Originally Posted by
Kacee
To be clear, you can cancel anytime for no charge. Within 24 hours, you can cancel and get a refund without any penalty. Also, be careful. If the refund request errors out online (happens pretty frequently) you should call, even if the reservation shows as canceled. I've had UA claim I was not entitled to a refund b/c I didn't follow up by phone within 24 hours.
Kacee's cautionary note is well founded. The online cancellation process has several steps (pages) with options all along the way to avert the customer from actually cancelling and refunding. Therefore, go through the cancellation process with a keen eye.