Virgin customers have one month to use COVID travel credits

Virgin Australia's COVID credits expire at the end of June. (ABC News: John Gunn)

Did you have tickets for a flight that was cancelled during the COVID-19 pandemic?

You may have been issued with a travel credit, but you might not have claimed it yet.

And if your credit was from a cancelled Virgin Australia flight, you only have a month to use it.

Credits issued between 21 April, 2020 and 31 July, 2022 expire on June 30.

It's not enough to use the credit for booking before the deadline. The airline is insisting that customers must also fly by June 30.

"Any unused credit can still be used on future flights up until 30 June, with Virgin Australia or our partners, either for the named individual or for a family member or friend," a spokesperson for the airline said.

The airline said more than 90 per cent of credits issued during the pandemic had been claimed, when approached by the ABC in May.

"Despite extensive efforts and regular reminders to our customers, the remaining credit balances are seeing almost no usage," a Virgin Australia spokesperson said.

"Over 90 per cent of remaining accounts with COVID credits have had no activity for over three years."

According to a financial outlook published in late February, the airline held about $93 million in unclaimed credits.

Customers wanting to use their Virgin Australia COVID flight credits have a month to do so. (ABC News: Keane Bourke)

After coming under fire for putting expiry dates on credits for flights cancelled during the pandemic, Qantas eventually said they wouldn't expire.

However, people with Qantas flight credits can no longer use them to book flights.

Instead, credits for bookings made on or before September 30, 2021 can only be redeemed as refunds.

But those refunds aren't processed automatically. Qantas says on its website that customers have to call the airline to request a refund.

The ABC understands Qantas sends reminders to customers who have unclaimed travel credits via emails, text messages and phone calls.

Jetstar, a subsidiary of Qantas, also updated its terms to ensure its COVID flight credits did not expire.

The airline says it emailed customers with updates about their vouchers.

Choice communications and campaigns director Andy Kelly says Virgin should offer refunds to customers who didn't use their credits by June 30.

"Many consumers book flights for a specific purpose," he said.

"If the flight is cancelled, they may no longer have a reason to fly.

"We heard from many consumers during the COVID-19 pandemic who were no longer well enough to travel, or who were tr