Originally Posted by
sgtpepa
...and the other I paid over $4000 for. It was a class Z. I thought when I booked it in February 2020 that you could cancel it for $400....
Yes you can cancel /reschedule for $400 fee but refundable is a different thing. And it would be unusual to have a refundable Z fare.
What you need to do is download the fare rules from united.com. (this should be an option when viewing the itin online) and look in the penalities section (or post them here). (this will reflect the terms of the ticket you purchased).
Additionally if you have any connecting flights, their fare rules are important as the most restrictive applies to the entire ticket.
However, this is likely a misunderstanding on what cancel means vs refundable -- they are not the same.
Originally Posted by
sgtpepa
... If I’m stuck with a travel certificate, does it have to be used for a single flight, or is it like a credit that can be used until the money runs out?
An ETC can be used multiple times until exhuasted (but only for UA operated flights). It will be good for two years.