At this point, I am not interested in traveling as my return date is on Monday, 8/16, and I suspect that there are going to be lingering effects from the tropical storm on schedules. My question is whether I should wait to see if the flight gets cancelled as I am assuming that if it does, I am due a refund (not a future flight credit). Should I wait until the last possible moment in order to determine if the flight gets cancelled? If the flight does not get cancelled, can I just cancel my reservation on line just before the flight is scheduled to depart and get the future flight credit? I am trying to avoid the future flight credit as it will entail "change fees" if I use it after 8/24/2021.
There's a good chance that
clubord is correct. UA has been extremely proactive about issuing waivers. I've had waivers issued for flights where the weather ended up being perfectly clear.
That said, the answer to your question is yes: if UA cancels the flight, or even delays it significantly (more than a two-hour change in departure or arrival), you can get a full refund to your original form of payment. However, if you do not cancel prior to departure, you're not eligible for a credit at all. I would not push it all the way until "just before the flight is scheduled to depart." I'd recommend cancelling 30-60 minutes prior to departure (the check-in cutoff is T-30).