Originally Posted by
Sykes
If you're buying your tickets online, then that is generally true, but a travel agent can put multiple tickets on the same PNR (depending on carrier rules).
The answer is actually more nuanced than everyone is suggesting because UA is a bit more generous with its fare rules for itineraries that combine more than one fare component than many airlines are ... note the exception in the following provision (or one like it) in most of United's fare rules under both the cancellations and changes sections:
Code:
WHEN REFUNDABLE FARES ARE COMBINED ON A HALF
ROUND TRIP BASIS WITH PENALTY OR RESTRICTED FARES
TO FORM A RT/CT/OJ ITINERARY THE MOST RESTRICTIVE
PROVISIONS WILL APPLY.
EXCEPTION -
FARES COMBINED END-ON-END ON THE TICKET//IE
FARES THAT COULD STAND ALONE IF ISSUED ON A
SEPARATE TICKET// MAY BE CHANGED SEPARATELY.
The majority of domestic roundtrip fares are combined end-on-end because they are essentially a combination of two one-way fares, even if they are on a single ticket. This is generally NOT true of international fares (which are almost always either roundtrip fares or two fares combined on a roundtrip basis). Accordingly, the unrestricted fare components may be changed without paying a change fee (although it may be a challenge to find someone to do this as, as far as I can tell, the tools that United uses won't recognize this automatically, so you would have to find an agent that can read and understand the fare rules, then be willing to manually reissue the ticket). This probably wouldn't apply to an actual refund to your original form of payment, but you should be able to at least get travel credit for the full amount of the refundable part of the ticket without paying any sort of fee.
I was thinking about this and isn't it only really useful if you don't have to change/cancel the non-refundable portion? Otherwise you still have to pay the change fee. Or I guess it can also be helpful if the non-refundable segment is worth less than the change fee.