Originally Posted by
uiucsb
I'm curious why the best way is to cancel, refund, and re-buy?
It eliminates any possibility of a failure during the change process. Admittedly, this is less of an issue with purely-UA itineraries than with partner itineraries. It also locks in the price and makes certain that you don't have to worry that the computer closed off the discount award bucket while you were in the middle of changing of off your desired flight and changing back.