Often1

1. You need a same-day BP for departure from ORD. DHS rules permit you to enter through any checkpoint even if the checkpoint you use does not connect to the departure gate for your flight. You may find line checkers and TSA Officers who may point out that you are at the "wrong" checkpoint, but that is because most people doing this are at the "wrong" checkpoint and really do want to be redirected. Just accept the advice and move on.

2. No need to commit ticket fraud. If you can provide a reasonably plausible reason and your is, UA will almost always issue a gate pass. It looks like a BP, simply does not have a gate and flight number.

3. Contrary to urban myth, UA is not required to honor 24-hour cancellations within 7 days and when it does, it is a waiver of the cancellation fee, not a change in policy. In addition, there are examples here of people cancelling multiple tickets at the last second who have had even their GS status revoked and large mileage balances cancelled. There is no way of knowing whether doing it 2x or 8x is the cutoff.

sbm12

You bolded the wrong line. The one after that clearly states that if on a non-BE ticket the 24-hour rule applies even inside 7 days.
UA is not required by the DoT to do so. But its published policy clearly states that it will unless a customer buys a Basic Economy ticket.

lilpisher

That line allows you to make changes within 7 days, not cancel.

tcp1

Club gate pass isn't a thing anymore. Hasn't been since August 2016.

Yes, but these were for repeated (dozens or more) flagrant violations. The GS instance you're referencing was the guy who would buy tickets for his wife to accompany him to the gate as a "gate pass" and cancel them before stepping on the plane - and he did this almost every time he flew.

Flying Machine

My understanding is that TSA allowes entry anytime the same day from 12:01 am to 11:59 pm regardless to the time of your flight..

Flying Machine

Yes you can! No worries at all. You can even enter at 12:01 am that day! Safe Travels

schley

gate passes are still available .... where they meet depends on who has UC membership or not.

HeadInTheClouds

I have entered the prior day even on several occasions. IME, once you have a boarding pass, it works.

cfo314

To close the loop, no problems getting through security.

As a bonus, flight was cancelled and UAL is willing to refund the ticket.

dordal

FWIW, no. They won't give you a gate pass simply because you want to go airside to 'meet a friend'. I've even had pushback when asking to accompany my pregnant wife (who needed my help) to the gate. This was before Aug 2016, and I had to pull the UA Club card rules out and argue that I was entitled to it that way (which worked).

OP, glad your option worked and even better news on the flight being cancelled for the free refund. You could probably even get some bonus miles out of it too, although that might be pushing karma a little bit....

frankmu

If he gets miles back off a BE fare, that would be amazing

RandomNobody

I would hope so, else 12:15 AM departures and the like would kinda suck if you were limited to 12:01 AM or later. *grin*