The good news: Airlines eliminated most ticket change fees during the pandemic, and that’s still the case, which means if you cancel your flight, you get a credit you can use for a future flight. 

But what about the shelf life of that airline ticket or an airline ticket credit — when do they actually expire? Officially, most airline tickets are valid for a year, but valid from what date? 

From the date you purchased the ticket or the date you intended to originally fly? 

You need to check with your airline directly. 

With some airlines, if you bought a ticket four months in advance and then change the ticket, the validity of that airline ticket credit may only be pegged to the date you purchased the ticket — or only eight months. 

And if you don’t plan carefully, your credit may expire.