Last edit by: WineCountryUA
FFC == "Future Flight Credit"
When re-booking 3-March 2020 purchased tickets, if the new ticket is cheaper you will receive an ETC (good for 24 months); starting April 2021, this is now a new form of FFC
However for tickets purchased 3 March or later, the fare rules now state there is no "residual value" meaning no ETC for the fare drop and if you have to rebook again the credit is just the value of the new ticket.
For pre-1 April 2020 purchased, FFCs will be good for 24 months from the original purchase date
And there are no change fees
Change Fees Are Gone For Good
For purchases starting 1-April, the lifetime of FFCs are returning to the traditional 12 months from purchase
In some cases of voluntary cancellations, FFCs may be convertible to ETCs (seems pre 1 August 2020 purchase is a factor) but this can only be requested on the phone and may take days/weeks. This may be a way to avoid the problem of "no residual credit" YMMV
Update 4 April 2020
The below needs to be updated based on the changes above
This wiki discusses the for steps in using the "future flight credit" from a canceled non-refundable ticket. Note this is for the cancellation of an entire ticket -- the process is different for a partial flown ticket
- Note some tickets are non-changeable and have no residual value if not flown:
United's Basic Economy - Discussion, Q&A, ...
New UA/*A TATL -LGT Economy fare - first bag charged, no changes allowed
- Notify UA of the cancellation before the scheduled departure. An absolute must, if not done the entire value will be lost. But see note below about Travel Waivers
- Wait until you are ready to reschedule. When ready you will need to pay a change fee in new money - the fee varies and will depend on the fare rules of the original fare. Note in many cases there is no longer a change fee (BE and flights origining outside the USA may still have a fee)
- If an ETC is issued, all of the funds in it must be used withinone twos year of issuance.
To get maximum ETC (or new type FFC), an option is to pay the change fee (if any) and book the cheapest possible OW fare and throw that ticket away -- how to find that cheap fare, see Cheapest possible flight (How do I redeem this flight credit?)
If the reason for the change / cancellation is due to medical issues or death of a close relative, see Consolidated "Refunds/Cancellations Due to Illness/Death" Thread [Merged] for the process to get a refund of the change / redeposit fee.
Other cases for "free" changes are:
1) if the flight is covered on the day of departure by a waiver (WX related or other reasons). Note there may be a limited time frame for the change fee waiver.
2) or by an airline's change in schedule
What if it is 1 year from the original ticket purchase date and I am not ready to buy another United ticket using my canceled ticket's funds? Buy a throwaway ticket on the cheapest fare you can find. United will issue an Electronic Travel Certificate for any unused funds. That ETC is valid for one year from issuance (see https://www.flyertalk.com/forum/united-airlines-mileageplus/1369495-ua-electronic-travel-certificates-etc-general-q-new-combinability-policy-34.html). If you do this on the expiry date of your original ticket, you effectively extend the availability of the funds for an additional year at the cost of a throwaway ticket.
What if I purchase a refundable ticket with the credit from the non-refundable ticket, can I then cancel and get a refund? No, the funds from a non-refundable purchase remain non-refundable even if used to purchase a refundable fare.
Cannot find the canceled reservation online?
Go to Manage Reservations and look in both "Current" and "Cancelled" tabs
Find the appropriate reservation and look for "Use Future Flight Credit"
After rebooking a canceled ticket, is there a new 24-hour window for fee changes?
No, the 24-hour flexible change only applies to the original /new booking and does not extend to rebooking of canceled / changed tickets.
United’s 24-hour cancellation / flexible booking policy
What if one leg is a refundable fare and another leg is non-refundable?
For a single ticket, the most restrictive fare rule applies to the entire ticket. So a refundable segment paired with a non-refundable segment makes the entire ticket non-refundable. Same with the change fee, the segment with the highest change fee applies to the entire ticket.
Archive thread: How to get residual/"future flight credit" from non-refundable flight {Archive}
Other related threads
Changing/Canceling/Replacing a ticket costing less than the change fee?
When re-booking 3-March 2020 purchased tickets, if the new ticket is cheaper you will receive an ETC (good for 24 months); starting April 2021, this is now a new form of FFC
If the new flight is priced higher, the customer may change for no change fee but must pay the fare difference. If the new flight is priced lower, the customer may change without paying a change fee but no residual value will be given.
- New tickets must be reissued within 24 months from original ticket date
- Rebooked travel must commence within 24 months from the original ticket issue date
Change Fees Are Gone For Good
For purchases starting 1-April, the lifetime of FFCs are returning to the traditional 12 months from purchase
In some cases of voluntary cancellations, FFCs may be convertible to ETCs (seems pre 1 August 2020 purchase is a factor) but this can only be requested on the phone and may take days/weeks. This may be a way to avoid the problem of "no residual credit" YMMV
Update 4 April 2020
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.
This wiki discusses the for steps in using the "future flight credit" from a canceled non-refundable ticket. Note this is for the cancellation of an entire ticket -- the process is different for a partial flown ticket
- Note some tickets are non-changeable and have no residual value if not flown:
United's Basic Economy - Discussion, Q&A, ...
New UA/*A TATL -LGT Economy fare - first bag charged, no changes allowed
- Notify UA of the cancellation before the scheduled departure. An absolute must, if not done the entire value will be lost. But see note below about Travel Waivers
- Wait until you are ready to reschedule. When ready you will need to pay a change fee in new money - the fee varies and will depend on the fare rules of the original fare. Note in many cases there is no longer a change fee (BE and flights origining outside the USA may still have a fee)
- The new ticket must be purchased within 1 years of the original ticket's purchase date (pre-April 2020 purchases receive 2 year FFC)
- The new ticket will be good for 1 year from the exchange/re-scheduled date and travel must commence prior to the expiration of the original ticket
(an exception is if the new travel is just a date change, in this case, a new ticket may not be issued and initial purchase date will still prevail) - The new ticket must be for the same named traveler
- The portion of a ticket purchased with nonrefundable ticket credit will be nonrefundable regardless of the new ticket's fare rules
- The change fee requires payments of new funds and cannot be funded from the original ticket's value
- Any fare residual will issued as an ETC valid for
onetwo year.
- If an ETC is issued, all of the funds in it must be used within
- The ETC can be used by anyone.
- The
onetwo-year limitation only limits purchasing, not travel - travel may be outside the12-year limit. - There are no additional fees to use the ETC
- The credit voucher can only be used for UA/UX operated flights (workaround - UA Electronic Travel Certificate & Codeshares/partner flights)
To get maximum ETC (or new type FFC), an option is to pay the change fee (if any) and book the cheapest possible OW fare and throw that ticket away -- how to find that cheap fare, see Cheapest possible flight (How do I redeem this flight credit?)
If the reason for the change / cancellation is due to medical issues or death of a close relative, see Consolidated "Refunds/Cancellations Due to Illness/Death" Thread [Merged] for the process to get a refund of the change / redeposit fee.
Other cases for "free" changes are:
1) if the flight is covered on the day of departure by a waiver (WX related or other reasons). Note there may be a limited time frame for the change fee waiver.
2) or by an airline's change in schedule
What if it is 1 year from the original ticket purchase date and I am not ready to buy another United ticket using my canceled ticket's funds? Buy a throwaway ticket on the cheapest fare you can find. United will issue an Electronic Travel Certificate for any unused funds. That ETC is valid for one year from issuance (see https://www.flyertalk.com/forum/united-airlines-mileageplus/1369495-ua-electronic-travel-certificates-etc-general-q-new-combinability-policy-34.html). If you do this on the expiry date of your original ticket, you effectively extend the availability of the funds for an additional year at the cost of a throwaway ticket.
What if I purchase a refundable ticket with the credit from the non-refundable ticket, can I then cancel and get a refund? No, the funds from a non-refundable purchase remain non-refundable even if used to purchase a refundable fare.
Cannot find the canceled reservation online?
Go to Manage Reservations and look in both "Current" and "Cancelled" tabs
Find the appropriate reservation and look for "Use Future Flight Credit"
After rebooking a canceled ticket, is there a new 24-hour window for fee changes?
No, the 24-hour flexible change only applies to the original /new booking and does not extend to rebooking of canceled / changed tickets.
United’s 24-hour cancellation / flexible booking policy
What if one leg is a refundable fare and another leg is non-refundable?
For a single ticket, the most restrictive fare rule applies to the entire ticket. So a refundable segment paired with a non-refundable segment makes the entire ticket non-refundable. Same with the change fee, the segment with the highest change fee applies to the entire ticket.
Archive thread: How to get residual/"future flight credit" from non-refundable flight {Archive}
Other related threads
Changing/Canceling/Replacing a ticket costing less than the change fee?
How to get residual/"future flight credit" from non-refundable flight
#181
Join Date: Jun 2011
Posts: 2
Thanks everyone, that was my read of the rules but wanted to confirm.
#182
Join Date: Dec 2005
Location: Canada! eh?
Programs: UA 1K
Posts: 386
Hi Everyone. I cancelled a flight and rebooked a throwaway one way ticket, paid the change fee. Did everything using the online tool.
It says I will receive an Electronic Travel Certificate for the difference.
How long does it take to receive the ETC?
Where do they send it?
Thanks so much.
It says I will receive an Electronic Travel Certificate for the difference.
How long does it take to receive the ETC?
Where do they send it?
Thanks so much.
#183
Join Date: Aug 2019
Posts: 47
Z fare ticket question
Last July 31 I bought 2 Z fare tickets to Italy for travel this April. The arrival and departure airport is Rome which is not included in the special rebooking rules United has announced. As you can guess the trip is off.
My question is if I cancel and and reschedule do I have to complete my travel by July 31 of this year or can I use the credit by July 31 to reschedule next Spring when hopefully this blows over?
My question is if I cancel and and reschedule do I have to complete my travel by July 31 of this year or can I use the credit by July 31 to reschedule next Spring when hopefully this blows over?
#184
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: May 2007
Location: Houston
Programs: UA Plat, Marriott Gold
Posts: 12,694
You must complete travel by 1 year from the ticketing date, July 31.
#185
Join Date: Aug 2019
Posts: 47
Thanks for the clarification. Now I need to find somewhere to go before July that will use the money I paid for the tickets.
#186
Join Date: Aug 2008
Location: SF Bay Area
Programs: UA 1K, Hyatt Globalist, Virtuoso Travel Agent, Commercial Pilot
Posts: 2,117
Actually you must start travel within one year of the original ticketing date and must be complete within one year from the date at which transportation commences.
Having said that, while the CoC says that, the reality is that last I checked the system doesn't actually care when travel occurs as long as you exchange before the ticket expires.
Having said that, while the CoC says that, the reality is that last I checked the system doesn't actually care when travel occurs as long as you exchange before the ticket expires.
#187
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Aug 2005
Location: BOS/EAP
Programs: UA 1K, MR LTT, HH Dia, Amex Plat
Posts: 32,092
#188
A FlyerTalk Posting Legend
Join Date: Sep 2012
Location: SFO
Programs: AC SE MM, BA Gold, SQ Silver, Bonvoy Tit LTG, Hyatt Glob, HH Diamond
Posts: 44,357
I'd hold off cancelling. The waivers continue to be expanded.
#189
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: 66,861
Additionally, one could rebook a cheap flight ($50-ish) and get an ETC for the residual and that has a one-year use life and flight can be up to 11 months after use -- giving a nearly 2-year extension
#190
Join Date: Sep 2017
Posts: 53
We have travel booked for 4 pax SFO to IAD and then return from EWR to SFO at the end of March. We were planning on taking the grandkids(5 and 8, not that it really matters though) to DC and New York for Spring break. I like planning ahead, so I bought these tickets way back in May 2019 for about $1,000 round trip in J - I wanted a treat for them (and me). Now Mom and Grandma have conspired and put the kabosh on the trip due to norovirus fears. Seeing that United was waiving change fees I called, and I can cancel the tickets and get full credit, but the bad news is, the credit needs to be used by the end of May 2020 - 1 year from the date the tickets were purchased. Has anyone ever had luck getting them to extend this and does the rescheduled flight have to take place by May, or do I just need to book a future flight by then?
Last edited by WineCountryUA; Mar 4, 2020 at 10:48 pm Reason: moved to relavent thread
#191
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: 66,861
.... Seeing that United was waiving change fees I called, and I can cancel the tickets and get full credit, but the bad news is, the credit needs to be used by the end of May 2020 - 1 year from the date the tickets were purchased. Has anyone ever had luck getting them to extend this and does the rescheduled flight have to take place by May, or do I just need to book a future flight by then?
While the formal policy is as stated, as noted in recent posts in this thread, as long as the ticket is rebooked in the original 1-year period, it can be rebook as much as 11 months in the future. If UA does revert the stricter policy, you can book an ultra-cheap replacement flight (with the changed fees waived) and get ETCs that are good for 1-year. See this thread wiki for details.
#192
Join Date: May 2016
Programs: MP Gold, AAdvantage
Posts: 34
Posting in case others are in a similar situation. We are on a flight (second half of March) EWR-FCO. Been monitoring the United travel waiver page and been frustrated that they haven't applied it to all of Italy. Finally decided to call United today to see my options (I had read the comment above about a ETC for a flight in Switzerland, which gave me hope). My experience was similar. After being transferred from a normal CS agent to a different department, I was told that I could cancel my reservation and would be given a ticket credit that would be valid for one year of when I originally booked my flight (for me, early January). They would waive the change fee and it could be used towards any flight. The credit was only applicable for the passenger for which it was named under (i.e. couldn't combine two family members' credits for a more expensive flight). If I cancelled I would not get any physical or emailed confirmation, and the credit was simply linked to my confirmation number. (I was skeptical of this, but she said that I could also check online and see that my trip was cancelled if I told her to cancel it on the call.)
That all seemed fair and in line with what they were offering for Northern Italy on United's website. Am I wrong about this? Or, is it subpar to what they are offering Northern Italy flights currently? It seems the same to me, which makes me wonder why they are not simply saying that on their travel waiver webpage.
Ultimately, I decided not to cancel at this moment since I still have a little time to see if they provide a broader travel waiver. I'm guessing they won't, in which case I will just cancel in a week or so.
Hope that helps others in a similar boat.
That all seemed fair and in line with what they were offering for Northern Italy on United's website. Am I wrong about this? Or, is it subpar to what they are offering Northern Italy flights currently? It seems the same to me, which makes me wonder why they are not simply saying that on their travel waiver webpage.
Ultimately, I decided not to cancel at this moment since I still have a little time to see if they provide a broader travel waiver. I'm guessing they won't, in which case I will just cancel in a week or so.
Hope that helps others in a similar boat.
Question - I booked the trip in early Feb and now have a year to use the credit. Is that a year to book the new flight or a year to take the new flight?
#193
A FlyerTalk Posting Legend
Join Date: Aug 2003
Programs: UA 1K 1MM (finally!), IHG AMB-Spire, HH Diamond
Posts: 60,174
Flight must be taken within one year of original ticket issue date. Buy a ticket in Feb 20, 2020 for May travel, new flight must be completed by Feb 19, 2021
#194
Join Date: Jul 2003
Location: SFO
Programs: COdbaUA Platinum 2MM
Posts: 5,532
Assuming you purchased your ticket on 8 Feb 2020, you have until 7 Feb 2021 to purchase a new ticket. Travel must commence by 3 Jan 2022.
#195
Join Date: Jun 2009
Location: Chicago (ORD)
Programs: Marriott Bonvoy Lifetime Titanium, UA Gold, AA Gold
Posts: 566
You may want to double check that. My understanding was that the flight needs to occur within one year after you purchased your ticket. I'm not saying I know for sure I'm right, but that was my understanding (and also when I asked the CS agent, that is also what she said to me).