Originally Posted by
jtwiz
In reading through all of this, it appears it will be tough to get a refund, even if UA cancels - let alone if I do. And what about the rules that I would have to use the ticket credit one year from the original ticket being issued (which means October 2020)? I do not want to lose the value of my tickets, so trying to figure out best recourse. Do I wait to see if UA cancels (and how long do I wait - day before? day of?) Do I pro-actively cancel? Do I reschedule (not knowing if I can really go on those new dates either?)
With over a million miles flown, I am realizing that I rarely cancel personal travel and with all these one-time rules, waivers, etc. it is a puzzle to figure it all out. Thanks in advance for any advice...
UA's refusal to refund for involuntary cancellations seemingly only extends to international tickets at this time. What I would do is wait until the day of departure to see if they will be operating the flight. If it's not operating, and if there's no alternative flight within 6 hours of your scheduled arrival time, you may be able to get a refund. If the flight is still operating, make sure you contact United prior to departure and cancel. Don't worry about picking a replacement date yet; the flight will become a travel credit which can be used until its expiration. Once things clear up, you can call back and apply the ticket to a new set of flights.
Originally Posted by
FlyingHighlander
Dont they refund after 12 months?
They're claiming they'll refund after 12 months, but only in cases where the ticket would have been eligible for a refund under pre-COVID rules. Voluntary cancelations will not be refunded.
To answer the question -- yes, I do think there's a good chance that they will be extended. If they're not, for most tickets booked before 3/2, the workaround is to buy a cheap throwaway ticket and the rest will be returned in an ETC.