How to get airline receipts for past flights

Airline receipts go missing in a specific way. The confirmation email shows up when you book, the bag fee is charged at the airport, the seat upgrade happens in the app, and a month later you have three card charges and no single document that ties them together. Each of the big US airlines has a receipt lookup, but they work differently and they don't keep receipts forever.

Short answer Delta: sign in at delta.com and use My Receipts (past 24 months), or email ticketreceipt@delta.com. United: go to united.com/en/us/receipts and sign in to MileagePlus or look up by confirmation or eTicket number (up to 12 months after the flight). American: request it from the receipts page on aa.com with your 13-digit ticket number (up to 18 months). Southwest: on southwest.com, My Account > Trips > Past > View Receipt (18 months, website only, not the app).

What counts as an airline receipt

The email you get when you book is usually a confirmation: flight times, seats, a confirmation code. The receipt is the document that shows the ticket number, what you paid, the taxes and fees, and the form of payment. Some airlines put both in one email. If you're not sure which one you have, look for a 13-digit ticket number and a payment line.

Three things catch people out:

• Extras get their own receipts. Checked bags, paid seats, upgrades and inflight Wi-Fi are often separate charges with separate receipts, and sometimes a separate lookup.
• Booked through someone else? Ask them. Delta, United and Southwest all say that if you booked through a travel agency or an online travel site, the ticket receipt comes from that agency or site. (Southwest can still provide receipts for extras it sold you directly.)
• Receipt lookups expire. Each airline only keeps receipts online for a set window, from 12 to 24 months. Round them up once a quarter, not at tax time two years later.

Delta receipts

Start with your inbox

Your booking emails are the quickest place to look. In Gmail, from:delta.com receipt after:2025/01/01 before:2026/01/01 covers a calendar year.

Finding a past flight's receipt

Delta's help center describes three routes:

• Within 24 hours of your last flight: go to delta.com, select My Trips, enter your first name, last name and confirmation number, and search. Scroll down to Payment Details, click Email Receipt, enter your email address and submit.
• With a delta.com account: the My Receipts feature has ticket receipts, baggage receipts and receipts for other purchases made through delta.com from the past 24 months.
• No account, and the flight was more than 24 hours ago: email ticketreceipt@delta.com with the passenger's name, the 13-digit ticket number (it starts with 006) and the type of card used. Don't include the card number. The request has to come from the ticketed passenger or the cardholder. If you don't have the ticket number, give the travel date and the origin airport instead.

Bag fees and extras

Delta's baggage receipts have their own document numbers, starting with 00682. They show up in My Receipts alongside your tickets, and you can request them through the same email address.

United receipts

Start with your inbox

In Gmail, try from:united.com receipt after:2025/01/01 before:2026/01/01.

Finding a past flight's receipt

Go to united.com/en/us/receipts. You have two options:

• Sign in to MileagePlus to see your receipts and request a copy. United says the account keeps your purchase receipts in one place.
• Look up a single receipt with your confirmation or eTicket number plus your first and last name, entered exactly as they appear on the reservation.

United keeps receipts available for up to 12 months after the flight date, the shortest window of the four airlines here. It can only reproduce receipts for purchases United issued itself. For tickets bought through a travel agent or another site, ask them.

American Airlines receipts

Start with your inbox

In Gmail, from:aa.com receipt after:2025/01/01 before:2026/01/01 is a good start.

Finding a past flight's receipt

American's Receipts and refunds page (under customer service on aa.com) splits receipts into two kinds:

• Tickets and fees, including extras like seats. These are available from 24 hours after you buy or change a ticket, for up to 18 months. The request form asks for your 13-digit ticket number. If you don't know it, the form links to help on finding it.
• Inflight purchases such as food, drinks and Wi-Fi. These have their own forms, one for food and drink and one for Wi-Fi and other inflight purchases. They're available from 72 hours after your flight, for up to 6 months.

The six-month window for inflight purchases is short. If Wi-Fi is an expense you claim, grab those receipts soon after the trip.

Southwest receipts

Start with your inbox

In Gmail, from:southwest.com receipt after:2025/01/01 before:2026/01/01 covers a year.

Finding a past flight's receipt

Southwest's help center says receipts for past trips are not available in the Southwest app, so use a browser:

1. Sign in at southwest.com.
2. Select My Account, click Trips, then click Past.
3. Find the trip and select View Receipt.

That works for trips within 18 months of the travel date. For older trips, use the receipt request link on Southwest's receipts help page.

Upcoming trip? Use Manage Reservations, enter your name and confirmation number, and select Resend Receipt. Southwest emails a copy to the purchaser.

Bag fees, seats and upgrades

Southwest sends optional charges such as Priority Boarding, seat upgrades and checked baggage through the same receipt request link, not the past-trips page. Onboard drink purchases show on your card statement as SOUTHWESTAIR*INFLIGHT.

The four airlines at a glance

Airline	Where to look	How far back online
Delta	My Receipts on delta.com, or email ticketreceipt@delta.com	24 months
United	united.com/en/us/receipts	12 months after the flight
American	Receipts page on aa.com (tickets and fees; inflight has separate forms)	18 months (inflight: 6 months)
Southwest	My Account > Trips > Past on southwest.com	18 months

Windows are as each airline's help center states them in October 2026.

Getting a whole year of flights

None of the four airlines' help pages describe a bulk "download every receipt for the year" option for personal travelers. What works:

1. Search your email first. Every booking already sent you something. from:(delta.com OR united.com OR aa.com OR southwest.com) after:2025/01/01 before:2026/01/01 pulls a calendar year from all four. More Gmail searches for receipts.
2. Fill gaps from each airline's lookup while it's still inside the window. United's 12 months will be the first to run out.
3. Check your card statement for extras. Bag fees and upgrades are easy to miss because they're charged on a different day from the ticket. Match each one to a receipt.

Business travel programs

All four airlines run programs for companies: Delta SkyBonus for small and mid-sized businesses, United PerksPlus, AAdvantage Business from American, and Southwest Business, which includes the free SWABIZ booking tool. These mostly earn rewards for the company or simplify booking. They don't replace the receipt for each trip.

If your company books through one of them, ask your travel manager where receipts go before you need them. For SWABIZ bookings, Southwest says to call 1-800-435-9792 for a copy of a past receipt.

Doing it with What Receipt?

Airline receipts arrive by email. With What Receipt? Pro, connecting Gmail brings them in automatically. Each one is read for vendor, date, total and tax and filed next to your other receipts, and Import a past year catches up on a whole tax year at once. On the free plan, forward receipts to your personal forwarding address (in Settings). Put trips in a project per client or trip so the ticket, the bag fee and the hotel all land in one place.

Questions

How do I get a receipt for a flight I took last year?

Use the airline's own lookup: My Receipts on delta.com, united.com/en/us/receipts, the receipts page on aa.com, or My Account > Trips > Past on southwest.com. Check the window first. United keeps receipts for 12 months after the flight, American and Southwest for 18 months, and Delta for 24.

Where do I find a receipt for a checked bag fee?

Delta lists baggage receipts in My Receipts, and American's ticket-and-fees receipt form covers fees. Southwest handles checked bags, Priority Boarding and seat upgrades through its receipt request link. For United, start at the receipts page and sign in to MileagePlus, which keeps your purchase receipts together.

I booked through Expedia or a travel agent. Can the airline give me a receipt?

Usually not for the ticket. Delta, United and Southwest each say tickets bought through a travel agency or another site need a receipt from that agency or site. Extras you bought directly from the airline, like bags, can still come from the airline.

Is a booking confirmation good enough for my taxes?

Keep the receipt if you can. It shows the ticket number, the amount paid and the taxes, which a confirmation may not. Airfare for business travel can be deductible. Note the business purpose of each trip and ask a tax professional how it applies to you.

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Airline websites change. These steps follow Delta's, United's, American's and Southwest's help pages as of October 2026. This guide is general information, not tax advice.