Credits from bookings made or changed on or after May 28, 2025 run out after 6 or 12 months, and the trip must be finished by then. Credits created on or before May 27, 2025 do not expire.
  • Bumping pay went up. From January 22, 2025 the caps for passengers denied boarding against their will are $1,075 and $2,150.
  • Refunds are automatic. Under the Department of Transportation rule now in force, a refund to a credit card is due within 7 business days once you decline the alternative.
  • Alaska certificates work on Hawaiian. Bonus Travel Certificates can be used on Hawaiian Airlines for travel from April 22, 2026.

Before You Accept a Voucher: You May Be Owed Cash

This is the step that makes most “how do I sell my voucher” questions disappear. The Department of Transportation says you are entitled to a refund, not a credit, when:

  • the airline cancels your flight for any reason and you choose not to travel;
  • the flight leaves 3 or more hours early or arrives 3 or more hours late on a domestic trip, or 6 hours on an international one, and you choose not to travel;
  • the airline moves you to a different airport, adds connections or puts you in a lower cabin.

The airline must tell you a refund is available. If it offers a credit and you take it, the credit must be valid for at least five years. If you say no, or say nothing, the money goes back to your card.

If you are bumped

When a flight is oversold, the rules differ by whether you volunteer.

  • Involuntary: you are owed 200% of the one-way fare, up to $1,075, if you arrive 1 to 2 hours late on a domestic trip, and 400%, up to $2,150, beyond that. On international trips the lower tier covers 1 to 4 hours. Payment is due the same day.
  • Voluntary: there is no set amount. You can negotiate, and the airline must tell you every restriction on a voucher before you agree.

The Department suggests asking, before you give up a seat: when is the next flight with a confirmed seat, how long is the voucher valid, are there blackout dates, and can it be used on international flights. I would add one: can I use it to book someone else?

Why Selling a Voucher Goes Wrong

American’s terms say a Trip Credit or Flight Credit is void if it is “bought, sold or bartered” or even advertised for sale. Delta says vouchers and the tickets issued from them will not be honored if they were sold. Alaska goes further: it can cancel the booking or bill the full fare for a trip already taken.

So the buyer carries the risk and may find out only at the airport. That is the reason I do not take part in it.

There is a separate resale market for whole tickets on airlines that allow a name change for a fee, mostly European low-cost carriers such as Ryanair, easyJet and Wizz Air, as APH lists (updated June 2026). American, United and Delta only correct spelling. That market does not help with a US airline voucher.

What to Do With a Voucher You Cannot Use

  1. Book a trip for someone else, as a gift. American Trip Credits, JetBlue Travel Bank credit, Alaska Wallet funds and Alaska certificates all allow it. Taking money for it turns the gift into a sale.
  2. Transfer it, if it is a Southwest Transferable Flight Credit. One transfer, whole amount, to another Rapid Rewards member, from the My Flight Credits page.
  3. Check whether the date is book-by or travel-by. A Delta eCredit and Alaska Wallet funds only need the booking made by the deadline, so a flight months later is fine. American Flight Credits and Southwest credits need the travel itself inside the window.
  4. Ask for more time. Extensions are goodwill, not policy, and Delta’s voucher terms rule them out. It costs one phone call.
  5. Go back and ask for the refund, if the credit came from a cancellation or long delay by the airline and you never agreed to take a credit.

If What You Have Is Miles

Miles are a different product with a different market. Brokers, including The Points King, buy airline miles for cash. Selling miles is against the terms of the programs on this page, and a program can take the miles back or close the account of a member who sells them. I set out how that works, and the official ways to use a balance first, in how to turn airline miles into cash. The risks of selling miles and points page explains what a program can do, and the quote form is on the sell airline miles page. If you would sooner use the miles on a ticket for a relative, see using miles to buy a ticket for someone else.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is a flight voucher?

A dollar credit from an airline that can be spent only on that airline, given as compensation or in place of a refund. Airlines call them vouchers, travel certificates, flight credits or eCredits.

How do airline vouchers work?

You apply the voucher number at checkout on the airline’s site. It pays the fare and usually the taxes, has an expiry date, and often cannot pay for bags or seats.

Can I give my airline voucher to someone else?

Sometimes. You can book a ticket for another person with an American Trip Credit, JetBlue Travel Bank credit or Alaska Wallet funds. Credits from your own cancelled ticket at American, Delta and United are usually for the named passenger only.

Can I get cash for a flight credit?

Not from the airline, unless you were entitled to a refund in the first place. If the airline cancelled or significantly changed the flight and you did not agree to a credit, ask for the refund.

Do flight credits expire?

Yes. One year is the usual limit, Southwest Basic credits last 6 months, and credits issued for an airline-caused cancellation last 5 years at American, Delta and Southwest.

Does The Points King buy airline vouchers?

No. We buy airline miles, credit card points and hotel points. We do not buy vouchers, flight credits or gift cards.

Your DOT rights, in numbersThe refund and bumping thresholds from the section on this page, before you try to sell a voucher.
Refund thresholdDomestic flight
3 hours
Early or lateYou choose not to travel
Refund thresholdInternational flight
6 hours
Early or lateYou choose not to travel
Credit validityIf you accept a credit
5 years
At least five years
Bumped involuntarilyDomestic, up to
$2,150
$1,075 for a 1 to 2 hour delay

From the Department of Transportation rules summarized on this page. A refund, not a credit, is owed when the airline cancels, moves you to a different airport, adds connections or puts you in a lower cabin. Involuntary bumping pays 200% of the one-way fare up to $1,075 for a 1 to 2 hour delay and 400% up to $2,150 beyond that.

Sources

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