Originally Posted by
findark
Her segment will be canceled and the space released if she doesn't check in by the deadline, or isn't present to board 15 minutes before departure, but this has no effect on the value of a refundable ticket.
For most refundable tickets, this is absolutely true, but check the fare rules for any no-show provisions. Domestically, the only exceptions I can think of are award tickets, which will incur a $125 no-show fee if travel isn’t canceled prior to departure.
Originally Posted by
1k-all-the-way
I recently had to cancel.an award ticket right before departure. App said it could no longer be cancelled, but i called in and it was refunded no prob. Not sure if it was an IT prob or policy.
As noted, award tickets are slightly different.
Originally Posted by
docbert
Whilst this is still good advice, United seem to have removed the "cancel before departure" clause from at least most of their refundable tickets, which means that (as findark has said above) there's technically no need to cancel the trip before departure - the fare will still be fully refundable after departure if it's unused.
I don’t know that they ever had widespread “cancel before departure” logic for refundable fares, at least domestically. You may still find some on international fares.
Originally Posted by
docbert
Of course, as always it depends on exactly what is written in the fare rules, which can vary depending on a number of factors (including point-of-sale), so it would still be good advice to make sure it's cancelled before the departure time.
Agreed. It doesn’t hurt to be proactive.