VIRGIN AUSTRALIA: Last chance to claim Travel Credits from COVID-19 period

If you still have a Virgin Australia COVID-era travel credit sitting unloved in your digital bottom drawer, it’s your final boarding call. Credits issued for cancelled flights between 21 April 2020 and 31 July 2022 expire on 30 June 2026.

And here is the kicker, Virgin says you don’t just need to book by 30 June. You need to fly by 30 June.

Tick tock.

Which Virgin credits are expiring?

The deadline applies only to Virgin Australia COVID travel credits issued between 21 April 2020 and 31 July 2022.

Virgin says these credits can still be used on future flights up until 30 June, either with Virgin Australia or partner airlines. They can also be used for someone other than the original passenger, such as a family member or friend.

That’s the only flexibility.

Virgin says more than 90% of its pandemic credits have already been claimed. It also says more than 90% of the remaining accounts with COVID credits have had no activity for more than three years.

So, they are mostly forgotten balances that sit quietly until they become airline revenue.

I thought I had cleared all my credits with airlines stemming from the COVID period, but according to Virgin Australia, I still have some outstanding!

How much money is still sitting there?

According to Virgin Australia’s half-year financial report, the airline held $93.1 million in COVID credits at 31 December 2025, with those credits due to expire on 30 June 2026.

That is not small change, it’s a very large pile of cancelled trips.

Virgin says it has made “extensive efforts” and sent regular reminders to customers. It has, most of which I have put in the ‘I’ll deal with that later, and of course, haven’t. But if there is still $93 million on the table, some travellers clearly haven’t got the message.

Why this matters for travellers

The problem with old travel credits is that many people booked flights for a specific purpose. If that purpose disappeared during COVID, a credit may be of little use years later.

The traveller may also now face fares far higher than the original ticket value. A $300 credit does not help much if the replacement flight now costs $550, making your refund now a discount voucher.

Virgin’s position is that it made the credits easy to use, allowed them to be applied across Virgin and partner flights, and permitted them to be used for other passengers. That is better than some airline credit schemes have been.

For comparison, Qantas COVID credits can no longer be used for new bookings but can be claimed as refunds, while Jetstar says its COVID vouchers no longer expire. Consumer groups have urged Virgin to offer refunds for unused credits after the deadline, but Virgin has not adopted that approach.

What you should do now

Search your email for ‘Virgin Australia Travel Bank‘, ‘COVID credit’, ‘flight credit’, ‘cancelled booking’, ‘VA booking reference’, or ‘Travel Bank username.

Log in to your Virgin Australia Travel Bank if you have one. Check old emails from 2020, 2021 and 2022, especially if you cancelled flights during border closures or lockdowns.

If you find a credit, price flights immediately, and if you can’t use it yourself, pass it to a family member or friend.

Don’t leave this until 29 June. Remember, you have to have claimed the credit and travelled before the end of June.

2PAXfly Takeout

I strongly encourage Virgin Australia to either convert these credits into refunds or extend the deadline further, at least for the actual use of the credits. The credit system is cumbersome at best, requiring the search for old emails to retrieve passwords and voucher numbers. This scheme seems more convenient for shareholders, rather than customers.

Having said that, I do understand the commercial need to get this liability off the company’s balance sheet.

Looks like I might be taking a day trip to Melbourne this June.