Originally Posted by
radioactive
If I book this mix, can I cancel the refundable return after flying the outbound?
Of course not.
Originally Posted by
radioactive
Is there a way to get UA's website to display fare basis per segment before ticketing, or would I need book and then check the e-receipt to confirm the refundable portion?
It wouldn’t matter if you did.
United isn’t stupid, and, in general, if your plan relies upon being the first person in 50 years to realize how stupid a major corporation is, you’re probably missing something.
1 - If you select a nonrefundable fare in one direction and a refundable fare in the other, the entire thing becomes non-refundable.
2 - Even if you selected a refundable fare in both directions, United will recalculate the fare based upon what you actually traveled before giving you a refund. Your refund, in this case, will be zero. Well, it’s actually $(900), because you’d owe UA the difference between what you flew and what you booked, but they’re unlikely to come after you for that.
Incidentally, intentionally booking a round-trip knowing that you plan to throw away the return is a violation of UA’s Contract of Carriage. They’re unlikely to go after anyone for doing it once; repeated violations could lead to closure of your MileagePlus account. Lufthansa even famously sued somebody to collect the fare difference from a repeat hidden-city ticketing violator.