What Are Nonrefundable Fares?

Nonrefundable fares are airline tickets that do not qualify for a refund to the original payment method. Instead, airlines may offer:

• Flight credits or travel vouchers for future bookings.
• Change options (sometimes with a fee).
• No refunds if the passenger fails to cancel before departure.

These fares are generally lower in price but come with more restrictions.

What Are Basic Economy Fares?

Basic Economy fares are low-cost, highly restrictive tickets that:

• Usually cannot be changed or refunded.
• Have limited benefits (e.g., no seat selection, no upgrades).
• Often have no free carry-on bag (on some airlines).

Basic Economy is typically nonrefundable and non-changeable, so passengers must be certain of their travel plans before booking.

What Happens to Unused Tickets?

An unused ticket refers to a flight that a traveler did not use. If the flight ticket is not used:

• Basic Economy tickets are forfeited.
• Nonrefundable tickets may still retain some value as flight credits (if canceled before departure).
• Credits usually expire within 12 months from the booking date.

Airline-Specific Policies for Nonrefundable Fares, Basic Economy, and Unused Tickets

Here’s how major U.S. airlines handle nonrefundable fares, Basic Economy, and unused tickets:

American Airlines

• Nonrefundable fares: No refund, but flight credit is issued if canceled before departure.
• Basic Economy: No changes or cancellations allowed (except within 24 hours of booking).
• Unused Tickets: Credit is valid for one year from the original ticketing date.

Delta Air Lines

• Nonrefundable fares: No refund; eCredits issued if canceled before departure.
• Basic Economy: No changes, no refunds (even for a fee), and no future credit.
• Unused Tickets: Credit is valid for one year from the original ticketing date.

Southwest Airlines

• Nonrefundable fares: Refunds in the form of Travel Funds, valid for 12 months.
• Basic Economy Equivalent? No true Basic Economy, but Wanna Get Away fares are the lowest-tier nonrefundable option.
• Unused Tickets: Credit is valid for one year from the original ticketing date.

United Airlines

• Nonrefundable fares: No refunds, but flight credits are issued.
• Basic Economy: No changes or cancellations (except for a fee within 24 hours of booking).
• Unused Tickets: Credit is valid for one year from the original ticketing date.

JetBlue Airways

• Nonrefundable fares: Refunds are issued as JetBlue Travel Credit for future bookings.
• Basic Economy (Blue Basic): Can be changed or canceled for a fee.
• Unused Tickets: Credit is valid for one year from the original ticketing date.

Alaska Airlines

• Nonrefundable fares: Travel credit is issued.
• Basic Economy (Saver Fares): Cannot be changed; only refundable within 24 hours of booking.
• Unused Tickets: Credit is valid for one year from the original ticketing date.

Key Takeaways

1. Nonrefundable fares can be canceled for a credit or voucher, but refunds are not issued.
2. Basic Economy fares are usually non-changeable, nonrefundable, and forfeited if not used.
3. Southwest Airlines offers the most flexibility—no change fees and Travel Funds instead of strict Basic Economy.
4. Unused tickets from nonrefundable fares must be canceled before departure to retain credit.
5. Expiration dates for travel credits vary (from 90 days to 12 months).