United's $75 Late Booking Fee? (Close-in Booking Fee)

Hi folks,
I'm new. I wanted to ask if anyone has challenged the $75 fee United charges for booking within some unknown period of time close to departure. I just called my credit card company and demanded they remove it. I was literally forced to buy the ticket online, then they slapped this fee on and I did not see it anywhere.
This whole thing has to stop. The government needs to re-regulate these crooks.

Welcome to FT!
Perhaps if you could provide a few more details of what happened, folks here might be able to help give you some answers to what was apparently a frustrating situation.

Welcome to FT!, rocketdriver

Not sure I understand your posting.

There is a with 21 day fee for booking award tickets but there is no equivalent fee for $$$ tickets. Award fee chart is here and the cost shown prior to final purchase. Which was yours?

There is a fee for booking ticket on the phone while there is none for online purchases. You are typically informed prior to purchase n the phone of the fee -- so should not be a surprise. Which was yours?

As for disputing either of the above, probably not going to win either -- they have been in service for awhile and are well documented online. And UA is far from the only airline that does this.

Was your case one of the above or different?

Whenever I have booked a reward flight, right above the "select" button for a flight, it says "xx,xxx miles and $xx.xx" its quite clear what the fee will be, and as I progress through to purchase, it lists the fee in miles and dollars, up until it prompts me to purchase.

As far as other close-in booking fees, I am not aware of any specific fees which would apply in any other type of ticket.

Please post either a screen shot, or cut and paste your reciept information, and maybe we can figure out what this fee is.


Also, you aren't going to get anywhere "demanding" your credit card refund any fees. For starters, they cannot do anything until the charge formally posts to your account, and even then, they usually will require you to attempt to settle with the merchant before proceeding to a dispute.

Really, literally forced? I would like to know how that happened. I think perhaps you should look up the word "literal" in the dictionary, perhaps you meant "figuratively"? Unless of course an actual person was threatening you with harm if you didn't buy the ticket, in which case, I think there are far bigger problems.

Never booked a reward in 5 years but I Remember CO never having fees.

Went to play with some flights and see miles PLUS 85.00 co-pay?

A joke.

was this within 21 days? (a PMCO rule and added to PMUA once they alinged the award charts) or to an international destination (airport fees)?

As a 1K, these fees would be waived, however. As a 1K who "hasn't booked a reward in 5 years", that must a nice little cache of miles

548,000 roughly, but going to start using them as some WC travel has R0 on 3 flights I'm looking at. Going BUF to LAX in 10 days and can't find a SWU fare not arriving at midnight.

Might as well book using miles for pleasure and continue to let the company pay for work travel.

Any fare is eligible for RPU (CR-1) or GPU (SWU) when the flight is domestic, as BUF-LAX is...

You need to get an education in fares and fees before claiming "crooks" and
calling the credit card companies on a valid, published fee.

And wait list? Why risk it?

Might as well use 25k and go thru ORD confirmed in 2E.

It rhymes.

Does using mile to upgrade invariably avoid being wait listed.
Being eligible is different then getting an upgrade.
If the flight shows 0 in the fare bucket then it is not eligible right?

I gonna spend 394.00 RT thru ORD but I was wait listed even though 13 of 24 seats were Open. R0 means no UG inventory according to UA and FTers.

Last trans con flight I had was R1 3 wks out I applied RU and never was close to getting UG. 6 hours in E+ never again.

CC companies don't "remove" fees. You can initiate a chargeback request. UA will be asked to respond and, presuming that they've documented the fee, which they most certainly have, you will lose the chargeback and have wasted a whole lot of time.

What are the details of your itinerary and fare basis and what, exactly was the fee for?