I'm sorry to hear about your brother.
- First step is to make sure to cancel your flight reservation before the check-in deadline. Easy to forget to do that. Just go online and cancel it, or you can call.
- United will off you a full cash refund due to the death of an immediate family member. Go here:
https://www.united.com/ual/en/us/fly...-policies.html click "Refund request for nonrefundable tickets - unplanned event" to read the rules. Then click "Request a refund" button at the top to start the process. You'll probably need a copy of the death certificate or obituary notice. You don't need to do this now -- worry about it in a few weeks.
- If you think you'll use the United credit within the next year, you can skip the refund step and just apply the credit to your next flight within a year.
- If United refuses to refund you for some reason and you will not use the credit, you can start a CSR claim now (within 20 days) and then finish it out in one year when the credit expires. But this adds an extra layer, so I'd try for the cash refund if you don't think you can use the flight credit.
- I imagine the hotel in CZM, etc will give you a refund. But if they don't or they charge you for the first night or something, and you paid with CSR, then the hotel and other pre-paid expenses would be reimbursable by the
Trip Cancellation insurance. You must try to cancel the hotel within a reasonable period for the coverage to kick in. Also you have to start the claim within 20 days, and have 90 days to provide all of the paperwork.
Working with the travel provider for a refund is almost always the best step, use the credit is second best, and insurance claim is third option.
But remember to cancel the flight (and hotel) before check-in, and start your claim within 20 days if you are going to do one.