How to Get a Receipt From Delta, United, American or Southwest

All four major US airlines let you retrieve flight receipts self-service: search "receipts" on the airline's site and you will find a lookup that accepts a ticket number, confirmation code or the credit card used. Receipts remain available long after the flight — typically 18–24 months — and include the fare breakdown expense systems want.

Where each airline keeps receipts

• Delta: the "Receipts" page under My Trips lets you search by card number, ticket number or SkyMiles account; past-trip receipts are also linked from your account's trip history.
• United: united.com has a dedicated receipts lookup under "My Trips / Receipts" that searches by confirmation number, ticket number, MileagePlus number or card.
• American: the "Receipts and refunds" section retrieves ticket receipts by ticket number or card details; AAdvantage members see past trips in their account.
• Southwest: past travel appears in your account under trip history; each past trip page offers the purchase receipt, and travel-funds records live alongside it.

For all four, the ticket number (13 digits, starting with the airline's code — 006 Delta, 016 United, 001 American, 526 Southwest) is the master key. It is printed on the original confirmation email.

The confirmation email is already the receipt

Airlines email a full receipt at booking: fare, taxes and fees by class, payment method, ticket number. Expense systems accept it directly. Before using any lookup tool, search your inbox for the confirmation code or "eTicket" — the standard first move from how to replace a lost receipt.

Baggage fees, seats and upgrades: the separate receipts problem

Ancillary purchases generate their own receipts under separate document numbers — the classic expense-report gap. Each airline's receipt lookup covers ancillaries too (search by card if you don't have the document number). Tip for frequent travelers: screenshot the payment confirmation at purchase; bag-fee receipts are the single most commonly lost travel document.

Booked through an agency or platform?

If the ticket came through Expedia, a corporate travel tool or a travel agent, the airline may only have the flight coupon while the payment receipt lives with the booker. Check the platform's trip page first; corporate tools push receipts into your expense system automatically. Hotels behave the same way — see how to request a hotel folio after checkout.

For expense reports: what finance actually needs

A compliant airline receipt shows: passenger name, ticket number, route and dates, fare plus taxes/fees breakdown, and the payment method with amount. The airline-generated receipt or confirmation email has all five. A card statement alone typically fails policy because it lacks the route and passenger — the itemization principle explained in what receipts you need for an expense report. If a record of a real flight must be reconstructed for your own files, the airline receipt template at /create mirrors those fields.

The bottom line

Airline receipts are archived and self-service: inbox first, then the airline's receipt lookup with your ticket number or card. Only agency bookings and ancillary fees need real effort — and a screenshot habit fixes the latter.