Jan 8, 2015, 2:07 pm
Last edit by: WineCountryUA
*NEW* Now See All Your Electronic Travel Credit(s) (ETCs) on Your United.com Account!
Update 30 Aug 2021
See discussion in COVID19 Schedule Change (6+hrs)/Cancellation Refund, UA resisting refunds, DOT ruling
Checking the balance: http://www.united.com/web/en-US/apps...s/default.aspx
Enter type (see below) and PIN as a single code without any spaces. Then the page will say it couldn't find anything and offer you a place to enter your last name. Note, will show remaining value but not expiration date,
What does "type" mean? Good question. See the following answer from post 670:
Electronic Travel Certificates (ETCs) / vouchers canonly be used for travel on an entirely UA/UX operated paid itinerary.
Late August 2021 Now useable on partner and codeshare itins!
ETCs can now be used to pay pre-paid baggage fees.
Not valid when there are partner flights or any segment that uses partner metal.
Cannot be used to pay award flight fees.
Cannot be used for E+ fees, WiFi fees, UA subscriptions (Wifi, E+ fees, UC membership, ...), upgrades fees (but OK for up-fares), change fees, ....
ETC can be used by anyone with the PIN and last name of the original person receiving the ETC.
If not fully used the residual can be used later with the same original expiration.
ETCs will be used for the total amount needed (no partial payments if the ETC has a greater value)
TVCA certs with PINs (by far the most common ecert most customers will receive -- such as goodwill compensation from Customer Care or refunds on flights) are considered a form of payment and don't reduce thePQDs PQP earnings.. So the full value of the ticket is earned, no reduction
Expiration -- ETCs generally have a 1 2-year life. The ETC should be used prior to expiration -- but the actual travel days can be after expiration. While not publically documented, it does appear ETCs have a 30 day (one month?) post-expiration grace period.
How do I use the ETC?
Online works fine or you can call and used an agent (a fee may apply)
Online, either select "all search" options and scroll to the bottom of the screen to enter
or
wait until you get to the Payment Options at the end of the purchasing steps and select "United payment types"
Enter pin code (7 or 10 digits) and Last Name on the ETC
Where online can I view my unused ETCs?
You cannot. No such listing is available. UA now displays some ETCs in Your Account (May 2020)
Reports suggest ETCs from flight credits seem to be displayed but customer service ETCs are not.
Now See All Your Electronic Travel Credit(s) (ETCs) on Your United.com Account!
You can call and ask an agent to look these up for you. Note agents will not provide the ETC PIN on the phone.
Can an ETC be used for covering the costs of a post-purchase upfare?
Multiple reports of success but one mentioned it would need to be the sole method of payment.
Can only be done by an agent -- not online
Can not be an upgrade fee, must be an upfare.
Can an ETC be used to UC membership or E+ access fee or change fee or award fee or upgrade co-pay or baggage fee or ...
ETCs can only be used for airfare,not for any fee
August 2020 - ETCs can be used for internet access, E+, subscriptions, upgrades, bag fees
Can I partially use an ETC and then pay the remainder with a credit card (to get the card's benefits)?
No, the ETC must be fully used (up to the needed amount). Only if the ETC is insufficient, can a credit card then be used.
If I make a booking with an ETC and then cancel -- what happens?
Normally it would just stay as flight credit. If refunded, it goes back to the original ETC (recent reports suggest a new ETC is now issued). If that has expired, it gets tricky, UA may create a new ETC -- this situation generally takes manual handling. It does not get converted to cash
How many ETCs can be used at one time?
There is a limit of one ETC per passenger. If you have multiple passengers on the PNR, you can apply 1 ETC each ( does not have to be the same value ETC nor does ETC to be applied to every passenger). (Recent reports suggest the use of multiple ETCs per passenger). If you have more ETCs than passengers, you can now combine ETCs. You can also use one-ways to double the number of opportunities to use ETCs vs roundtrips.
Combinability update July 2017 - ETCs can be combined (either a new ETC created with the expiration date of the earliest-expiring ETC or multiple ETCs used on a PNR). Appears will only combine ETC if you need to do this to book a flight. Initially, UA seemed to allow the combining for future use but most reports now suggest you need to also have a flight booking in mind using the new combined ETC.
Combinability update June 2020 - ETCs can be combined at the website payment screen without calling (see post 690)
Related threads
Extending a Credit/Travel/ETC Voucher by booking a refundable fare?
Is there any way to combine multiple travel certificates into one? {out-of-date -- see not above}
UA Electronic Travel Certificate & Codeshares/partner flights
Using ETCs in Canada (outside of US) on new United.com
Archive: UA Electronic Travel Certificates (ETC): General Q&A, ... {Archive}
Link to Travel Credit Lookup by E-mail Page:
https://www.united.com/en/us/fly/travel/credit.html
Note: page first shows FFCs; scroll down further for ETCs.
David
https://www.united.com/en/us/fly/travel/credit.html
Note: page first shows FFCs; scroll down further for ETCs.
David
We’re extending electronic certificatesTo give you more flexibility when you travel, electronic certificates are now valid for 24 months from the date they were issued. This includes all currently valid electronic certificates and all new ones issued on or after April 1, 2020. All electronic certificates due to expire prior to December 31, 2022, will be extended until December 31, 2022.
This policy change will automatically appear, but it may not be reflected everywhere right away. We’d appreciate your patience as we work to make that happen.
.
This policy change will automatically appear, but it may not be reflected everywhere right away. We’d appreciate your patience as we work to make that happen.
.
Checking the balance: http://www.united.com/web/en-US/apps...s/default.aspx
Enter type (see below) and PIN as a single code without any spaces. Then the page will say it couldn't find anything and offer you a place to enter your last name. Note, will show remaining value but not expiration date,
What does "type" mean? Good question. See the following answer from post 670:
Electronic Travel Certificates (ETCs) / vouchers can
Late August 2021 Now useable on partner and codeshare itins!
ETCs can now be used to pay pre-paid baggage fees.
Not valid when there are partner flights or any segment that uses partner metal.
Cannot be used to pay award flight fees.
ETC can be used by anyone with the PIN and last name of the original person receiving the ETC.
If not fully used the residual can be used later with the same original expiration.
ETCs will be used for the total amount needed (no partial payments if the ETC has a greater value)
TVCA certs with PINs (by far the most common ecert most customers will receive -- such as goodwill compensation from Customer Care or refunds on flights) are considered a form of payment and don't reduce the
yes they do. https://www.united.com/ual/en/us/fly...arn-miles.html Q&A #7
How do I use the ETC?
Online works fine or you can call and used an agent (a fee may apply)
Online, either select "all search" options and scroll to the bottom of the screen to enter
or
wait until you get to the Payment Options at the end of the purchasing steps and select "United payment types"
Enter pin code (7 or 10 digits) and Last Name on the ETC
Where online can I view my unused ETCs?
Reports suggest ETCs from flight credits seem to be displayed but customer service ETCs are not.
Now See All Your Electronic Travel Credit(s) (ETCs) on Your United.com Account!
You can call and ask an agent to look these up for you. Note agents will not provide the ETC PIN on the phone.
Can an ETC be used for covering the costs of a post-purchase upfare?
Multiple reports of success but one mentioned it would need to be the sole method of payment.
Can only be done by an agent -- not online
Can not be an upgrade fee, must be an upfare.
Can an ETC be used to UC membership or E+ access fee or change fee or award fee or upgrade co-pay or baggage fee or ...
ETCs can only be used for airfare,
August 2020 - ETCs can be used for internet access, E+, subscriptions, upgrades, bag fees
Can I partially use an ETC and then pay the remainder with a credit card (to get the card's benefits)?
No, the ETC must be fully used (up to the needed amount). Only if the ETC is insufficient, can a credit card then be used.
If I make a booking with an ETC and then cancel -- what happens?
Normally it would just stay as flight credit. If refunded, it goes back to the original ETC (recent reports suggest a new ETC is now issued). If that has expired, it gets tricky, UA may create a new ETC -- this situation generally takes manual handling. It does not get converted to cash
How many ETCs can be used at one time?
There is a limit of one ETC per passenger. If you have multiple passengers on the PNR, you can apply 1 ETC each ( does not have to be the same value ETC nor does ETC to be applied to every passenger). (Recent reports suggest the use of multiple ETCs per passenger). If you have more ETCs than passengers, you can now combine ETCs. You can also use one-ways to double the number of opportunities to use ETCs vs roundtrips.
Combinability update July 2017 - ETCs can be combined (either a new ETC created with the expiration date of the earliest-expiring ETC or multiple ETCs used on a PNR). Appears will only combine ETC if you need to do this to book a flight. Initially, UA seemed to allow the combining for future use but most reports now suggest you need to also have a flight booking in mind using the new combined ETC.
Combinability update June 2020 - ETCs can be combined at the website payment screen without calling (see post 690)
Related threads
Extending a Credit/Travel/ETC Voucher by booking a refundable fare?
Is there any way to combine multiple travel certificates into one? {out-of-date -- see not above}
UA Electronic Travel Certificate & Codeshares/partner flights
Using ETCs in Canada (outside of US) on new United.com
Archive: UA Electronic Travel Certificates (ETC): General Q&A, ... {Archive}
UA Electronic Travel Certificates (ETC): Q&A, OK for partners, 2 year life (Dec 2022)
Mar 29, 2020, 8:07 am
#571
Join Date: Jul 2013
Location: DAY/CMH
Programs: UA MileagePlus
Posts: 2,474
Mar 31, 2020, 10:43 am
#572
Join Date: Aug 2019
Location: sfo,lax
Programs: United 2 million, American 1 Million, Marriott Gold, Hilton Diamond
Posts: 14
Can I use an ETC that is issued in another persons name (who will never travel themselves again) for my own travel (I paid for the original tickets)...or can the ETC only be used by the person whose name it is issued in ?
Mar 31, 2020, 8:20 pm
#574
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Oct 2006
Location: SFO/SJC
Programs: UA Silver, Marriott Gold, Hilton Gold
Posts: 14,891
correct, but Poster should note the PIN on the cert is tied to the original travelers last name, and both will need to be entered when redeeming. New traveler does not need to be the same name, but the name of the person the cert was issued to is needed.
Apr 1, 2020, 12:44 am
#575
Join Date: Jan 2018
Programs: UA LT GS | UA LT Club | Marriott LT Titanium
Posts: 1,250
ETC Best Practices
The ETC is truly a beautiful UA feature. A few very useful things to know:
1. Multiple ETCs can easily be combined into a single ETC. I recently combined 9 ETCs, from different family members, into a single $5K ETC. Agent said she loved the new screen where ETCs are combined. I just read her the 9 PIN codes and we were done in 60 seconds. Having a single ETC makes it much easier to book reservations online.
2. The ETC simply functions as a debit card. Keep using it till it goes to zero.
3. Interestingly, the 9 to 1 ETC consolidation had the expiration date of the youngest ETC. That was a nice surprise. Have only experienced this once, so can't say it's the norm.
4. United's IT is glitchy overall, but I've never had an issue with ETC values being wrong or changing on their own. The ETC system seems to be rock solid.
5. As of a few days ago, UA is willing to issue an ETC instead of forcing you to reuse an unused ticket. Combined with #1 above, this is very powerful. Jump on this!
6. They will never read the ETC number on the phone, but you used to be able to escalate and force the creation of the ETC AND the sending of the ETC email, while on the phone. That was nice because sometimes the ETC email gets caught in the spam filter. Unfortunately, there is a new 5 day processing period that no longer allows instant ETC creation.
7. To offset #6 , agents are now willing to hold reservations for 5-6 days, at no cost, to allow you to use an ETC that's going through processing.
The ETC is such a pleasure to deal with. I'm booking far more flights than I would if my only recourse was having to reuse an unused ticket.
Enjoy!
1. Multiple ETCs can easily be combined into a single ETC. I recently combined 9 ETCs, from different family members, into a single $5K ETC. Agent said she loved the new screen where ETCs are combined. I just read her the 9 PIN codes and we were done in 60 seconds. Having a single ETC makes it much easier to book reservations online.
2. The ETC simply functions as a debit card. Keep using it till it goes to zero.
3. Interestingly, the 9 to 1 ETC consolidation had the expiration date of the youngest ETC. That was a nice surprise. Have only experienced this once, so can't say it's the norm.
4. United's IT is glitchy overall, but I've never had an issue with ETC values being wrong or changing on their own. The ETC system seems to be rock solid.
5. As of a few days ago, UA is willing to issue an ETC instead of forcing you to reuse an unused ticket. Combined with #1 above, this is very powerful. Jump on this!
6. They will never read the ETC number on the phone, but you used to be able to escalate and force the creation of the ETC AND the sending of the ETC email, while on the phone. That was nice because sometimes the ETC email gets caught in the spam filter. Unfortunately, there is a new 5 day processing period that no longer allows instant ETC creation.
7. To offset #6 , agents are now willing to hold reservations for 5-6 days, at no cost, to allow you to use an ETC that's going through processing.
The ETC is such a pleasure to deal with. I'm booking far more flights than I would if my only recourse was having to reuse an unused ticket.
Enjoy!
Apr 1, 2020, 9:11 am
#576
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Oct 2001
Location: Austin, TX
Posts: 21,417
8. Flights booked using an ETC must be on United / United Express -- no codeshares, no partner flights
9. If the ETC is large enough to pay for the entire flight, you cannot combine it with another form of payment; therefore, you lose benefits tied to that credit card (such as free bags for Explorer card holders), as well as any travel / trip insurance provided by the card issuer. You also have no ability to request a chargeback, should the need arise.
10. Refunds made for purchases with an ETC go back to an ETC; it's impossible to get cash once you've accepted an ETC.
11. There is no way to access a list of your outstanding ETCs on the website; you're required to keep track of the PINs yourself.
9. If the ETC is large enough to pay for the entire flight, you cannot combine it with another form of payment; therefore, you lose benefits tied to that credit card (such as free bags for Explorer card holders), as well as any travel / trip insurance provided by the card issuer. You also have no ability to request a chargeback, should the need arise.
10. Refunds made for purchases with an ETC go back to an ETC; it's impossible to get cash once you've accepted an ETC.
11. There is no way to access a list of your outstanding ETCs on the website; you're required to keep track of the PINs yourself.
Apr 1, 2020, 10:16 am
#577
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Aug 2005
Location: BOS/EAP
Programs: UA 1K, MR LTT, HH Dia, Amex Plat
Posts: 32,090
The ETC is truly a beautiful UA feature. A few very useful things to know:
1. Multiple ETCs can easily be combined into a single ETC. I recently combined 9 ETCs, from different family members, into a single $5K ETC. Agent said she loved the new screen where ETCs are combined. I just read her the 9 PIN codes and we were done in 60 seconds. Having a single ETC makes it much easier to book reservations online.
1. Multiple ETCs can easily be combined into a single ETC. I recently combined 9 ETCs, from different family members, into a single $5K ETC. Agent said she loved the new screen where ETCs are combined. I just read her the 9 PIN codes and we were done in 60 seconds. Having a single ETC makes it much easier to book reservations online.
Apr 1, 2020, 10:57 am
#578
Join Date: Jan 2018
Programs: UA LT GS | UA LT Club | Marriott LT Titanium
Posts: 1,250
Also, not sure why they would care about different family members, as an ETC can be used by anyone, for anyone.
Apr 1, 2020, 12:02 pm
#579
Moderator: United Airlines
Join Date: Jun 2007
Location: SFO
Programs: UA Plat 1.997MM, Hyatt Discoverist, Marriott Plat/LT Gold, Hilton Silver, IHG Plat
Posts: 66,859
Never seen any published rules on this but based on reported experiences on FT, as long as you have the name and PIN, agents will freely combine ETCs from multiple individuals. I have only done this once and the other individual had the same last name, not a stringent test. But many reports in this thread of combining different last names.
Apr 1, 2020, 12:56 pm
#580
Join Date: May 2012
Location: ORF, RIC
Programs: UA LT 1K, 3 MM; Marriott Titanium; IHG Platinum
Posts: 6,958
Never seen any published rules on this but based on reported experiences on FT, as long as you have the name and PIN, agents will freely combine ETCs from multiple individuals. I have only done this once and the other individual had the same last name, not a stringent test. But many reports in this thread of combining different last names.
Apr 3, 2020, 8:05 am
#581
Join Date: Jan 2013
Location: BOS
Programs: AA EXP, DL PM, Hyatt Diamond
Posts: 2,028
Apologies if this is duplicative, but quite confused given the COVID environment. I have a $1,000 ETC that expires in July 2020 (was issued in July 2019). Given the latest rules, is there any way to extend the validity of the voucher? I know it is good for travel through 2021 as long as I book by July, but I have no idea what my travel needs will be for the next year. Can I make a dummy booking to hold the voucher, and then just change it later given the latest change rules? Any guidance on the best way to proceed?
Apr 3, 2020, 8:51 am
#582
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Oct 2001
Location: Austin, TX
Posts: 21,417
Apr 3, 2020, 10:09 am
#583
Moderator: United Airlines
Join Date: Jun 2007
Location: SFO
Programs: UA Plat 1.997MM, Hyatt Discoverist, Marriott Plat/LT Gold, Hilton Silver, IHG Plat
Posts: 66,859
Extending a Credit/Travel/ETC Voucher by booking a refundable fare?
Apr 4, 2020, 11:48 am
#584
Moderator: United Airlines
Join Date: Jun 2007
Location: SFO
Programs: UA Plat 1.997MM, Hyatt Discoverist, Marriott Plat/LT Gold, Hilton Silver, IHG Plat
Posts: 66,859
Update 4 April 2020
See discussion in https://www.flyertalk.com/forum/unit...ot-ruling.html
We’re extending electronic certificates
To give you more flexibility when you travel, electronic certificates are now valid for 24 months from the date they were issued. This includes all currently valid electronic certificates and all new ones issued on or after April 1, 2020.
This policy change will automatically appear, but it may not be reflected everywhere right away. We’d appreciate your patience as we work to make that happen.
To give you more flexibility when you travel, electronic certificates are now valid for 24 months from the date they were issued. This includes all currently valid electronic certificates and all new ones issued on or after April 1, 2020.
This policy change will automatically appear, but it may not be reflected everywhere right away. We’d appreciate your patience as we work to make that happen.
Apr 4, 2020, 12:17 pm
#585
Join Date: Apr 2009
Location: LAX
Programs: UA Plat MM, CM Plat, Amex Plat, Hertz CP, Hyatt Globalist, SPG Gold, Vons Club
Posts: 6,852
Thanks UA that’s a nice gesture to extend ECERTS for 2 years from date of issue!