Feb 11, 2024, 10:56 pm
Last edit by: WineCountryUA
This is an archive thread, the active thread is Refunds for E+ / Preferred fees (upgrades, seat changes, cancellations, ...) [Merged]
Economy Plus FAQs
related thread : UA Economy Plus (E+) - Questions/Worth It?/Experiences [2016 Consolidated]
Preferred seat refunds (changed flights, upgraded, purchased E+, ...)
Economy Plus FAQs
Can I get a refund for my Economy Plus purchase if I no longer want it on my trip?
No. Economy Plus purchases are nonrefundable unless the ticket is refunded or canceled prior to travel.If I buy Economy Plus seating, can I select a different Economy Plus seat prior to travel?
Yes. If the price of the new seat is equal to or less than the original purchase price then there will be no refund or additional charges. If the price of the new seat is greater than the price of the originally purchased seat, then the original price will be refunded and the new seat must be purchased in full.Will my Economy Plus purchase be refunded if I cancel my trip?
Yes. In the event of a ticket refund or cancellation, Economy Plus purchases will be automatically refunded.What will happen if I purchased Economy Plus seating but want to change my flights?
In the event of a voluntary change to a trip, Economy Plus purchases will be automatically refunded. If the ticket is partially used at the time of the change, only the value of the unused Economy Plus seating will be refunded.What happens to my Economy Plus purchase if I get upgraded?
In the event of an upgrade, with some exclusions, purchased Economy Plus seating for the upgraded segment(s) will be automatically refunded. Exclusions include Complimentary Premier Upgrades and cases where a customer is reaccommodated into a seat of similar or greater value due to an aircraft change or other operational issue.What happens if my itinerary changes due to a cancellation or schedule change?
In the event of any involuntary changes, such as rebooking due to a cancellation or schedule change, United will, if available, transfer the Economy Plus seating to your new flight(s) free of charge. If we are unable to accommodate you in Economy Plus, the Economy Plus purchase will be automatically refunded after flight departure. If you are re-accommodated on another airline per United’s policies, your purchase of Economy Plus seating for that portion of the itinerary will be automatically refunded.I purchased Economy Plus, but I didn’t get to sit in an Economy Plus seat. Will I receive a refund?
Yes. If we are unable to accommodate you in Economy Plus, the Economy Plus purchase price will be automatically refunded after flight departure.What is the deadline to request a refund for my Economy Plus purchase?
For Economy Plus refunds that aren’t issued automatically, you must submit your request within 90 days of the later of the following two dates: i) the date when the fee was originally paid; or ii) the flight date.If we were unable to accommodate you in Economy Plus or a seat of similar or greater value, and you received a new boarding pass, then the refund for the Economy Plus purchase price will be issued automatically. If you were not issued a new boarding pass, please submit a request through our Refunds page by the deadline specified above.How long will it take to receive my Economy Plus refund?
Please allow up to seven business days from the date when the refund is issued for the activity to post to your credit card. If the refund does not post within one billing cycle, please contact your credit card company for information. For all other forms of payment, please allow up to 20 days for a refund to be processed. If you do not see a credit post within these time frames, please submit a refund request at united.com/refunds. All refunds are credited to the original form of payment used.Preferred seat refunds (changed flights, upgraded, purchased E+, ...)
Refunds for E+ / Preferred fees (upgrades, seat changes, cancellations, ...){Archive}
Feb 17, 2017, 3:20 am
#241
Join Date: Aug 2007
Location: San Francisco
Posts: 1,039
So I recently purchased E+ on two upcoming flights, but both the flights are completely empty in E and a bit crowded in E+. I would prefer to have a whole row to myself in E than share a row in E+, so I would like to switch back to regular E. If doing so, am I entitled to a refund? Will that refund automatically process after the flight (and with me sitting in E)?
Thanks in advance.
Thanks in advance.
Feb 17, 2017, 5:38 am
#242
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Oct 2006
Location: SFO/SJC
Programs: UA Silver, Marriott Gold, Hilton Gold
Posts: 14,884
So I recently purchased E+ on two upcoming flights, but both the flights are completely empty in E and a bit crowded in E+. I would prefer to have a whole row to myself in E than share a row in E+, so I would like to switch back to regular E. If doing so, am I entitled to a refund? Will that refund automatically process after the flight (and with me sitting in E)?
Thanks in advance.
Thanks in advance.
And just because the E- seats look empty now, doesn't mean that's what it will be like on departure. Not sure how far away your flight is, but lots of things can change, even in the hour prior to departure.
Apr 1, 2017, 12:56 pm
#243
Join Date: Dec 2009
Posts: 84
changing economy award/economy plus tickets
I've searched the forum but could not find an answer for this. I called united but the agent did not sound too sure. Hence I need the wisdom of this forum
I booked one way regular economy tickets from tel aviv to SFO for 85K each.
I paid $300 for each ticket upgrade to economy plus.
As we will get close to the date in the beginning of July and business savers or economy savers were to appear and I want to change my ticket do I have to pay change fee on the top of award miles redeposit fee to get my Economy Plus refund ? In other words if I were to pay $125 to redeposit my miles so I can rebook the tickets at the lower miles or upgrade to business class, do I get my $300 economy plus fee back ?
Thanks,
Inna
I booked one way regular economy tickets from tel aviv to SFO for 85K each.
I paid $300 for each ticket upgrade to economy plus.
As we will get close to the date in the beginning of July and business savers or economy savers were to appear and I want to change my ticket do I have to pay change fee on the top of award miles redeposit fee to get my Economy Plus refund ? In other words if I were to pay $125 to redeposit my miles so I can rebook the tickets at the lower miles or upgrade to business class, do I get my $300 economy plus fee back ?
Thanks,
Inna
Apr 1, 2017, 1:15 pm
#244
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Nov 2014
Location: MSP
Programs: DL PM, UA Gold, WN, Global Entry; +others wherever miles/points are found
Posts: 14,410
Anything other than CPU (not applicable here) which means you don't sit in E+ will get you the E+ fee refunded.
Apr 1, 2017, 1:15 pm
#245
Moderator: United Airlines
Join Date: Jun 2007
Location: SFO
Programs: UA Plat 1.995MM, Hyatt Discoverist, Marriott Plat/LT Gold, Hilton Silver, IHG Plat
Posts: 66,850
...
As we will get close to the date in the beginning of July and business savers or economy savers were to appear and I want to change my ticket do I have to pay change fee on the top of award miles redeposit fee to get my Economy Plus refund ? In other words if I were to pay $125 to redeposit my miles so I can rebook the tickets at the lower miles or upgrade to business class, do I get my $300 economy plus fee back ? ...
As we will get close to the date in the beginning of July and business savers or economy savers were to appear and I want to change my ticket do I have to pay change fee on the top of award miles redeposit fee to get my Economy Plus refund ? In other words if I were to pay $125 to redeposit my miles so I can rebook the tickets at the lower miles or upgrade to business class, do I get my $300 economy plus fee back ? ...
If you change to a premium cabin, your E+ access fee will be refunded. It may take awhile (up to the flight date) to occur. This is a standard refund -- see the thread's wiki (top header post) to see the formal policy.
Apr 25, 2017, 10:07 am
#246
Join Date: May 2016
Posts: 27
Last week I voluntarily changed award tickets for my family (within 21 days of travel, so I had to pay the fees to changed them). We had E+ booked on the original flight, but I could not get E+ for the new flight. Before changing the flight I asked if the amounts we paid for E+ would be refunded and I was put on hold and the agent came back and said yes, the amounts would be refunded I just needed to submit a refund request. My husband is gold, so two of the E+ seats were free and I had paid for E+ for two of the seats. It is a trip from the Midwest to Hawaii so E+ was $139/ticket.
I submitted the request and they denied one refund and approved the other one. The ticket that was approved was purchased with my husbands (gold) award miles. The one that was denied was purchased with my (no status) award miles. The reason for denial was that E+ seats are non refundable and non transferable and that voluntary changes to the itinerary will forfeit my economy plus seat.
I plan to call back because the premier line agent told me they would be refunded and even put me on hold to determine if I would have the amounts refunded....I am just wondering if I actually *should* be receiving a refund before I make the call. The fact that they refunded one and not the other has be perplexed.
I submitted the request and they denied one refund and approved the other one. The ticket that was approved was purchased with my husbands (gold) award miles. The one that was denied was purchased with my (no status) award miles. The reason for denial was that E+ seats are non refundable and non transferable and that voluntary changes to the itinerary will forfeit my economy plus seat.
I plan to call back because the premier line agent told me they would be refunded and even put me on hold to determine if I would have the amounts refunded....I am just wondering if I actually *should* be receiving a refund before I make the call. The fact that they refunded one and not the other has be perplexed.
Apr 25, 2017, 11:06 am
#247
Moderator: United Airlines
Join Date: Jun 2007
Location: SFO
Programs: UA Plat 1.995MM, Hyatt Discoverist, Marriott Plat/LT Gold, Hilton Silver, IHG Plat
Posts: 66,850
... I plan to call back because the premier line agent told me they would be refunded and even put me on hold to determine if I would have the amounts refunded....I am just wondering if I actually *should* be receiving a refund before I make the call. The fact that they refunded one and not the other has be perplexed.
Included a quote of the posted UA policy in your request. See the wiki or use this link.
Apr 25, 2017, 11:23 am
#248
Join Date: May 2016
Posts: 27
Yes, E+ access fees are refundable on a voluntary change. Note the refund typically is not done until the after the original travel date, has that occurred?
Included a quote of the posted UA policy in your request. See the wiki or use this link.
Included a quote of the posted UA policy in your request. See the wiki or use this link.
It has not. I will wait until after the original flight to see if the refund is processed and submit the request at that time. I had asked the agent if I should wait until that time and she said I didn't need to, but I will hold off.
Thanks!
May 4, 2017, 8:58 am
#249
Join Date: Aug 2008
Programs: united, Hilton, Amtrak
Posts: 1,192
Upgrading from economy plus to first class
This is the sequence. Booked a reward ticket for 12500 miles for ord-lax on fly 2001 departing tomorrow earlier this week. At the time of booking I upgraded to E+ for around 100 dollars. Checked in today. Saw offer for first class for 199. If I pay the 199 do I get the E+ upgrade money back?
May 4, 2017, 9:01 am
#250
Join Date: Sep 2014
Posts: 553
Yes, you should.
From the FAQ:
https://www.united.com/CMS/en-US/pro...onomyPlus.aspx
However, I do not have personal experience with this scenario, so I do not know if the refund is automatic or if it has to be requested automatically. The answer doesn't explicitly state that if you buy an upgrade the E+ charge is refunded, but that scenario isn't excluded in the wording above based on my reading.
From the FAQ:
What happens to my Economy Plus purchase if I get upgraded?
In the event of an upgrade, with some exclusions, purchased Economy Plus seating for the upgraded segment(s) will be automatically refunded. Exclusions include Complimentary Premier Upgrades and cases where a customer is reaccommodated into a seat of similar or greater value due to an aircraft change or other operational issue.
In the event of an upgrade, with some exclusions, purchased Economy Plus seating for the upgraded segment(s) will be automatically refunded. Exclusions include Complimentary Premier Upgrades and cases where a customer is reaccommodated into a seat of similar or greater value due to an aircraft change or other operational issue.
However, I do not have personal experience with this scenario, so I do not know if the refund is automatic or if it has to be requested automatically. The answer doesn't explicitly state that if you buy an upgrade the E+ charge is refunded, but that scenario isn't excluded in the wording above based on my reading.
May 4, 2017, 9:09 am
#251
Suspended
Join Date: Aug 2010
Location: DCA
Programs: UA US CO AA DL FL
Posts: 50,262
Generally yes, but what do the terms & conditions of the offer you purchased say about this for your specific offer. Those terms may differ and the fact that there may be a refund in one case does not make it so in yours.
As you can see, there are exclusions to the general rule and the question is whether the $199 offer has such an exclusion. Put simply, is UA calculating the offer based on the fact that you paid $100 for an E+ seat and otherwise would have made the offer at $299, or was the offer at $199 with the recognition of a $100 refund, bringing the net cost of the refund to $99.
What happens to my Economy Plus purchase if I get upgraded?
In the event of an upgrade, with some exclusions, purchased Economy Plus seating for the upgraded segment(s) will be automatically refunded. Exclusions include Complimentary Premier Upgrades and cases where a customer is reaccommodated into a seat of similar or greater value due to an aircraft change or other operational issue.
As you can see, there are exclusions to the general rule and the question is whether the $199 offer has such an exclusion. Put simply, is UA calculating the offer based on the fact that you paid $100 for an E+ seat and otherwise would have made the offer at $299, or was the offer at $199 with the recognition of a $100 refund, bringing the net cost of the refund to $99.
What happens to my Economy Plus purchase if I get upgraded?
In the event of an upgrade, with some exclusions, purchased Economy Plus seating for the upgraded segment(s) will be automatically refunded. Exclusions include Complimentary Premier Upgrades and cases where a customer is reaccommodated into a seat of similar or greater value due to an aircraft change or other operational issue.
May 4, 2017, 1:36 pm
#252
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Nov 2014
Location: MSP
Programs: DL PM, UA Gold, WN, Global Entry; +others wherever miles/points are found
Posts: 14,410
This is the sequence. Booked a reward ticket for 12500 miles for ord-lax on fly 2001 departing tomorrow earlier this week. At the time of booking I upgraded to E+ for around 100 dollars. Checked in today. Saw offer for first class for 199. If I pay the 199 do I get the E+ upgrade money back?
May 21, 2017, 11:39 pm
#253
Join Date: Aug 2007
Location: Kea'au, Hawaii
Programs: Recovering Delta SkyMiles Addict--Now Gold with AAdvantage
Posts: 586
Economy Plus double payment refund
My May 18 flight from BZN to DEN was delayed five hours by a mechanical issue causing me to miss my connection onto DEN-HNL. Our group of three had paid for Economy Plus for the long haul flight, but the BZN agent who rebooked us for the following day couldn't get our premium seats to carry over. In DEN we were told we would have to pay again and apply for a refund. I have done some searches and can't seem to find who to contact to handle this. Thanks in advance for any help.
FWIW, the UA staff at BZN did an amazing job rebooking over 100 pax with connections. They are amazing people who remained friendly and effective through what had to be an ordeal for them. Also, we were put up at a quite decent Marriott at DEN and given $50 each in food vouchers. Other than having to pay twice for the E+ seats, it wasn't that bad.
FWIW, the UA staff at BZN did an amazing job rebooking over 100 pax with connections. They are amazing people who remained friendly and effective through what had to be an ordeal for them. Also, we were put up at a quite decent Marriott at DEN and given $50 each in food vouchers. Other than having to pay twice for the E+ seats, it wasn't that bad.
May 21, 2017, 11:46 pm
#254
Join Date: Apr 2014
Programs: DL Gold, UA nothing (ex-GS), Marriott lifetime Plat, Hyatt Globalist
Posts: 920
May 22, 2017, 1:06 am
#255
Moderator: United Airlines
Join Date: Jun 2007
Location: SFO
Programs: UA Plat 1.995MM, Hyatt Discoverist, Marriott Plat/LT Gold, Hilton Silver, IHG Plat
Posts: 66,850