Originally Posted by
fttc
I have a few questions regarding the FFC that need some expert clarifications.
First, let's forget about the validity to end of 2023 for a minute and assumes that it's only valid for 12 months since it's a generic question. Say I buy a ticket on 1/1. I cancel it on 5/1. And change it to a more expensive ticket on 6/1. (I use the word "change" since the last time I called United to do it, they kept the same confirmation number even though I canceled the ticket before and the itineraries are completely different.) Let's say I cancel the new ticket again on 7/1. Is the expiration of the FFC now one year from 6/1, or is it still one year from 1/1?
For tickets purchased directly through United and
wholly unused, as in this scenario, you should get FFC on 5/1. If you then use that FFC on 6/1 to book a new ticket, starting from scratch and applying the FFC during checkout, you’ll definitely have a new ticket (and a new PNR, for that matter), and so, when you cancel again, the resulting FFC should be valid until 6/1. Even if you follow the specific set of steps that you set out here, in such a way that you keep the same PNR, a wholly unused ticket will have to be exchanged and reissued on 6/1, and so the FFC that results on 7/1 should be relative to the new ticket issuance date (6/1).
The only time that the FFC would still be tied to the original ticket issue date of 1/1 would be if (a) the ticket was partially used before you changed it, or (b) the ticket were not reissued when you made the changes. (b) would require that there’d been no change of fare or ticketed destination — think schedule change, or you cancel one ORD-DTW flight for a different one in the same fare class one week later.
Originally Posted by
fttc
Second, another unrelated question. Let's say I buy a changeable United ticket through an OTA. (United website gives an error, I think it couldn't price the particular partner flight at the fare Google quoted, even though Google flights gives a price and clickable link.) Let's say I cancel it later. I suppose I have to call OTA to cancel?
Yes.
Originally Posted by
fttc
Afterwards, do I get a FFC that shows up on United's website that I can use directly with United later, or do I get some credit that I can only use with the same OTA to book the United flights?
You would not get FFC that appears on the United website. You’d have to deal with the OTA for rebooking, and apparently UA is holding travel agents to the fare rules — so if your new ticket doesn’t allow for residual credit when changing to a cheaper flight, an OTA isn’t allowed to give you any.