Qantas and Jetstar have extended the expiry date of their COVID credits by another 12 months, for the third and final time since 2020.
Before this extension, travellers had until December 31, 2023, to book and complete their travel using their COVID credits. Now, travellers still have to book their flights by the end of this December, 2023, however they have until December next year (2024) to complete their travel.
The credits, which can be used for domestic and international flights, were issued during the COVID pandemic to provide travellers with more flexibility for flight changes and credit redemptions. A total of AUD2 billion (R24,5bn) credits have been issued over more than two years, while more than AUD1,2 billion (R14,7bn) has been refunded or used for travel.
A recent analysis of the AUD800 million (R9,8bn) in COVID credits still held by Qantas and Jetstar travellers shows:
- 76% are worth less than AUD500 (R6 125).
- 24% are worth between AUD500 (R6 125) and AUD5 000 (R61 243).
- Less than 1% are worth over AUD5 000 (R61 243).
There are two main types of Qantas COVID credits in the system: those triggered when the airline cancelled a flight and those triggered when a traveller elected not to travel. All travellers in the first category remain eligible for a cash refund of their credit should they prefer.
The latest extension follows initiatives introduced by airlines over the past year to make using the credits easier. For Qantas, this includes a dedicated Qantas helpline with specially trained staff, monthly reminder emails on credit balances, and prompts to use flight credits in the online booking engine.
