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Call Kurtis: Need to Rebook a Flight? Why Your Travel Credit May Not Last As Long As You Think

LOOMIS (CBS13) -- When you cancel a flight, you're usually told you can use the credit within a year.

But a year from what? Original booking? Cancel date? Original travel date?

When United Airlines told Greg Reichhold his $633 air travel credit had already expired, it was time to Call Kurtis.

Reichhold said he was told he had a year to rebook -- so when does the clock start on that year?

Canceling a flight in July 2013, Reichhold insists United told him he had a year to use that credit. But when he tried to rebook in June, he was frustrated to learn he couldn't.

"The girl said, 'That expired two weeks ago,'" he said.

His credit was no longer any good, and he said United wouldn't budge.

"it feels terrible. It really does," he said.

The Travelstore's Trudy Flores admits rebooking can be confusing for flyers, but said all major airlines work the same way.

"That's a policy that's been around for quite a while now," Flores said.

Credits are good for one year from the date you originally book your ticket. In Reichhold's case, that was May of last year. So Reichhold did not have a year from the July departure date.

On top of that, Reichhold needed to fly by that May anniversary, not just book his new ticket before then.

The agreements are always outlined in each airline's contract of carriage.

"It's just one of those things, one of those rules that they have," Flores said.

"I don't know how many people have had this happen to them," Reichhold said.

We reached out to United, which said "We sent them a confirmation email and alerted them to the ground rules."

"We alert [customers] to that information when they reach out to us," to change a flight.

Reichhold insists United didn't alert him -- now frustrated his money is gone.

"United's gonna lose my business," he said.

Reichhold and his wife are planning another trip this summer, but they plan to book with Delta Air Lines instead.

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