I love a good travel hack that’s low-effort, and actually works — and extending Delta eCredits is one of those borderline-magical moves that can buy you more time to plan the trip you actually want. Below I’ll walk through the method I use, why it usually works, and the risks so you don’t accidentally lose value.

What are Delta eCredits?

Delta eCredits are electronic travel credits issued by Delta Air Lines that you can use toward future flights or certain travel purchases that are tied to your SkyMiles account. Think of them as Delta’s version of “store credit.”

Delta issues eCredits in a few ways. If you voluntarily cancel a ticket you’ll typically receive an eCredit that’s valid one year from the original ticket purchase date (fees may be deducted depending on the fare level purchased). In some special disruption cases Delta has extended eCredits for longer (recently they’ve issued 5-year extensions for certain disrupted itineraries).

There’s also earned Delta eCredit through their credit cards after a certain spend amount. For example, you can earn a $200 Delta flight credit after spending $10,000 in a calendar year on eligible purchases with the Delta Gold Card. This bonus flight credit is in addition to normal point earning and sign up bonuses.

You can combine up to 5 flight credits per ticket with Delta, allowing you to use an earned flight credit through credit card spending as well as a cancelled ticket eCredit for the same flight purchase.

The Trick — Step by Step (Tried and Tested)

1. Check your current eCredit expiration date. Note the exact expiration date, amount, and the eCredit number in your Delta account.

2. Find a fare a little higher than the eCredit. Use the eCredit toward a new booking that costs at least $1 more than the Delta eCredit (so you actually pay a small cash difference at checkout). The system needs to apply the eCredit and create a new transaction for it to issue a new eCredit on cancellation.

Be sure not to book a Basic Economy fare, since those are non-refundable with no changes allowed. On the other end of the spectrum do not book Main Extra since they are fully refundable, and will not result in a new eCredit being issued. Main Classic is your best bet.

3. Book the flight as far out as possible. Pick dates well beyond the original Delta eCredit expiration — many people choose flights many months in the future so the new eCredit will be based on the new booking/cancellation transaction date.  

**Note: It doesn’t matter the destination, since you will be cancelling it. Try playing around with dates and destinations that get as close to your flight credit amount so that you won’t have to pay more than $10 on top of your credit amount.

4. Wait at least 24 hours after booking. If you cancel inside the 24-hour risk-free window Delta will refund your payment method instead of issuing an eCredit. Waiting past 24 hours avoids that.  

5. Cancel the booking and check the new eCredit. After cancellation you should receive an eCredit for the unused value. Many travelers report that the newly issued eCredit gets a new expiration date (often one year from the date of the new ticket purchase/cancellation), effectively “extending” the usable window, though results can vary.  

Why this sometimes works (and why it’s not guaranteed)

Delta’s official rules say eCredits are valid for one year from the ticket purchase date (unless stated otherwise) and that cancellation refunds/eCredits are subject to the ticket terms. But in practice the airline’s reservation system will often issue a fresh eCredit tied to the date of the most recent canceled ticket — so using your expiring eCredit to buy a slightly more expensive ticket, then canceling (after 24 hours) can cause the system to generate a new eCredit with a new expiration. That’s why people on travel forums and blogs report success.

Still: results are inconsistent across fare types, routes, and specific system/backend handlers. It’s worth a shot, especially since the worst that can happen is that you are stuck with the same expiration date and are out a couple of dollars.

Method #2- Flight Changes

For me personally, the above method worked flawlessly. However, if it doesn’t work for you, there is another method to make sure that you can take advantage of your eCredit if you are unable to take a trip right away.

1. Find and book a flight far out in the future. You can typically book a Delta flight up to 331 days in advance.

2. Use your Delta eCredit to pay for the flight. This will be a place holder flight until you are ready to book a trip you really want to take.

3. Change the flight when you are ready to book an actual trip. You are able to change both the dates and destination without any change fees on Delta (only fare difference) for most fare classes aside from Basic Economy.

**Note: Do not book Basic Economy with either method. There are no refunds and changes allowed with Basic Economy. Also, the restrictions of Basic Economy are not worth it in general, so just avoid it completely when flying with Delta.

This eCredit extension method achieves the same goals as the first refund method. The only difference is that you will have to change the date and destination when you are ready to book, rather than book an entirely new flight with your new Delta eCredit.

In the end, both give you more time to use your flight credits instead of forcing you to take a trip or letting your credit expire (which would be such a waste 😞).  

Things to Watch Out For / Best Practices

Final Note — Be Careful but Savvy

I’ve used this approach (and seen others do so successfully) to buy myself more time to plan trips without losing value. It’s a loophole that relies on how Delta’s system processes bookings and cancellations — but it’s not written-in-stone policy, and the results can vary by route and fare class. If your flight credits are expiring, then you don’t have much to lose by trying these methods though!