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Uniteds 24-hour cancellation / flexible booking policy ...

Old Sep 16, 2014, 3:01 pm
FlyerTalk Forums Expert How-Tos and Guides
Last edit by: WineCountryUA
Related topic: Change Fees "Gone For Good"(WW ex-USA,non-BE), credit for lower fare!, BE waiver

United;s web page: https://www.united.com/ual/en/us/fly...ng-policy.html

Uniteds 24-hour flexible booking policy
and Ticket refund policies - Booking service fees
April 2020
We know that life happens, and you may need to change your travel plans unexpectedly. United's 24-hour flexible booking policy gives you the freedom to make changes to select reservations within 24 hours of booking and ticketing, without being charged change fees if you made your purchase one week or more before the flight was scheduled to depart. This includes canceling your reservation and requesting a full refund of the ticket price. Although Basic Economy reservations arent eligible for changes within 24 hours, theyre still eligible for a full refund if you cancel within 24 hours and you made your purchase one week or more before the flight was scheduled to depart. Please view the terms and conditions below for more details.Terms and conditions
  • Applies to tickets booked at united.com, United City Ticket Offices, airport ticket counters or with the United Customer Contact Center.
  • The 24-hour timeframe begins at the time you book and ticket your reservation.
  • Requests for refunds will be credited back in the original form of payment, except for purchases made with a United Gift Certificate, which will be credited back in the form of electronic travel certificates.
  • Group tickets are subject to the terms of the group contract.
  • Tickets purchased using e-certificates are excluded. (New April 2020)
  • Reservations that are being held but have not yet been purchased are excluded.
  • Any FareLock fees paid to hold a reservation will not be refunded.
Previous wording - Dec 2019
Spoiler
 









Note: United refers to this as "Uniteds 24-hour flexible booking policy", not just cancellations. UA includes routing changes, pricing changes, fare class changes, ..... as well as simple cancellations. But the timeframe is based on the original purchases and not reset by a change. Only a cancellation and then separate rebooking would achieve that.

Reservation booking service fees and close-in booking fees for award tickets are refundable only if you cancel your reservation within 24 hours of purchase. These sometimes may take an extra request.

Starting 2016Q4 ticket receipts state
Refunds Within 24 Hours

When you book and ticket a reservation through united.com, the United mobile app, the United Customer Contact Center, at our ticket counters or city ticket offices, or if you use MileagePlus miles to book an award ticket, we will allow you to cancel the ticketed reservation without penalty and receive a 100 percent refund of the ticket price to the original form of payment if you cancel the reservation within 24 hours of purchase and if the reservation is made one week or more prior to scheduled flight departure.
The website link does now mention the 7 day restriction (new 2017Q2) and the CoCs has contained the 7 day restriction for awhile. This is allowed by the DoT rules. However, no reports yet of UA enforcing the 7 day restriction.

DOT 24 refund rule, announcement
DOT requires airlines to either hold a reservation for 24 hours without payment or refund a paid ticket even a non-refundable one if you cancel within 24 hours of purchase and you purchased your ticket more than 7 days before your flight.

Airlines are free to choose between holding a reservation without payment in these circumstances or refunding after payment; they dont have to offer both options. ...
76 Fed. Reg. 23110, 23166, Apr. 25, 2011

Further DOT Guidance on 24 hour rule
Note the present UA implementation in practice is more generous -- no 7 day limitation enforcement as of yet.
UA's 24 hour rule was in place long before the DOT requirement .

Note -- a changed ticket does not get a new 24-hour free cancel period -- that benefit only applies to the original purchase.

Does the 24 hour rule apply to award tickets?
Yes

Does the 24 hour rule apply to close in bookings?
Yes but cancellation must be done before scheduled departure.
While the policy revision in 2018 add the DOT allowed 7-day exemption, UA has generally allowed this and not enforced the 7-day exemption. There has been just one FT reported situation where the 7-day was enforced and it had other factors.

In the case of credit card purchases, on a cancellation, the credit charge may be left pending and never finalized. So in the end it is as if it never happen.

Basic Economy tickets -- are they projected by the 24 hour rule?
Yes, UA is allowing cancellation of BE tickets in the first 24 hour (consistent with DOT requirements. But as UA allows changes also of other fares in the first 24 hours, it will not allow that of BE . The distinction is minor but

Book a reservation with ETC but cancelled with 24 hours, will the ETC be refunded?
Yes it should but UA can be rather slow on this and occasionally will drop the ball. You may need to followup. Note the refunded ETC will have the same expiration as the original ETC. (So, not a way to extend the ETC ) -- Note in late 2020, UA's practice does seem to have changed to issuing NEW ETCs

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Uniteds 24-hour cancellation / flexible booking policy ...

Old Sep 2, 2021, 7:08 am
  #1  
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Hello experts,

I had to cancel a ticket and got a FFC. Now I rebooked it yesterday but had to pay a difference for the new ticket. Unfortunately, due to medical reasons need to cancel it again... AS it is in the 24 hours window still can I cancel it and have the difference in fare returned to my credit card and original value of FFC? Do not know how it works. Many many thanks for your advice!
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Old Sep 2, 2021, 8:36 am
  #2  
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Originally Posted by flymexico2010
Hello experts,

I had to cancel a ticket and got a FFC. Now I rebooked it yesterday but had to pay a difference for the new ticket. Unfortunately, due to medical reasons need to cancel it again... AS it is in the 24 hours window still can I cancel it and have the difference in fare returned to my credit card and original value of FFC? Do not know how it works. Many many thanks for your advice!
If you rebooked it by starting from the original credit, then probably not -- that's treated as a flight change, which does not have a 24-hour grace period.

If you rebooked it by starting from the search results and then applying FFC at the last step, then probably yes, but I don't know whether or not United would handle that situation properly (that path is new functionality, recently introduced).
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Old Sep 2, 2021, 11:59 am
  #3  
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Originally Posted by jsloan
.... If you rebooked it by starting from the search results and then applying FFC at the last step, then probably yes, but I don't know whether or not United would handle that situation properly (that path is new functionality, recently introduced).
While that feels right, not sure UA how will see it.

Last year UA added
Tickets purchased using e-certificates are excluded.
Suggesting they see the use of credits as a disqualifier.

However, I and others have been successful recently with tickets purchased with ETC "refunded to original form of purchase", so another 24-hour refund restriction posted but not enforced? (Such as the "one week" / 7 day rule)
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Old Sep 2, 2021, 12:17 pm
  #4  
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Originally Posted by WineCountryUA
Suggesting they see the use of credits as a disqualifier.
If it's a new booking, there's nothing in the DOT regulation that would allow UA to refuse a refund based upon the form of payment. (The seven day advance purchase requirement that UA has written, but not enforced, is specifically allowed by the DOT).

That's not to say that UA wouldn't try to argue the point.
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Old Sep 2, 2021, 12:21 pm
  #5  
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Originally Posted by jsloan
If it's a new booking, there's nothing in the DOT regulation that would allow UA to refuse a refund based upon the form of payment. (The seven day advance purchase requirement that UA has written, but not enforced, is specifically allowed by the DOT).

That's not to say that UA wouldn't try to argue the point.
Agree (to both)

Wonder if it is poor wording and UA means the credit will not be "refunded" except as a credit???
It was an odd change and has not changed the practice refunded to the original method of purchase.
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Old Sep 30, 2021, 5:10 pm
  #6  
 
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Originally Posted by fumje
No it's definitely not until midnight the next day.

There often is some grace period of about an hour or even a few, but I haven't found it to be reliably a certain amount.
I bought a ticket yesterday and decided to price the same itinerary out again today. I noticed that the fare went down by $500 per person. So, I canceled the ticket and the website said that I am within the 24-hour window. After purchasing the new tickets at the cheaper price, I decided to take a look at the timestamp of my emails. It turns out that I canceled the ticket 14 minutes after the 24-hour window. I guess the grace period does exist! Phew!
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Old Jan 7, 2022, 6:31 am
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Originally Posted by WineCountryUA
Agree (to both)

Wonder if it is poor wording and UA means the credit will not be "refunded" except as a credit???
It was an odd change and has not changed the practice refunded to the original method of purchase.
Originally Posted by jsloan
If it's a new booking, there's nothing in the DOT regulation that would allow UA to refuse a refund based upon the form of payment. (The seven day advance purchase requirement that UA has written, but not enforced, is specifically allowed by the DOT).

That's not to say that UA wouldn't try to argue the point.
I understood that it meant it would credited as a credit; however, I just cancelled a ticket online (part ETC and part Credit Card) but do not see the ETC back on my account yet. Does anyone know how long does this process take or do I need to contacted United - or was I entirely wrong and I actually lose the funds?
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Old Jan 7, 2022, 5:36 pm
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Originally Posted by TravelLawyer
I understood that it meant it would credited as a credit; however, I just cancelled a ticket online (part ETC and part Credit Card) but do not see the ETC back on my account yet. Does anyone know how long does this process take ...
It can take a week+.
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Old Feb 13, 2022, 8:35 pm
  #9  
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Is the 24-hour cancellation period from the moment the ticket is booked or from when it is ticketed? I have a ticket processing/pending for almost 24-hours. I received the record locator PNR but it has not been ticketed yet or credit card charged, and it seems there is a delay in confirming the partner flights.
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Old Feb 13, 2022, 9:51 pm
  #10  
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Originally Posted by nk15
Is the 24-hour cancellation period from the moment the ticket is booked or from when it is ticketed? I have a ticket processing/pending for almost 24-hours. I received the record locator PNR but it has not been ticketed yet or credit card charged, and it seems there is a delay in confirming the partner flights.
From the wiki and United (https://www.united.com/ual/en/us/fly...-policy.html):

The 24-hour timeframe begins at the time you book and ticket your reservation.
Give UA a call.

David
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Old Feb 13, 2022, 11:08 pm
  #11  
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Originally Posted by DELee
From the wiki and United (https://www.united.com/ual/en/us/fly...-policy.html):



Give UA a call.

David
interesting. I always thought it was within 24 hours of purchase - but you are correct, it definitely says book and ticket. I always thought it was from when you clicked the purchase now button. Maybe it changed at some point. Interesting though since when you book and when it tickets can be pretty much simultaneous, but it isnt always, as in the case when ticketing is delayed.

As I was reading the terms, also noted this doozy bullet point, which I never realized before:

Tickets purchased using e-certificates are excluded
Does this mean ETCs, and is this actually legal? Since ETCs are a form of payment, shouldnt anything purchased using these follow the DOT rules, which require a refund to original form of payment within 24 hours as long as its booked at least a week out? Also asking since I still have an $800+ ETC from the early days of COVID, and may think twice about when to use it if tickets with it dont follow the policy.
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Old Feb 16, 2022, 7:31 pm
  #12  
 
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Apologies in advance if this has been asked before but I looked at the Wiki and searched the thread and couldn't find an answer.

I'm 1K, have pluspoints but am saving them for a trip to PPT.

I'm thinking of booking a domestic flight that departs in 28 hours. Can I book economy and see if I get upgraded immediately? I'll cancel and BFGF if I don't get the immediate upgrade or even choose a different itinerary.

Also related, what is the United policy for cancellations and subsequent refund when paying money for a flight that departs in less than 24 hours from the time of booking?

I re-read and found this on United site:

"United's 24-hour flexible booking policy gives you the freedom to make changes to select reservations within 24 hours of booking and ticketing, without being charged change fees if you made your purchase one week or more before the flight was scheduled to depart."

So a flight that departs within a week would not be eligible for the 24 hours cancellation policy.

What is the actual policy does a flight that departs within a week (is there a specific flyertalk term?) fall under?

Thanks guys. Was/am a little rushed trying to book this last-minute trip.

Last edited by WineCountryUA; Feb 16, 2022 at 8:08 pm Reason: merged consecutive / update posts by same member
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Old Feb 16, 2022, 8:16 pm
  #13  
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Originally Posted by eldy
I re-read and found this on United site:

"United's 24-hour flexible booking policy gives you the freedom to make changes to select reservations within 24 hours of booking and ticketing, without being charged change fees if you made your purchase one week or more before the flight was scheduled to depart."

So a flight that departs within a week would not be eligible for the 24 hours cancellation policy.

What is the actual policy does a flight that departs within a week (is there a specific flyertalk term?) fall under? ....
That wording has been there for the past 5 years and since then multiple folks have posted they have canceled and refunded tickets booked on same day of travel with no issue. Aware of only 1 poster (in 5 years) to have an issue and there were other complicating factors that were likely the real cause. So scan back in this thread to hear actual experiences.

As for immediate upgrade, looking for PZ space should giving you an idea of that.
If it is CPU you are hoping for, immediate upgrade is unlikely

What is P, PN and PZ for the flight.

What does the upgrade list look like?

Last edited by WineCountryUA; Feb 16, 2022 at 8:21 pm Reason: What does the upgrade list look like?
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Old Feb 16, 2022, 9:09 pm
  #14  
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Originally Posted by WineCountryUA
That wording has been there for the past 5 years and since then multiple folks have posted they have canceled and refunded tickets booked on same day of travel with no issue.
I concur, although with the description there, they could always start enforcing it at anytime. I dont recall seeing any reports for a whole, either way, honestly.

That said, with no change fees now, definitely seems like theres less risk now, unless its someone who travels vary rarely. As one can just cancel the segments, and have the FFC to use for a later flight.
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Old Mar 14, 2022, 7:57 pm
  #15  
 
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Flight cancelled in 24hr not refunded

Hi, I need some advice for how and who to contact for my reservation cancellation problem.
I purchased a flight on 3/8 with ~$100 credit card and ~$300 future flight credit, then quickly realized I purchased wrong ticket (date) and cancelled my ticket within 1 hr of booking, well within the 24hr worry free booking limit. But I have neither received a cancellation confirmation email nor a refund/FFC as of 3/14 today. I called customer service multiple times. First agent accused me of cancelling too quickly so that my reservation was not actually cancelled (but I can't see it in "my trips" either). Second agent told me cancellation is shown to be successful from her side and $100 will go back to CC and $300 will go to a new FFC. That call got hang in the middle so I had to start a fresh call. The third agent said $100 back to CC and $300 to eCert. Well I don't have a preference over FFC or eCert so I didn't complain. I still don't see them today so I called again and now the fourth agent said my cancellation was denied. I also used the refund web form on UA website, but got no reply. I am complaining to DOT now that > 5 days has passed and still no one can solve my problem. Does anyone know other avenues I could get help for this issue?
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