13/06/2022

United Airlines Cancellation Policy

Have you booked your flight with United Airlines? You can not control the unwanted situation when sticking to the plan is hard. The best thing is you may make the changes with your United airlines ticket free of cost and cancel it sometimes.

Below given all the details about United Airlines Cancellation Policy, You can go through it to stay educated and apply it at the time when required.

United Airlines Flight Cancellation Policy

Let's check out the overview of the cancellation policy for free cancellations.

  • Irrespective of fare types, you can cancel your flight free of cost, provided you complete the cancellation formalities within 24 hours of booking and the delivery date is 87 days later or more.
  • In case your flight gets canceled suddenly, you get the following options
    1. Cancel your flight for free and request to get a refund
    2. You can take the alternate flight that which airline offers
    3. You can postpone your trip and opt to get a travel credit

You might also get compensation benefits:-

  • If your flight departs from the European Union, Iceland, Norway, or Switzerland is:
    1. Delayed for 5 hours or more, you have the right to cancel; the flight for free and request a refund along with compensation.
    2. Delayed for 3 hours or more, if the delay is due to the airline, you will be entitled to compensation.
  • In case of any death, a certain type of illness, or jury duty, all the tickets are eligible for cancellation and refund whether you purchase in the form of credit/
  • Cash/cheque/credit card, award ticket, promotional fares, bulk fare, etc.
  • Basic Economy tickets are not eligible for cancellation but qualify for a full refund within a 24-hour window, provided the departure date is seven days away.
  • The cancellation policy of United airlines depends on your billing address, as in France, Columbia, Argentina, and Taiwan; different policies are applied. 
  • You can only get a refund for partially used tickets if they are eligible.
  • The refund time for credit card/ debit cards is seven business days and 20 business days for others.
  • You must contact the travel agent if you book a ticket via a third party or agency.

United Airlines Cancellation Policy Due to COVID-19

The cancellation policy of United Airlines due to covid-19 allows to

  • Basic Economy tickets
  • Premium Cabin and standard economy tickets

Per the cancellation policy, you can cancel your existing flight and modify or postpone it up to 12 months from the issuance date without being charged any fee.

United Airlines 24-Hour Cancellation Policy

As per the 24-hour cancellation policy of the airline, you are entitled to get a full refund if you cancel your flight within 24 hours of ticket purchase and the departure date seven days later. The policy applied to all ticket types, including Basic Economy tickets.

The refund amount is credited to the original payment mode after canceling the ticket within a 24-hour window.

Remember:-

  • You get the refund in the form of an E-travel certificate if you purchase a United Gift certificate.
  • Tickets booked using e-certificates are not eligible for refunds.
  • If you hold your booking with FareLock, you will not get a refund for the reservation fee.

United Airlines Cancellation Policy Due to Death, Illness, or Jury Duty

As per the policy, you get a full refund in case of the death of passengers or family members or close relatives, a certain type of illness, and jury duty. The policy applies to all the ticket types from whatever source you purchase.

United Airlines Cancellation Policy for Basic Economy Tickets

As per the cancellation policy of United Airlines, Basic Economy tickets are not eligible for refund unless you cancel them within 24 hours of booking and the booking date is seven days before departure.

United Airlines Cancellation Policy for Non-Refundable Tickets

If you cancel a non-refundable ticket after a 24-hour window, you must pay a cancellation fee of around $ 200 for domestic and $ 400 for international flights, depending on the fare class.

After the deduction of the cancellation fee, the new value you can apply for future travel as long as

  • You cancel the ticket before the flight departs.
  • The new trip begins within a year from the date of the original ticket issuance.
  • You also refund for non-refundable tickets only when a passenger or co-passenger dies, receipt of military order by passengers

United Airlines Cancellation Policy for Refundable Tickets

If you have a refundable ticket, you can cancel it anytime before departure, and the airline credits the refund in the original form of payment. The refund time for credit card payments is within seven working days and 20 working days for other payments.

United Airlines Cancellations-

  • The cancellation policy for an award ticket is quite different.
  • The United Airlines cancellation fee for award tickets based on your membership status
  • If you cancel your award flight at least 31 days before departure, the cancellation fee will be USD 0 for all the members.

The cancellation fee for award tickets when canceling a flight within 0-30 days before departure is as below.

  • $ 125 for General members
  • $100 for Silver members
  • $ 75 for Gold members
  • $ 50 for Premier Platinum members
  • $ 0 for Premier 1K members

For No-Show, the cancellation fee is $ 125, irrespective of membership level.

The change fee for the same day is $ 75 for Silver and General members and $ 0 for Gold, Platinum, and 1K members.

How To Cancel a United Airlines Flight?

You can cancel your United Airlines ticket by calling 800 864 8331, via the official site, or through a travel agent. You need to contact the travel agent directly if you book the ticket via OTA.

If you book the ticket directly via the official site, you can cancel the flight online by following the steps below.

  • Go to the official site united.com
  • Hit the My trip tab
  • Provide confirmation number and last name and access to your trip details.
  • Click on the search tab
  • Select the trip you want to cancel
  • Now select the cancel flight button
  • Click on the confirm button on the next page to cancel the booking
  • You will get an eCredit for ticket value when the cancellation fee is deducted

United Airlines Cancellation Refund

Are you eligible for a refund on United Airlines?

  • Per the 24-hour policy, you get a full refund if you cancel the ticket within 24 hours of booking and the booking date is seven days before departure.
  • You can check the refund status by visiting the refund page. Click on the check status tab to provide your last name, tracking number, ticket, or document. Then click on check status to review the refund status.
  • If your ticket is eligible for a refund and you purchased it from United Website, you can cancel it online by visiting the My Trip section and getting a refund.
  • The refund policy depends on the billing address, country, or region, and a cancellation fee might apply.
  • When your fares are non-refundable, you don't get a refund, but the ticket value might be adjusted when purchasing a new ticket.
  • The standard refund time is 7-20 working days depending on the mode of payment.

United Airlines Refund Policy

  • Per the United Airlines refund policy, you get a full refund without being charged if you complete the cancellation formalities within 24 hours of booking and the departure date is after seven days.
  • Basic Economy tickets are not refundable after 24 hours. You must purchase a ticket seven days before and cancel it within a week to get a full refund.
  • You can cancel the eligible ticket by calling the contact center or online via My Trip.
  • The cancellation fee depends on fare rules applied at the booking time.
  • The non-refundable tickets are not eligible for voluntary cancellation. However, you can convert ticket value to Future Flight Credit for a fee.
  • Flight credits have 12-month validity from the date of issuance.
  • The refund amount depends on several factors. The refund for partially used tickets is subject to the fare rules and segment used.
  • The refund processing time is around seven working days for credit card purchases and around 20 working days for other types of payments.
  • All the refunds are credited back to your original form of payment.

You can check the refund status by visiting the refund page and selecting the check status button.

How To Get a Refund for a Cancelled Flight

You need to follow the procedure below to get your refund after canceling the flight.

  • Visit united.com and locate the refund page
  • One refund form and fill in all the details
  • The airline will let you know if you qualify for a refund.

The refund amount depends on the fare type and cancellation reason. For some tickets, you might get a refund, while for others, you might get flight credit.

How to Avoid Cancellation Fee on United Airlines

  • You can cancel your flight ticket within a 24-hour grace period to avoid a cancellation fee. However, the departure date, in that case, must be seven days away. You get a full refund for the original form of payment. Moreover, it does not include group tickets and tickets purchased using an e-certificate.
  • If your flight gets delayed for 6 hours or more, you can claim a refund in the form of travel credit. You can ask the airline for a refund on your original form of payment if you can't use it within one year.
  • If airlines cancel your flight due to low demand, weather, etc., you might be eligible for a full refund.
  • You can earn Elite status. If you have Premier gold or higher status, you can cancel your ticket for free before departure.
  • You are qualified for a full refund if you need to cancel a ticket due to emergencies like death, illness, etc.

How To Use Credits from Cancelled Flights?

United Airlines offers three credit types:-

  • Electronic travel credit(ETC)
  • Future flight credit
  • United TravelBank Credits

You get only two types of credit for canceled flights: ETC and future flight credit. The third one is United Travel Bank credit you can purchase directly.

Electronic Travel Credits:- It is valid for 24 months, and you can use them for future travel by calling the airline or online. You can access ETC online by login into your MileagePlus account.

  • You can redeem 10 ETCs together multiple times, including partner-operated travel if one segment in your itinerary, United Airlines/United Express, operates. You can select the qualifying flight and proceed with booking. On the payment page, choose the option to redeem ETCs.
  • You can also redeem ETCs by calling the airline and asking the United agent to combine your ETC at the time of booking a new itinerary.

Future Flight Credit:- It is valid for 12 months, and you can use it to pay for partner flights booked via UNited airlines, even if the booking does not involve United Airlines on the same flight booking. You can book them over the phone or online via the United official site.

United TravelBank Credits:- It has a validity of 5 years, and you can purchase it directly from united. You can redeem your TravelBank credits with United Airlines and United Express flights. You cannot use the TravelBank credit in combination with the other two credits, which are ETCs and Future Flight Credits. But as it is valid for five years, you can use it after using your other credits.

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