I got $2,500 for switching to a later flight. Here's how to decide if you should take an offer like mine.

22.11.2024 - 20:45 / insider.com

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A few weeks ago in New Orleans, I boarded a flight headed for Austin, my hometown. A few minutes before our scheduled departure time, a gate agent came back on board to tell us our flight was over capacity, and asked for one volunteer who would be willing to stay overnight in exchange for a free hotel night and a $1,600 travel voucher. 

My hand was in the air before she finished her statement, and I quickly gathered my bags to follow her off the plane. After a lot of back and forth on the phone, agents at the gate rebooked me on a direct flight for the following day and gave me $2,500 in travel credit instead of the original $1,600. I'm not sure why they increased the offer amount, but I'm certainly not complaining.

I frequently travel alone, almost never check a bag, and usually plan ahead for travel delays, so I often have a lot of flexibility regarding when and how I get from Point A to Point B. I highly value future travel credit, and don't mind changing my plans last minute when my schedule allows for it.

This isn't the first time I've received travel credit in exchange for taking a later flight — and it happens more often than you might think. This summer, a woman received $3,550 in overbooked flight vouchers from American Airlines for staying three additional nights in Italy on the airline's dime. And in 2018, a traveler famously received a $10,000 United voucher in compensation for being bumped out of her basic economy seat. 

Peak travel season often coincides with flight snafus from inclement weather or mechanical issues. As the holidays approach, you may find yourself in a similar situation to mine. If your schedule can accommodate a spontaneous change of plans, here's what you should know about volunteering for travel credit. 

Operating a commercial flight is expensive, so most airlines slightly oversell each flight to compensate for no-shows and last-minute cancellations. The complex logistics typically work out, and most travelers board the flights they book with no issues.

But from time to time, airlines end up with more passengers than available seats on a plane. In my case, for example, most of the travelers on my plane had been rebooked from a previous flight that was canceled due to storms in the area. 

When a flight has too many passengers, someone has to go, and the Department of Transportation (DoT) has strict regulations on how airlines must compensate affected