Originally Posted by COIAHLGW

You have never had any problems with getting the ticket refunded then? This would be through the United website within 24 hours of purchase but before flight time?

Originally Posted by jackal

Refunding a ticket after you've checked in is a bit tricky, though. You can't cancel (or change) it online, and if you call in, it can be a bit troublesome for an agent. The key is that they need to cancel your check-in first, after which point they can process the refund normally. I've only done it a couple of times, but it seems that there's less resistance if you call and ask them to refund a refundable ticket instead of a nonrefundable one, as in the latter case, you have to convince them that you booked it within the last 24 hours and yes, it does qualify for a refund. That obstacle doesn't exist if the ticket is refundable.

Refundable mileage tickets work just as well as refundable revenue tickets and hold a lot less of your money hostage.

I'm not keen on doing it more often than a few times a year, and assuming the airport layout allows it, I'm considering booking a refundable ticket with another carrier next time just to avoid my account from getting flagged (not sure they would, but you never know), but refundable tickets are now my only option to access the terminal and see family members off at the club since UA does not explicitly allow gate passes to be printed for Amtrak Select Plus members, even though we qualify for access to the club (even when not flying).

The other thing I've thought about doing is calling in and asking them to cancel my check-in but not mentioning anything about refunding. Once they cancel your check-in, you should be able to refund it online, which may throw up fewer red flags and potential annotations to your account. But canceling a check-in is an odd request in and of itself, so I'm not sure how I'd go about asking that...