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Alaska Airlines has a unique way for frequent fliers to store their trip credits for future use, called “wallet funds.” When you cancel a trip, instead of those codes living (and potentially dying) in your email inbox, you can have funds deposited into your Alaska Airlines Wallet. Once the funds are deposited, there are a few rules to follow to use them and not let them expire.
Using your Alaska Airlines Wallet funds can get a bit complicated, and the last thing you want to do is to be caught with a bunch of expiring credits. So, let's walk through exactly what they are and how to use them so you'll be an Alaska Wallet expert in no time.
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What Are Alaska Airlines Wallet Funds?
The Alaska Airlines Wallet is the one place for you to store all of your trip credits, flight credits, gift certificate balances, and more. This means one easy way for you to redeem these myriad credits for flights on Alaska's website. When you're ready to check out, you'll see that your funds are available for you to use.
I'm oversimplifying this section and will go into all the specifics shortly. But just know that if you have any funds in your account, they'll be on the checkout page to apply.
Related: Ultimate Guide to Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan
How do wallet funds differ from discount codes?
Discount codes are typically issued by Alaska Airlines customer service representatives as a service recovery. For example, if you have a late flight or an issue on board, you might be issued a discount on a future flight. You can also be issued a $25 credit if your bags arrive more than 20 minutes late, thanks to Alaska's 20-minute bag guarantee.
Discount codes are applied at the time of search on the Alaska Airlines website. Even better, they can be combined with your wallet. Since the discount code is taken off the price of the ticket at the beginning, you can use your wallet funds no matter whether or not you're using a discount code.
How do wallet funds differ from Alaska gift cards?
Alaska gift cards can be purchased online (and sometimes at Costco) and do not come with an expiration date. They can be given to anyone at any time and used on any ticket. That means Alaska gift cards have a lot more flexibility than Alaska Airlines Wallet funds.
However, once you apply an Alaska gift card to your wallet, you can't take it out. So, make sure to only use those gift cards when you're ready to book.
How to Use Your Alaska Airlines Wallet Funds
While it may seem as easy as “search, book, click, pay,” there are many caveats and rules that you have to keep in mind when using your Alaska wallet funds.
Applies at checkout
You're going to see your funds available for use once you get to the final checkout page. You can see how many funds you have beforehand by clicking through your Alaska Airlines profile, but you won't add them like you would a discount code, for example.
Only available for flights, not extras
You cannot use your wallet funds on extras like seat upgrades, baggage fees, flight changes, booking fees, and more. Your wallet can only be used to pay for the flight, taxes, and fees for Alaska Airlines flights. But you can also use them on partner flights operated by American, Aer Lingus, and more — if booked through Alaska.
You read that right! If you see a flight on a partner like American Airlines on the Alaska website, you're able to book that ticket using wallet funds. This is a huge change from other airlines, which restrict codes and coupons to flights they operate.
Expiration dates
Wallet funds will expire one year after issuance and will be used in the order they expire. This means that you don't have to remember which funds to use first, as Alaska Airlines will automatically use the funds that are set to expire first.
With some airlines, you can only use your flight credits to book flights in your name. Even if you're flying with someone on the same record locator, they would have to pay for their own portion. With Alaska Airlines, you can use your wallet funds for anyone you'd like, whether you are flying or not.
Recently, I wanted to fly my mom out to visit us here in Seattle, and I was able to book her a flight on Alaska Airlines using my wallet funds. I didn't have to be on the flight or even associate my account with her. Once I was logged into my Alaska account, I could apply the wallet funds when I went to check out. This is a huge benefit that is just another one of Alaska Airlines' customer-friendly policies.
Related: When and How You Can Book Award Flights for Friends and Family
Only available on Alaska's website
If you love using the Alaska Airlines app to book flights or you just want to talk through some complicated booking questions on the phone, you're gonna have to pay with your credit card. As of right now, Alaska wallet funds are not available for use via any other booking channel except the website.
I'll use my app to search for the flights and look at options if I'm on the go. Then, when it comes time to book the flight, I'll jump over to Alaska's website to finish the booking.
Wallet funds must be used in full
When you check out with a cashier at a grocery store, you can split the payment. Think of “let's just put $40 on my gift card and I'll pay the rest in cash.” With Alaska Airlines, you can't choose to only use a portion of your wallet funds.
As an example, say you have $500 in your Alaska wallet and you want to buy a $200 flight. You'll be prompted to use that full $200 from your wallet, leaving you with $300 to apply to future flights. You cannot, for example, decide to use only $100 of your wallet funds and put the remainder on a card.
If the flight costs more than the available wallet funds, you'll be prompted to pay for the remainder with a card on file.
Book by dates and fly by dates
Another great perk of the Alaska Airlines wallet funds is that the expiration date is the date by which you have to book your travel. You can book a flight up to 11 months in the future from the expiration date of your funds. This gives you almost an extra year of flexibility to use your built-up credits.
For instance, say you have funds expiring on January 1, 2026. You can book your flight nearly all the way through Thanksgiving 2026, so long as you make the booking and pay before that January 1 deadline.
Bottom Line
Alaska Airlines offers you the ability to store multiple flight credits in one easy-to-use location and redeem them directly on their website. The credits, once loaded into your wallet, come with an expiration date but offer a lot of flexibility. You can use them for other passengers, for partner flights, and even for flights well past the wallet's expiration date.
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