When is my airline voucher valid until? Can I get a refund?

Hundreds of millions of pounds worth of airline vouchers are still unspent from travel disruption during the pandemic. 

If you were issued a credit note for a cancelled flight, you could be left out of pocket if you don’t redeem it soon. Most airlines will not be extending the validity of vouchers again.

Moreover, these vouchers aren't Atol-protected; meaning if your airline goes bust, you won’t get your money back. 

British Airways owner International Airlines Group (IAG)– which includes Are Lingus, Iberia and Vueling – recently reported still holding €911 million (around £800 million) in unredeemed vouchers. Customers have until September to use them or lose them. 

If you have a voucher from BA, easyJet, Jet2, Ryanair or Virgin Atlantic, read on to find out how long you have to spend it.

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Can I get a refund on my airline voucher if the expiry date is about to run out?

Generally speaking, no. However, if you accepted your voucher after the airline cancelled the flight (not you) and were given no option for a refund, or you feel you were misled into accepting a voucher, you could dispute this with the airline.

First, approach your carrier and explain the situation, and why you want a refund. If it refuses, you can take your complaint to alternative dispute resolution. It's free in most instances, and several passengers have had success doing this.

When does my BA voucher expire?

British Airways vouchers are split into two types: Future Travel Vouchers and eVouchers - your voucher email from BA will specify which you have. Both are valid until 30 September 2023.  

You must have travelled and returned home by that date, not just booked. Vouchers which previously expired before this date have automatically been extended, so you don’t need to do anything.

To use a Future Travel Voucher, you must call BA, whereas you can use an eVoucher to book a flight online or through the app.

However, you can get a refund for the value of the voucher if yours was issued between 9 March and 19 November 19 2020 - but only if the flight didn’t operate. This will be automatically refunded two years after the voucher was issued.

When does my EasyJet voucher expire?

EasyJet vouchers generally expire a year after issue, unless specified otherwise.

With easyJet, you don’t have to fly by the expiration date, just book.

See the results of our airlines survey to see which were rated well by Which? readers

When does my Jet2 voucher expire?

Jet2 hasn’t issued vouchers since October 2020 and instead refunds customers in cash for flight cancellations in cash.

When does my Ryanair voucher expire?

If your Ryanair voucher expires, you’ll automatically be refunded, although in some cases this is to your Ryanir wallet account.

Ryanair vouchers issued prior to November 2021 expired one year after issue. You can extend the validity of your voucher once. If you’d like a refund sooner you can cash the voucher in at any time - which is more generous than most airlines.

If you’ve had a Ryanair flight cancelled since November 2021, you’ll receive your refund into a Ryanair wallet as credit. You can then use it to book a flight or request the refund to be transferred back into your bank account.

Ryanair previously told us that there is no expiration date on using funds in the wallet, so there’s no rush to use it. However, Which? feels that the Ryanair wallet adds an unnecessary step to gaining a cash refund and could be breaking the law.

When does my Virgin voucher expire?

Virgin Atlantic vouchers expire on 31 December 2023 - and travel must be completed by that date. If you forget to use it, it will become void, and you won’t receive a refund.