Air New Zealand Covid-19 flight credits set to expire
Thursday, 22 January 2026
Air New Zealand flight credits issued during the Covid-19 pandemic are due to expire at the end of the month.
Credits must be used on bookings for travel up until December this year.
The national carrier says 88% of customers have already used their Covid-19 travel credits, and for those who hadn’t, most balances were under $1000, and about half under $100.
It was sitting on $192 million in unused credits, as of June 2025.
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Consumer NZ chief executive Jon Duffy recommended using the credit to purchase a flexi fare - which allows flight changes without change fees - before the credit expired at the end of the month.
“We recognise flights are a lot more expensive now than during the Covid lockdown, so you may not be able to travel as far, but there are still multiple options for using your credit,” Duffy said.
“You won't be able to get a refund on fares you purchase with your credit, but you will at least have the ability to change your flights if you book a flexi fare.”
Duffy said Air New Zealand customer care teams had the discretion to consider refunds for Covid credits on a case-by-case basis.
“If you can’t fly due to a serious medical condition or financial hardship, you could have grounds to have your credit refunded,” he said.
“We’ve helped dozens of people get refunds, including the elderly, new parents, overseas tourists and those in financial difficulty. You might be asked to provide documents to support your circumstances,” Duffy said of the refund process.
Air New Zealand chief customer and digital officer Jeremy O’Brien said the company had regularly reminded customers about any remaining credits.
It had sent five reminders within the last six months, and had been communicating with customers who had Covid credits regularly for five years with details on how they could use them.
“If people are unsure whether they have one, they can check their balance at any time in the Air NZ app, or by getting in touch with our customer care team or their travel agent,” O’Brien said.
“These credits remain flexible and can be put towards a new booking, used to pay for a flight change, purchase seats and bags, upgrade an existing booking online, or be gifted to friends or family.
“We recognise that a customer’s circumstances may have changed since they received their Covid-19 credit. We encourage anyone who holds a credit and is experiencing genuine financial hardship or who can no longer travel now or in the future due to ill health to get in touch.“
While the law does not require refunds to be made, since the start of the pandemic, Consumer has been calling on airlines to refund customers for flights that never left the tarmac.
The consumer watchdog has previously asked Air New Zealand to drop expiry dates on outstanding flight credits. The airline responded by extending the expiry date by two years.
“We are pleased that Air New Zealand has been consistent in its efforts since the Covid-19 pandemic to contact impacted customers to let them know they have a credit that needs to be used,” Duffy said.
“However, we’d like to see them drop expiry dates on outstanding Covid-19 flight credits entirely - much like Jetstar has.”
Air New Zealand passenger numbers dropped by more than 50% in 2020 as a result of the pandemic and following the closure of borders.
In 2020, the initial year of Covid disruption, the airline flew 8.4 million passengers, down from 17.6 million the year before.