If you’ve got a Virgin Australia flight credit gathering dust in your travel bank, this is your wake-up call.

The clock is ticking. Virgin Australia has set a June 30 booking deadline for COVID-era Virgin credits, and if you miss it, that money could be gone for good.

Here’s the quick rundown of what’s happening, what your rights are, and what you should do right now.

What’s Going On?

During the COVID-19 pandemic, Virgin Australia issued credits in place of refunds when flights were cancelled due to government-imposed travel restrictions. At the time, most of us accepted those credits and moved on (there wasn’t exactly a lot of choice).

Fast forward to 2026, and approximately A$93 million in COVID-era flight credits remain outstanding. That’s a lot of flights that never happened.

But, the good news is under Virgin’s newly revised policy, customers must book their flights using the travel credits by June 30, but they can now travel until May 27, 2027. So there’s a little breathing room on when you fly, but not on when you need to book.

Do You Have Virgin Credits?

Some travellers have only recently discovered they had a Virgin flight credit, buried under years of promotional emails and inboxes we’d all rather forget. It’s worth logging into your Virgin account and checking your travel bank before Tuesday.

Can You Get a Refund Instead?

This is where things get a little… complicated.

Virgin stores all travel credits in a “travel bank” and has discretion on extending their expiry date. Its revised policy implies that you have a right to seek a refund, but it loops you back to the Fare Rules, which are largely silent on refund criteria. In short: you can ask, but there are no guarantees.

However, under Australian Consumer Law, you may have more leverage than you think. If the airline cancels a flight and never provides the service, offering a time-limited voucher instead of a refund may not remedy the problem if it later expires before it can be spent.

Where consumer guarantees are “seriously” breached, the consumer is entitled under Section 267 of the Australian Consumer Law to compensation equivalent to the airfare initially paid. This applies more to complex, non-rebookable trips – not so much a quick weekend getaway that could easily be rescheduled.

If you want to push for a refund, submit a claim in writing to Virgin before June 30, citing your consumer law rights.

What About Travel Insurance?

Worth checking! Some travel insurance policies cover unused airline-issued travel credits, including lost prepaid expenses and non-refundable portions of original fares, subject to limits. Dig out your old policy documents and have a read.

How Does Virgin Compare to Other Airlines?

Not especially favourably, it has to be said. Qantas agreed to pay $105 million to settle a class action over its COVID credits and now allows passengers to request a refund of remaining value at any time. Jetstar has no expiry dates on its COVID flight credits. Virgin’s June 30 deadline is the stricter of the bunch.

What Should You Do Right Now?

1. Log into your Virgin account and check if you have any credits sitting in your travel bank.
2. Book something — anything — before June 30, even if you travel later (up to May 2027).
3. Want a refund? Write to Virgin citing your Australian Consumer Law rights before the deadline.
4. Had travel insurance? Check your old policy — you might have coverage for unused credits.
5. Still stuck? The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) is the next port of call if Virgin doesn’t play ball.

The Bigger Picture

This situation is a good reminder that financial loose ends, whether it’s an old credit, an expired insurance policy, or a forgotten account, can cost you real money if left unattended.

At HPartners, we help our clients stay across exactly these kinds of things. Not just the big investment decisions, but the everyday financial details that quietly slip through the cracks. If you’d like a hand getting your finances organised, we’d love to chat.

Don’t let Tuesday come and go without checking. Your future self (and your travel budget) will thank you.