How to Use a Spirit Airlines Flight Credit

If you have canceled a Spirit Airlines flight, or you've been bumped from one, there’s a good chance you now hold what are called a Spirit Reservation Credit. This is effectively a Spirit Airlines voucher.

These credits can pay for future airfare, as well as other expenses you might incur when flying the airline. Here’s how to use them — and how to get these credits in the first place.

» Learn more: What to know about Spirit Airlines

How to redeem a Spirit Airlines voucher

Spirit Airlines Reservation Credits can be used to cover Spirit airfare and also other fees like bag fees, seat selection fees, as well as taxes.

To book a new flight with those credits, have your Reservation Credit number handy. It’s typically a six-digit alphanumeric code sent to the email address Spirit has on file for you.

From there, select the new flight you want to book through the normal flight search page and process.

When you get to the payment page, select “Redeem a voucher or credit.” Then, navigate to the box that says “Reservation Credit,” where you’ll input your six-digit confirmation number.

If your new purchase exceeds the cost of your voucher’s value, you’ll have to use another payment method to cover the difference.

» Learn more: Is the Free Spirit® Travel More World Elite Mastercard® worth it?

​​What to know about Spirit Reservation Credits

Unlike credits from other airlines like Southwest Airlines, which issues travel funds that never expire, the Spirit version of such credits are pretty frustrating.

Spirit flight credits have expiration dates, and Spirit isn’t transparent about how these are determined. Check the email you receive upon cancellation to understand the expiration date, but it’s usually within 90 days of issuance.

Spirit credits are also nontransferable, so you can’t use them to book a flight for someone else. Contrast that with airlines like Southwest, where credits are transferable for most fare classes.

» Learn more: The best airline credit cards right now

How to get Spirit Airlines flight credits

In order to even get Spirit flight credits by canceling a flight, you’ll often owe a hefty sum of money.

In most cases, you’ll have to pay a fee to change or cancel your flight.

Exact Spirit cancellation fees vary depending on how early you decide to cancel, but they are:

• Zero to six days before departure: $119.

• Seven to 30 days before departure: $99.

• 31-59 days before departure: $69.

• 60 or more days before departure: $0.

Considering Spirit is known for its ultra-low fares, it can sometimes come to pass that paying the cancellation fee just to get future flight credits isn't even worth it — especially if you don’t end up using the flight credits before their short expiration date.

Then again, those fees likely aren’t that surprising, considering Spirit seems to charge you extra fees for just about everything. They’ll charge you $4 for the in-flight soda, and even a $25 fee if you need the airport agent to print your boarding pass.

» Learn more: What you need to know about Spirit Airlines fees

How to avoid Spirit cancellation fees

There are two ways to avoid the Spirit cancellation fees so that you can receive a full refund or credit for your flight booking.

• Cancel your flight within 24 hours of booking. This entitles you to a full refund to your original form of payment.

• Cancel your flight at least 60 days in advance. In this instance, you'll receive a Spirit Airlines Reservation Credit for the full flight amount.

Is getting a Spirit credit worth it?

Given Spirit’s high cancellation fees and challenging flight credit terms, you might be better off just sinking the cost of the airfare you paid — particularly if the cancellation fee is similar to (or perhaps higher than) your initial airfare cost and you’re not committing to booking another Spirit flight in the next couple of months.