Dec 14, 2014, 5:22 pm
Last edit by: WineCountryUA
FFC == "Future Flight Credit"
When re-booking 3-March 2020 purchased tickets, if the new ticket is cheaper you will receive an ETC (good for 24 months); starting April 2021, this is now a new form of FFC
However for tickets purchased 3 March or later, the fare rules now state there is no "residual value" meaning no ETC for the fare drop and if you have to rebook again the credit is just the value of the new ticket.
For pre-1 April 2020 purchased, FFCs will be good for 24 months from the original purchase date
And there are no change fees
Change Fees Are Gone For Good
For purchases starting 1-April, the lifetime of FFCs are returning to the traditional 12 months from purchase
In some cases of voluntary cancellations, FFCs may be convertible to ETCs (seems pre 1 August 2020 purchase is a factor) but this can only be requested on the phone and may take days/weeks. This may be a way to avoid the problem of "no residual credit" YMMV
Update 4 April 2020
The below needs to be updated based on the changes above
This wiki discusses the for steps in using the "future flight credit" from a canceled non-refundable ticket. Note this is for the cancellation of an entire ticket -- the process is different for a partial flown ticket
- Note some tickets are non-changeable and have no residual value if not flown:
United's Basic Economy - Discussion, Q&A, ...
New UA/*A TATL -LGT Economy fare - first bag charged, no changes allowed
- Notify UA of the cancellation before the scheduled departure. An absolute must, if not done the entire value will be lost. But see note below about Travel Waivers
- Wait until you are ready to reschedule. When ready you will need to pay a change fee in new money - the fee varies and will depend on the fare rules of the original fare. Note in many cases there is no longer a change fee (BE and flights origining outside the USA may still have a fee)
- If an ETC is issued, all of the funds in it must be used withinone twos year of issuance.
To get maximum ETC (or new type FFC), an option is to pay the change fee (if any) and book the cheapest possible OW fare and throw that ticket away -- how to find that cheap fare, see Cheapest possible flight (How do I redeem this flight credit?)
If the reason for the change / cancellation is due to medical issues or death of a close relative, see Consolidated "Refunds/Cancellations Due to Illness/Death" Thread [Merged] for the process to get a refund of the change / redeposit fee.
Other cases for "free" changes are:
1) if the flight is covered on the day of departure by a waiver (WX related or other reasons). Note there may be a limited time frame for the change fee waiver.
2) or by an airline's change in schedule
What if it is 1 year from the original ticket purchase date and I am not ready to buy another United ticket using my canceled ticket's funds? Buy a throwaway ticket on the cheapest fare you can find. United will issue an Electronic Travel Certificate for any unused funds. That ETC is valid for one year from issuance (see https://www.flyertalk.com/forum/united-airlines-mileageplus/1369495-ua-electronic-travel-certificates-etc-general-q-new-combinability-policy-34.html). If you do this on the expiry date of your original ticket, you effectively extend the availability of the funds for an additional year at the cost of a throwaway ticket.
What if I purchase a refundable ticket with the credit from the non-refundable ticket, can I then cancel and get a refund? No, the funds from a non-refundable purchase remain non-refundable even if used to purchase a refundable fare.
Cannot find the canceled reservation online?
Go to Manage Reservations and look in both "Current" and "Cancelled" tabs
Find the appropriate reservation and look for "Use Future Flight Credit"
After rebooking a canceled ticket, is there a new 24-hour window for fee changes?
No, the 24-hour flexible change only applies to the original /new booking and does not extend to rebooking of canceled / changed tickets.
United’s 24-hour cancellation / flexible booking policy
What if one leg is a refundable fare and another leg is non-refundable?
For a single ticket, the most restrictive fare rule applies to the entire ticket. So a refundable segment paired with a non-refundable segment makes the entire ticket non-refundable. Same with the change fee, the segment with the highest change fee applies to the entire ticket.
Archive thread: How to get residual/"future flight credit" from non-refundable flight {Archive}
Other related threads
Changing/Canceling/Replacing a ticket costing less than the change fee?
When re-booking 3-March 2020 purchased tickets, if the new ticket is cheaper you will receive an ETC (good for 24 months); starting April 2021, this is now a new form of FFC
If the new flight is priced higher, the customer may change for no change fee but must pay the fare difference. If the new flight is priced lower, the customer may change without paying a change fee but no residual value will be given.
- New tickets must be reissued within 24 months from original ticket date
- Rebooked travel must commence within 24 months from the original ticket issue date
Change Fees Are Gone For Good
For purchases starting 1-April, the lifetime of FFCs are returning to the traditional 12 months from purchase
In some cases of voluntary cancellations, FFCs may be convertible to ETCs (seems pre 1 August 2020 purchase is a factor) but this can only be requested on the phone and may take days/weeks. This may be a way to avoid the problem of "no residual credit" YMMV
Update 4 April 2020
We’re extending electronic certificates
To give you more flexibility when you travel, electronic certificates are now valid for 24 months from the date they were issued. This includes all currently valid electronic certificates and all new ones issued on or after April 1, 2020.
This policy change will automatically appear, but it may not be reflected everywhere right away. We’d appreciate your patience as we work to make that happen.
To give you more flexibility when you travel, electronic certificates are now valid for 24 months from the date they were issued. This includes all currently valid electronic certificates and all new ones issued on or after April 1, 2020.
This policy change will automatically appear, but it may not be reflected everywhere right away. We’d appreciate your patience as we work to make that happen.
This wiki discusses the for steps in using the "future flight credit" from a canceled non-refundable ticket. Note this is for the cancellation of an entire ticket -- the process is different for a partial flown ticket
- Note some tickets are non-changeable and have no residual value if not flown:
United's Basic Economy - Discussion, Q&A, ...
New UA/*A TATL -LGT Economy fare - first bag charged, no changes allowed
- Notify UA of the cancellation before the scheduled departure. An absolute must, if not done the entire value will be lost. But see note below about Travel Waivers
- Wait until you are ready to reschedule. When ready you will need to pay a change fee in new money - the fee varies and will depend on the fare rules of the original fare. Note in many cases there is no longer a change fee (BE and flights origining outside the USA may still have a fee)
- The new ticket must be purchased within 1 years of the original ticket's purchase date (pre-April 2020 purchases receive 2 year FFC)
- The new ticket will be good for 1 year from the exchange/re-scheduled date and travel must commence prior to the expiration of the original ticket
(an exception is if the new travel is just a date change, in this case, a new ticket may not be issued and initial purchase date will still prevail) - The new ticket must be for the same named traveler
- The portion of a ticket purchased with nonrefundable ticket credit will be nonrefundable regardless of the new ticket's fare rules
- The change fee requires payments of new funds and cannot be funded from the original ticket's value
- Any fare residual will issued as an ETC valid for
onetwo year.
- If an ETC is issued, all of the funds in it must be used within
- The ETC can be used by anyone.
- The
onetwo-year limitation only limits purchasing, not travel - travel may be outside the12-year limit. - There are no additional fees to use the ETC
- The credit voucher can only be used for UA/UX operated flights (workaround - UA Electronic Travel Certificate & Codeshares/partner flights)
To get maximum ETC (or new type FFC), an option is to pay the change fee (if any) and book the cheapest possible OW fare and throw that ticket away -- how to find that cheap fare, see Cheapest possible flight (How do I redeem this flight credit?)
If the reason for the change / cancellation is due to medical issues or death of a close relative, see Consolidated "Refunds/Cancellations Due to Illness/Death" Thread [Merged] for the process to get a refund of the change / redeposit fee.
Other cases for "free" changes are:
1) if the flight is covered on the day of departure by a waiver (WX related or other reasons). Note there may be a limited time frame for the change fee waiver.
2) or by an airline's change in schedule
What if it is 1 year from the original ticket purchase date and I am not ready to buy another United ticket using my canceled ticket's funds? Buy a throwaway ticket on the cheapest fare you can find. United will issue an Electronic Travel Certificate for any unused funds. That ETC is valid for one year from issuance (see https://www.flyertalk.com/forum/united-airlines-mileageplus/1369495-ua-electronic-travel-certificates-etc-general-q-new-combinability-policy-34.html). If you do this on the expiry date of your original ticket, you effectively extend the availability of the funds for an additional year at the cost of a throwaway ticket.
What if I purchase a refundable ticket with the credit from the non-refundable ticket, can I then cancel and get a refund? No, the funds from a non-refundable purchase remain non-refundable even if used to purchase a refundable fare.
Cannot find the canceled reservation online?
Go to Manage Reservations and look in both "Current" and "Cancelled" tabs
Find the appropriate reservation and look for "Use Future Flight Credit"
After rebooking a canceled ticket, is there a new 24-hour window for fee changes?
No, the 24-hour flexible change only applies to the original /new booking and does not extend to rebooking of canceled / changed tickets.
United’s 24-hour cancellation / flexible booking policy
What if one leg is a refundable fare and another leg is non-refundable?
For a single ticket, the most restrictive fare rule applies to the entire ticket. So a refundable segment paired with a non-refundable segment makes the entire ticket non-refundable. Same with the change fee, the segment with the highest change fee applies to the entire ticket.
Archive thread: How to get residual/"future flight credit" from non-refundable flight {Archive}
Other related threads
Changing/Canceling/Replacing a ticket costing less than the change fee?
How to get residual/"future flight credit" from non-refundable flight
Apr 6, 2020, 4:09 pm
#287
Join Date: May 1999
Location: Central New Jersey
Programs: UA-Platimum 2 MM, HH-Gold, MR-Lifetime Gold, Hyatt-Discoverist
Posts: 6,238
Can I use both a Credit and ETC on a future flight? I had a flight to. OPO in March cancelled and received a credit for a future flight. I also have a number of ETC with varying amounts from a couple of other domestic flights. Can I use 2 Types of payment when purchasing a future trip?
Apr 6, 2020, 4:59 pm
#288
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Oct 2001
Location: Austin, TX
Posts: 21,412
Can I use both a Credit and ETC on a future flight? I had a flight to. OPO in March cancelled and received a credit for a future flight. I also have a number of ETC with varying amounts from a couple of other domestic flights. Can I use 2 Types of payment when purchasing a future trip?
Apr 7, 2020, 4:10 pm
#289
Join Date: Feb 2000
Posts: 6,546
Restrictions on changing an existing reservation?
Given the new UA change fee waiver for all 2020 flights changed prior to May 1st, when attempting to make a change self-service at United.com, I see the following:
1. Original fare class was D non-ref and no matter route, the new itinerary is pricing only in D class or above, or in full Y.
2. No residual value is offered, no matter the routing.
In summary, I’d like to take my $800 non-ref D fare ticket and change it to a $500 P fare on a new routing while getting the $300 residual in an electronic voucher. Possible?
1. Original fare class was D non-ref and no matter route, the new itinerary is pricing only in D class or above, or in full Y.
2. No residual value is offered, no matter the routing.
In summary, I’d like to take my $800 non-ref D fare ticket and change it to a $500 P fare on a new routing while getting the $300 residual in an electronic voucher. Possible?
Apr 7, 2020, 4:13 pm
#290
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: 66,856
Apologies, I now see the new waiver you are referring, "Between Now and April 30, All Change Fees Waived for Travel Through End of Year" --- things are changing every minute
.. when attempting to make a change self-service at United.com, I see the following:
1. Original fare class was D non-ref and no matter route, the new itinerary is pricing only in D class or above, or in full Y.
2. No residual value is offered, no matter the routing.
In summary, I’d like to take my $800 non-ref D fare ticket and change it to a $500 P fare on a new routing while getting the $300 residual in an electronic voucher. Possible?
1. Original fare class was D non-ref and no matter route, the new itinerary is pricing only in D class or above, or in full Y.
2. No residual value is offered, no matter the routing.
In summary, I’d like to take my $800 non-ref D fare ticket and change it to a $500 P fare on a new routing while getting the $300 residual in an electronic voucher. Possible?
So when it does not work, you need to call.
Last edited by WineCountryUA; Apr 7, 2020 at 4:58 pm Reason: newest waiver, changed strikeout
Apr 7, 2020, 4:36 pm
#291
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Oct 2001
Location: Austin, TX
Posts: 21,412
Maybe. Nobody can answer that without knowing the fare rules. For flights booked prior to March 2, the answer is probably yes, assuming your ticket is fully unused, but there were some fares out there that did not allow residual value to be kept. You'd have to look at your fare rules to see.
Apr 7, 2020, 4:59 pm
#292
Join Date: Feb 2000
Posts: 6,546
- Apply value to an electronic travel certificate
above option is now available when I click cancel on my reservation at United.com. this seems an easy way to achieve my goal by first getting the full value of the original non-ref D fare into an ETC. once I have an ETC, then self-service bookings should be easy peasy, including any residual funds remaining in an ETC for further easy self-service handling.
am i missing anything?
Apr 7, 2020, 5:28 pm
#293
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Oct 2001
Location: Austin, TX
Posts: 21,412
above option is now available when I click cancel on my reservation at United.com. this seems an easy way to achieve my goal by first getting the full value of the original non-ref D fare into an ETC. once I have an ETC, then self-service bookings should be easy peasy, including any residual funds remaining in an ETC for further easy self-service handling.
am i missing anything?
am i missing anything?
Apr 16, 2020, 1:43 pm
#294
Join Date: Oct 2015
Location: JFK, LGA
Programs: AA PRO, BA S
Posts: 185
UA changing prices to minimize voucher refund
I had booked tickets for EWR-DFW for December when united issued the free change waivers for future bookings.
i checked today and the fare for the flight I was on (and ones at slightly different times) were all $100pp cheaper. So I cancelled my ticket, got the flight credit, and went to rebook to get the lower fare + keep some residual value on the voucher.
It showed $0 for all the options as expected when I searched flights as my new ticket would be less than the old ticket, but when I got to check out the new ticket price was always $0-20 less than my original ticket instead of the $100pp I was expecting. I tried to buy it as two one ways as well and magically the price of the one way ticket was exactly the price of my original ticket.
am I doing something wrong here? The change options are all basically being artificially repriced to be $10 or so less than my original voucher value when it should be way less.
i checked today and the fare for the flight I was on (and ones at slightly different times) were all $100pp cheaper. So I cancelled my ticket, got the flight credit, and went to rebook to get the lower fare + keep some residual value on the voucher.
It showed $0 for all the options as expected when I searched flights as my new ticket would be less than the old ticket, but when I got to check out the new ticket price was always $0-20 less than my original ticket instead of the $100pp I was expecting. I tried to buy it as two one ways as well and magically the price of the one way ticket was exactly the price of my original ticket.
am I doing something wrong here? The change options are all basically being artificially repriced to be $10 or so less than my original voucher value when it should be way less.
Apr 16, 2020, 1:52 pm
#295
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Oct 2001
Location: Austin, TX
Posts: 21,412
I had booked tickets for EWR-DFW for December when united issued the free change waivers for future bookings.
i checked today and the fare for the flight I was on (and ones at slightly different times) were all $100pp cheaper. So I cancelled my ticket, got the flight credit, and went to rebook to get the lower fare + keep some residual value on the voucher.
i checked today and the fare for the flight I was on (and ones at slightly different times) were all $100pp cheaper. So I cancelled my ticket, got the flight credit, and went to rebook to get the lower fare + keep some residual value on the voucher.
It showed $0 for all the options as expected when I searched flights as my new ticket would be less than the old ticket, but when I got to check out the new ticket price was always $0-20 less than my original ticket instead of the $100pp I was expecting. I tried to buy it as two one ways as well and magically the price of the one way ticket was exactly the price of my original ticket.
am I doing something wrong here? The change options are all basically being artificially repriced to be $10 or so less than my original voucher value when it should be way less.
am I doing something wrong here? The change options are all basically being artificially repriced to be $10 or so less than my original voucher value when it should be way less.
Apr 26, 2020, 5:32 pm
#296
Join Date: Jan 2009
Location: DEN
Programs: UA *G, Accor/Sofitel Gold, InterContinental Platinum
Posts: 462
Help - Multiple Tickets and Best Value Option
In early Feb, I purchased business class tickets for myself and my husband (DEN-EWR-DUB) as well as for my Dad and Mom (EWR-DUB) for late Jul 2020. All UA metal and separate PNRs, booked directly through UA. Because of some health reasons (and then COVID-19), I ended up not telling my parents and not giving them the tickets.
So, I have these four business class tickets hanging out there and trying to figure out how to get the most value out of these. My husband and I could try to rebook and go to Ireland without my parents. This is not ideal and we are still not sure what to do with the parents’ tickets.
Before COVID-19, we were planning to go to Chile in 2021. DEN-IAH-SCL is more expensive than getting to DUB, but I am wondering if there is a way to put the value of all four tickets to just the two needed for DEN-SCL?
Could I cancel all of them and I believe UA would give me FFCs for each PNR or passenger? Then could book an inexpensive flight under my parents’ name to get most of the residual value of their tickets as a ETC? Basically, write off the cheap tickets and then use the combined FFCs and the ETCs to buy the DEN-SCL tickets? Is this even possible? I guess, I could also wait it out and see if they cancel the original flights in July and try to get a refund for both?
Thoughts or other ideas? Thanks so much for your help with this.
So, I have these four business class tickets hanging out there and trying to figure out how to get the most value out of these. My husband and I could try to rebook and go to Ireland without my parents. This is not ideal and we are still not sure what to do with the parents’ tickets.
Before COVID-19, we were planning to go to Chile in 2021. DEN-IAH-SCL is more expensive than getting to DUB, but I am wondering if there is a way to put the value of all four tickets to just the two needed for DEN-SCL?
Could I cancel all of them and I believe UA would give me FFCs for each PNR or passenger? Then could book an inexpensive flight under my parents’ name to get most of the residual value of their tickets as a ETC? Basically, write off the cheap tickets and then use the combined FFCs and the ETCs to buy the DEN-SCL tickets? Is this even possible? I guess, I could also wait it out and see if they cancel the original flights in July and try to get a refund for both?
Thoughts or other ideas? Thanks so much for your help with this.
Apr 27, 2020, 9:50 am
#297
Join Date: Feb 2000
Posts: 6,546
United.com now shows a handy new option on a reservation I cancelled a month ago.
The terms shown answer your questions.
The terms shown answer your questions.
Apr 27, 2020, 9:58 am
#298
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Oct 2001
Location: Austin, TX
Posts: 21,412
Could I cancel all of them and I believe UA would give me FFCs for each PNR or passenger? Then could book an inexpensive flight under my parents’ name to get most of the residual value of their tickets as a ETC? Basically, write off the cheap tickets and then use the combined FFCs and the ETCs to buy the DEN-SCL tickets? Is this even possible? I guess, I could also wait it out and see if they cancel the original flights in July and try to get a refund for both?
Apr 27, 2020, 8:56 pm
#299
Join Date: Nov 2003
Location: Houston, TX USA
Programs: One or two :)
Posts: 129
I have 3 tickets purchased for myself, my wife and daughter to fly from IAH-LHR in the middle of June, and these were originally purchased as mileage plus upgrade tickets that were confirmed on Polaris. However, due to the latest situation - the flights got changed via IAD and therefore not Polaris all the way making the trip less desirable. Plus the fact that we may not be able to travel anyway due to quarantine restrictions. I did not hit the accept button yet on the schedule change, limiting my ability to see the full trip details and/or see refund options at this time.
If the flights end up not happening in June for whatever reason, my wife and daughter will not be able to join me for a probable December trip. Will this ticket need to be split before future credit / ETC is allowed? I suppose the best time to change this without fees will be before the April 30 deadline? There is a lot of money tied up in this trip, so if this does need to be called in, hopefully they won't give me too much grief about the trip not being within 72 hours.
If the flights end up not happening in June for whatever reason, my wife and daughter will not be able to join me for a probable December trip. Will this ticket need to be split before future credit / ETC is allowed? I suppose the best time to change this without fees will be before the April 30 deadline? There is a lot of money tied up in this trip, so if this does need to be called in, hopefully they won't give me too much grief about the trip not being within 72 hours.
Apr 27, 2020, 10:58 pm
#300
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Oct 2001
Location: Austin, TX
Posts: 21,412
The wait times have gone down significantly. They won't give you any grief.