How to Use a Delta eCredit

If you buy a ticket on Delta Air Lines and you can’t take the trip, all is not lost. You can cancel or change your flight, and depending on the type of ticket you had, you can either get a refund or an eCredit.

Those eCredits are basically like cash and you can use them to book new tickets.

Here’s how they work.

What is an eCredit?

An eCredit has a specific monetary value, and you can apply it to any Delta ticket and taxes and fees.

According to the Delta website, you can get an eCredit several ways, including:

• An unused or partially used ticket.

• Remaining value of an unused post-purchase seat upgrade or Preferred Seat.

• Delta Travel Voucher received when a ticket exchange results in residual (remaining) value.

• Delta SkyMiles® Gold American Express Card $200 flight credit.

• Delta Dollars received for denied boarding compensation from an oversold flight.

• Transportation Credit Voucher received as compensation for a service issue.

• Miscellaneous Charge Order generally received when a ticket exchange results in residual value and the original form of payment for the ticket was other than a credit card.

• eGift Certificates.

There is no fee to use the eCredit, and you can use up to five per ticket if you’re buying a new ticket or two if you are changing a ticket.

If you cancel a Delta ticket for a flight originating from the United States or Canada, there is no fee to change or cancel a ticket as long as you have a ticket in Delta Main Classic or higher. There is a $99 fee for canceling a ticket in Delta Basic, and changes aren’t permitted.

You will need to pay for any change in fare, if there is one. If the new ticket costs less, you will get an eCredit for the difference.

Delta eCredit rules

Delta’s eCredits have expiration dates, so make sure to keep track of them.

If you choose to cancel a flight, the eCredit is valid for one year after the original ticket date.

If Delta cancels or significantly changes your flight and you choose to cancel it and receive an eCredit, it will be good for five years after the date it is issued.

» Learn more: Best airline credit cards

If you’re a member of Delta’s SkyMiles frequent flyer program and you added your number to your reservation when you booked your ticket, the eCredit should show up automatically in your account.

The emphasis here is on the word “should.” Over the years, I have had several eCredits not show up automatically, so it is important to write down the information that pops up on the screen when you cancel a ticket. The confirmation number, amount and expiration date are very important.

There are a few ways to find your eCredits and other certificates.

One way is to log into your SkyMiles account, and under “SkyMiles” select “Certificates & eCredits.”

Another way is to log into your SkyMiles account, select “SkyMiles” from the headers and go to “My SkyMiles.”

Once on that page, scroll down and you’ll see a section for “Elevate Your Next Flight,” which has a hyperlinked heading next to it that says, “View All Vouchers and Credits.”

From there, scroll down until you see your credits.

If a credit is not listed, you can look it up using a certificate or eCredit number, credit card number or other information.

From there, you’ll need more information, like the first and last name on the eCredit.

If an eCredit isn’t associated with a SkyMiles account or you don’t want to log in, you can still look it up online.

Redeeming an eCredit to pay for part or all of a Delta ticket is fairly simple.

From the booking page on the Delta website, there are two ways to book using eCredits.

One is to select “Use Certificates, eCredits, or Delta Gift Cards,” which appears after selecting “Advanced Search.”

That will take you to a page where you can see your active eCredits.

Once you select one, a redeem button will appear.

From there, you will go to a page to book a flight that shows the eCredit on top of the search window.

You can search for a flight, where the value of the eCredit will be applied at checkout.

Another way to pay using an eCredit is to search for a flight and in the payment area, select “Use eCredits.”

Once you click on that, a window will pop up showing available eCredits.

Once you select the eCredit, the amount remaining adjusts and then you confirm by selecting “Use eCredits.”

From there, you go to pay for the remaining amount of the ticket like you would with any other ticket.

One thing to note is most eCredits are not transferable, meaning only the person listed on the eCredit can use it. There are some exceptions for things like eCredits earned for reaching credit card spending bonuses or Medallion status travel vouchers.

The credit will say whether it is transferable when you look it up online.

If you don’t have enough eCredit to pay for the flight, you might want to use a credit card that earns you SkyMiles that you could use for future flights.