Originally Posted by
opus2002
FROM UNITED AIRLINES CANCELLATION POLICY
- A refund may be requested for any fare that allows refunds. Depending on the rules of the fare purchased, a cancellation fee may apply. Most fares are nonrefundable, and are not eligible for voluntary refunds. However, the value of your ticket may be eligible to be applied toward the price of a new ticket for a fee. Tickets are valid 12 months from the day of ticket issuance, except for tickets purchased on or before December 31, 2021, which are extended from original date of issue to December 31, 2022. Travel must begin by December 31, 2022. Once travel begins, travel must be completed within 12 months from the outbound travel date.
MY QUESTION:
I have from ETC from 2020, with expiration date of 12/31/2022. I am thinking of using it to book EWR-YYC trip. I am debating if it make sense to spend extra $50 for refundable tickets? If I book a non-refundable ticket using the ETC, then I cancel the trip (for example $300), am I able to use the refund (the $300) for any trip or just the EWR-YYR route?
Thank you.
If you cancel a non-refundable fare, it essentially stays in your current PNR, now commonly referred to as an FFC, and can be used as $300 towards a new itinerary - same route or completely different. There are very limited exceptions where fare rules might be more restrictive, but practically never on an unflown itinerary originating in the US.
if you buy a refundable fare, canceling will throw the value back to original form of payment - so in your case a new ETC. Not sure what the recent data is, but I think in the past it generally went to a new ETC, with potentially a new expiry date. Note the refund to an ETC can take time - maybe 21 days, so you will not have use until then. You’d also have the option to get the value back as FFC (same as above), which generally arrives immediately.