01  What Are Airline Credits on Routespring?

Your team's airline credits are now fully visible, intelligently applied, and easy to manage — all within your existing booking workflow on Routespring.

The Problem This Feature Solves -

When a business traveler cancels or changes a flight, the airline typically issues a credit that can be used towards a future booking. These credits have real monetary value and expiry dates — but in most companies, they are difficult to track and easy to forget. Routespring has always automatically applied available airline credits when your team books flights. However, until now, there was limited visibility into which credits were available, how much they were worth, and whether they were being applied to the right bookings.

• Which travelers have credits, and on which airlines?

• Is a credit being applied to this booking, and for how much?

• Are any credits about to expire unused?

This feature addresses that gap. Routespring now surfaces all available airline credits at the point of booking, shows you exactly how and where they are being applied, and gives your travelers and travel managers the control to manage them — without adding complexity to the booking experience.

02  How It Helps Your Business

Airline credits represent money your business has already spent. Routespring ensures those credits are visible at the time of booking and applied wherever possible — reducing the risk of credits expiring unused and lowering your overall travel spend.

Full visibility for travel managers

Travel managers can now see which travelers have credits available, which airline they are valid for, how much they are worth, and when they expire. No more guesswork, no more chasing travelers for information.

Travelers are automatically notified when a credit is available for their booking. The system suggests the best credit to apply based on expiry date and fare value — so travelers do not need to remember they have a credit or figure out how to use it.

Where credits can be applied automatically, Routespring handles it without any additional steps. In cases that require manual processing, your traveler is informed upfront about the expected timeline so there are no surprises.

For airlines where unused credit value is forfeited upon redemption — such as United Airlines and Alaska Airlines — Routespring automatically checks whether applying a credit makes financial sense before applying it. This protects your team from accidentally losing more value than they save.

Travel managers and finance teams will be able to view a consolidated summary of all airline credits across the organisation — including which traveler holds each credit, the airline it applies to, the value, and the expiry date. This will be accessible directly within the company dashboard, giving your finance team a clear picture of outstanding credit value at any point in time.

03  How It Works

Airline credits work seamlessly within your existing booking flow on Routespring. Here is what you can expect at each step.

1. Search for a flight as you normally would  — When a traveler searches for a flight, Routespring automatically checks whether any airline credits are available for that traveler on the relevant airline. No additional action is required.
   
2. A banner notifies you that a credit is available  — If a credit is available, a banner appears at the top of the search results page. This lets the traveler know that a credit can be applied to their booking.
3. Review and select your credit  — Clicking the banner opens the Manage Credits panel. Here, the traveler can see all available credits for their booking — including the airline, credit value, and expiry date. Routespring will have already selected the best credit by default, based on expiry date and how well it matches the fare. Travelers can review the selection and make changes if needed before confirming.
4. Browse fares with the credit applied  — Once a credit is selected, the search results update to reflect how the credit will be applied. Each fare option will show one of the following indicators:
   Credit Applied  — The credit will be applied and the booking processed for this fare.
   Fulfilled Within 2 Hrs  — The credit requires a short manual process. Your booking will be confirmed within 2 hours and you will be notified. The manual processing of credits is dependent on the supplier's or airline's operational processes, and as such, Routespring has no control over this.
   Credit Not Applied  — The credit cannot be used for this particular fare. The fare will be charged at the standard price. A note will explain why.
5. Review your itinerary  — On the Review Itinerary page, you will see a clear summary of how the credit has been applied, including the credit amount deducted from the fare, the remaining amount to be charged, and the fulfillment status of your booking. 
   
6. Confirm your booking  — Once you are satisfied with the itinerary, confirm the booking as usual. Routespring handles the rest — whether that is instant confirmation or processing within 2 hours
   

For roundtrip and multicity bookings — the credit is applied during the selection of your first flight and covers the overall booking. The credit banner will not appear on subsequent legs. This is expected behavior and does not mean the credit has been removed.04  What You Will See on Screen

Below is a summary of the key indicators and messages you will encounter when booking with airline credits on Routespring.

The Airline Credit Banner

When you search for a flight and an airline credit is available, a banner will appear at the top of the search results page. This is your prompt to review and manage which credits you would like to apply to your booking.

📷  Search results page with airline credit banner visible at the top

The Manage Credits Panel

Clicking the banner opens the Manage Credits panel. This shows you:

• Each traveler on the booking and their available credits

• The airline the credit applies to

• The credit value and expiry date

• The credit that Routespring has automatically selected as the best option (apply multiple credits selected by default across different airlines wherever applicable)

You can review the selection, switch to a different credit, or apply a credit manually if it was not selected automatically.

📷  Manage Credits panel showing traveler credits grouped by airline

Credit Applied Tag

When a credit has been automatically applied to a fare, you will see a "Credit Applied" tag on that fare card. This confirms that the credit will be used if you select that fare.

Fulfilled Within 2 Hrs Indicator

Some bookings using a credit require a short manual process on our end. Where this applies, you will see a "Fulfilled Within 2 Hrs" indicator on the fare card. Your booking will be confirmed and your ticket issued within 2 hours. You will be notified once it is done.

📷  Fare card showing Fulfilled Within 2 Hrs indicator

Credit Not Applied Indicator

In some cases, a credit cannot be applied to a specific fare. Where this happens, you will see a "Credit Not Applied" indicator along with a short explanation. Common reasons include:

• The fare is a Basic Economy fare, which does not permit credit application

• The credit is a United Airlines or Alaska Airlines credit and the fare difference exceeds $50 — in this case the credit cannot be applied to this fare.

📷  Fare card showing Credit Not Applied indicator with explanatory message

Review Itinerary Page

Once you have selected a fare, the Review Itinerary page will show:

• A "Credit Applied" confirmation on the flight segment

• The gross fare amount

• The credit amount deducted

• The remaining amount to be charged

• The fulfillment status of your booking

📷  Review Itinerary page showing credit deduction in pricing summary

1. Credits are traveler-specific
   Each airline credit belongs to the traveler who originally held the cancelled ticket. Credits cannot be transferred between travelers or applied to another person's fare.
2. Credits are airline-specific
   A credit issued by United Airlines can only be applied to a United Airlines fare. It cannot be used on a different airline even if the route is similar.
3. Basic Economy fares are not eligible
   Airline credits cannot be applied to Basic Economy fares. If you select a Basic Economy fare, the standard price will apply and you will see a clear message on the fare card. Selecting a standard or higher fare class will allow the credit to be applied.
4. Credits issued very recently may not appear immediately
   If a credit has been issued within the last 24 hours, it may not yet appear in Routespring. This is a standard processing window. Please allow 24 hours before contacting support if you believe a credit should be available and is not showing.
5. For United Airlines and Alaska Airlines credits — automatic application depends on fare value
   For credits on these two airlines, Routespring does not apply the credit automatically.
   If the unused portion would be $50 or less, you can choose to apply the credit manually if you wish by going to manage credits.
   If the difference is greater than $50, the credit cannot be applied on a fare. This is to protect you from losing unused credit value, as these airlines do not refund the difference.
6. Roundtrip and multicity bookings
   For roundtrip and multicity bookings, the credit is applied during the selection of your first flight and covers the overall booking. The credit banner will not appear on subsequent legs — this is expected and does not mean the credit has been removed. The applied credits will be visible in your fare summary on the review booking step. 
7. Booking confirmation timelines
   Most bookings using a credit are confirmed instantly. Where a booking shows "Fulfilled Within 2 Hrs", this means our team is processing the credit application manually. You do not need to take any action — you will receive a confirmation once the ticket is issued. The manual processing of credits is dependent on the supplier's or airline's operational processes, and as such, Routespring has no control over this.

06  Frequently Asked Questions

1. How does Routespring know I have an airline credit?
   Routespring automatically checks for available credits associated with your traveler profile each time you search for a flight. You do not need to enter or upload anything manually.
2. Do I need to do anything to apply a credit to my booking?
   In most cases, no. Routespring automatically selects and applies the best available credit for your fare. You will see a "Credit Applied" tag on eligible fare options. If you would like to review or change the selection, you can do so via the Manage Credits option at the top of the search results page.
3. What if I have more than one credit on the same airline?
   Routespring will automatically select the best credit for your booking based on the expiry. Credits expiring soonest are prioritised to ensure they are used before they lapse. You can review and change the selection in the Manage Credits panel if needed.
4. Why is a credit showing but not being applied to my fare?
   There are two common reasons for this. First, the fare you have selected may be a Basic Economy fare, which does not permit credit application. Second, if the credit is from United Airlines or Alaska Airlines and the unused portion would exceed $50, the credit cannot be applied on a fare. This is to protect you from losing unused credit value, as these airlines do not refund the difference.
5. My booking shows "Fulfilled Within 2 Hrs" — what does this mean?
   This means your booking requires a short manual process on our end to apply the credit. Your ticket will be issued within 2 hours and you will receive a confirmation once it is done. You do not need to take any action in the meantime.
6. I cancelled a flight and expected a credit — why is it not showing yet?
   Credits issued within the last 24 hours may not yet appear in Routespring as they are still being processed by the airline. Please allow 24 hours and check again. If the credit is still not visible after that period, please contact your Routespring account manager or our support team.
7. Can I choose not to use a credit and pay the full fare instead?
   Yes. You can deselect a credit in the Manage Credits panel and proceed with the standard fare price. The credit will remain available for a future booking.
8. Can a credit be used by a different traveler in my organisation?
   No. Airline credits are issued in the name of the traveler on the original cancelled ticket and can only be applied to that traveler's future bookings. They cannot be transferred to another traveler.
9. What happens to a credit if it is not used before it expires?
   Unused credits that pass their expiry date are no longer valid and cannot be applied to future bookings. Routespring prioritises credits that are expiring soonest to help reduce this risk. A credits reporting dashboard is coming soon to the Routespring admin panel, which will allow travel managers to monitor expiring credits proactively.