Last edit by: WineCountryUA
Economy Plus FAQs
related thread : UA Economy Plus (E+) - Questions/Worth It?/Experiences [2016 Consolidated]
Preferred seat refunds (changed flights, upgraded, purchased E+, ...)
Archive: Refunds for E+ / Preferred fees (upgrades, seat changes, cancellations, ...){Archive}
Can I get a refund for my Economy Plus purchase if I no longer want it on my trip?
No. Economy Plus purchases are nonrefundable unless the ticket is refunded or canceled prior to travel.If I buy Economy Plus seating, can I select a different Economy Plus seat prior to travel?
Yes. If the price of the new seat is equal to or less than the original purchase price then there will be no refund or additional charges. If the price of the new seat is greater than the price of the originally purchased seat, then the original price will be refunded and the new seat must be purchased in full.Will my Economy Plus purchase be refunded if I cancel my trip?
Yes. In the event of a ticket refund or cancellation, Economy Plus purchases will be automatically refunded.What will happen if I purchased Economy Plus seating but want to change my flights?
In the event of a voluntary change to a trip, Economy Plus purchases will be automatically refunded. If the ticket is partially used at the time of the change, only the value of the unused Economy Plus seating will be refunded.What happens to my Economy Plus purchase if I get upgraded?
In the event of an upgrade, with some exclusions, purchased Economy Plus seating for the upgraded segment(s) will be automatically refunded. Exclusions include Complimentary Premier Upgrades and cases where a customer is reaccommodated into a seat of similar or greater value due to an aircraft change or other operational issue.What happens if my itinerary changes due to a cancellation or schedule change?
In the event of any involuntary changes, such as rebooking due to a cancellation or schedule change, United will, if available, transfer the Economy Plus seating to your new flight(s) free of charge. If we are unable to accommodate you in Economy Plus, the Economy Plus purchase will be automatically refunded after flight departure. If you are re-accommodated on another airline per United’s policies, your purchase of Economy Plus seating for that portion of the itinerary will be automatically refunded.I purchased Economy Plus, but I didn’t get to sit in an Economy Plus seat. Will I receive a refund?
Yes. If we are unable to accommodate you in Economy Plus, the Economy Plus purchase price will be automatically refunded after flight departure.What is the deadline to request a refund for my Economy Plus purchase?
For Economy Plus refunds that aren’t issued automatically, you must submit your request within 90 days of the later of the following two dates: i) the date when the fee was originally paid; or ii) the flight date.If we were unable to accommodate you in Economy Plus or a seat of similar or greater value, and you received a new boarding pass, then the refund for the Economy Plus purchase price will be issued automatically. If you were not issued a new boarding pass, please submit a request through our Refunds page by the deadline specified above.How long will it take to receive my Economy Plus refund?
Please allow up to seven business days from the date when the refund is issued for the activity to post to your credit card. If the refund does not post within one billing cycle, please contact your credit card company for information. For all other forms of payment, please allow up to 20 days for a refund to be processed. If you do not see a credit post within these time frames, please submit a refund request at united.com/refunds. All refunds are credited to the original form of payment used.Preferred seat refunds (changed flights, upgraded, purchased E+, ...)
Archive: Refunds for E+ / Preferred fees (upgrades, seat changes, cancellations, ...){Archive}
Refunds for E+ / Preferred fees (upgrades, seat changes, cancellations, ...) [Merged]
#76
Moderator: United Airlines
Join Date: Jun 2007
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Economy Plus FAQs
What happens to my Economy Plus purchase if I get upgraded?
In the event of an upgrade, with some exclusions, purchased Economy Plus seating for the upgraded segment(s) will be automatically refunded. Exclusions include Complimentary Premier Upgrades and cases where a customer is reaccommodated into a seat of similar or greater value due to an aircraft change or other operational issue.
#77
Join Date: Aug 2012
Posts: 37
Is preferred seat refundable when upgrading?
Apologies if this has been answered already (I'm sure it has!) but I just can't find it. I selected a chargeable preferred seat when I booked but now I'm thinking about doing a miles upgrade. Is the chargeable seat refundable in this case? United has a preferred seat FAQ page, but it doesn't seem to clearly answer this question. Thank you in advance.
#78
Moderator: United Airlines
Join Date: Jun 2007
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Apologies if this has been answered already (I'm sure it has!) but I just can't find it. I selected a chargeable preferred seat when I booked but now I'm thinking about doing a miles upgrade. Is the chargeable seat refundable in this case? United has a preferred seat FAQ page, but it doesn't seem to clearly answer this question. Thank you in advance.
Will not be refunded for any complimentary upgrade.
#79
Ambassador: World of Hyatt
Join Date: Apr 2000
Location: San Diego,CA
Posts: 10,088
"Can I get a refund for my Economy Plus purchase if I no longer want it on my trip?
No. Economy Plus purchases are nonrefundable unless the ticket is refunded or canceled prior to travel."Can I understand this statement from the FAQs here to mean
If I redeem miles for a coach ticket and purchase an economy plus exit row seat for 275 dollars and decide to cancel the award
(put the miles back in the account)
the purchased E plus seat will be refunded to original form of payment?
Thanks in advance for hopefully the correct answer
#80
Moderator: United Airlines
Join Date: Jun 2007
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#81
Ambassador: World of Hyatt
Join Date: Apr 2000
Location: San Diego,CA
Posts: 10,088
That's very good news indeed
No risk involved and if something better opens up in a premium cabin at a fair enough redemption rate which is my hope we have a great plan A or B
The overseas call center shared once purchased all economy plus seats are non nonrefundable
I wonder how much revenue United loses each year to incorrect information?
They scared me off from transacting initially.I'm all in now thanks to you
No risk involved and if something better opens up in a premium cabin at a fair enough redemption rate which is my hope we have a great plan A or B
The overseas call center shared once purchased all economy plus seats are non nonrefundable
I wonder how much revenue United loses each year to incorrect information?
They scared me off from transacting initially.I'm all in now thanks to you
#82
Moderator: United Airlines
Join Date: Jun 2007
Location: SFO
Programs: UA Plat 1.995MM, Hyatt Discoverist, Marriott Plat/LT Gold, Hilton Silver, IHG Plat
Posts: 66,855
That's very good news indeed
No risk involved and if something better opens up in a premium cabin at a fair enough redemption rate which is my hope we have a great plan A or B
The overseas call center shared once purchased all economy plus seats are non nonrefundable
I wonder how much revenue United loses each year to incorrect information?
They scared me off from transacting initially.I'm all in now thanks to you
No risk involved and if something better opens up in a premium cabin at a fair enough redemption rate which is my hope we have a great plan A or B
The overseas call center shared once purchased all economy plus seats are non nonrefundable
I wonder how much revenue United loses each year to incorrect information?
They scared me off from transacting initially.I'm all in now thanks to you
Agents rarely deal with the corner cases (hence calling them corner cases), we on FT who make use of the most arcane rules debate their mean far beyond what is reasonable to expect an entry level employee to understand. If you get to a senior customer support, one who been there more than a few months , you might get better answer but those are reserved for the Premiers and even then you should cross check the information. Fortunately, there is FT -- we live in the arcane corner cases
Actually the United website is a fairly detailed and accurate source of information. Answers to your specific question are explicitly covered on the UA website,
Economy Plus FAQs
Preferred seating FAQ
#83
Join Date: Aug 2012
Posts: 37
On a similar note, I had requested a miles+money upgrade on another flight and it wasn't confirmed (Polaris seemed to be fully booked with paying pax). How long should it take for the miles/money refund?
#84
Moderator: United Airlines
Join Date: Jun 2007
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Probably time to give MileagePlus Service Center a call
#85
Join Date: Aug 2012
Posts: 37
Got another question. United really doesn't make this easy.
I found a page where I could request a refund. So I submitted the refund request on the preferred seat ($54). The refund was issued as a travel credit. Is that what was supposed to happen? And is that what will happen if I request it on the miles+money Polaris upgrade that was never confirmed? Is it possible to refund the travel credit to my credit card?
I found a page where I could request a refund. So I submitted the refund request on the preferred seat ($54). The refund was issued as a travel credit. Is that what was supposed to happen? And is that what will happen if I request it on the miles+money Polaris upgrade that was never confirmed? Is it possible to refund the travel credit to my credit card?
#86
Join Date: Jul 2015
Location: San Francisco
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Not sure this is best thread to post this on so mods feel free to move. Good story, bought daughter (little to no current status) using miles a ticket to KOA (from SFO) at Thanksgiving and purchased and upgraded E+ seat both directions. Later I bought an F upgrade and the return (a redeye) for $600. I was pleasantly surprised UA refunded my initial upgrade of $80 for the E+ ticket. I just initially assumed the $600 F offer was taking that into account as well. So the upgrade basically was $520 from the E+ seat. Not great but not bad.
#87
Moderator: United Airlines
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#88
Join Date: Jul 2015
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#89
Join Date: Jun 2020
Location: NJ
Programs: UA Silver, Hyatt Globalist
Posts: 514
Edit: refund showed up in my card about 3 days later.
Last edited by Warriorconcept; Oct 26, 2023 at 10:47 am
#90
Join Date: Aug 2012
Posts: 37
United Refund Dept.
Does anyone know if it is possible to get in touch with United's refund department without having to go through reservations? If not, is it possible to get a US based reservations agent?
The offshore agent that I spoke to last week tried to process my refund for a preferred seat, but she submitted the e-ticket number instead, and the refund was denied (obviously since the ticket was flown). I'm losing patience and want to speak to someone who knows what they are doing.
The offshore agent that I spoke to last week tried to process my refund for a preferred seat, but she submitted the e-ticket number instead, and the refund was denied (obviously since the ticket was flown). I'm losing patience and want to speak to someone who knows what they are doing.