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
#241
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
Rescheduling a trip: We’re also waiving change fees for all tickets issued on or before March 2 — domestic or international — with original travel dates of March 9 through May 31. If you’re not sure when you want to travel, you can cancel your trip and rebook later with change fees waived. See waiver details
Assuming first rebooking is done after 31 March, then that ticket will depend on the fare / change rules at that time for further changes.
#242
Join Date: Sep 2016
Location: SNA (home), LAX, BOM/PNQ, LHR
Programs: UA 1K/*G, Marriott Gold Elite, IHG Platinum, HHonors Silver
Posts: 965
If you canceled tickets outside of a waiver, UA can charge the change fee to use the residual amount, and very well may decide to do so. If you canceled tickets that were subject to a waiver, the change fee would be waived. There is never a fee to use residual value -- that comes in the form of an electronic travel credit good toward the purchase of any UA or United Express flight. The waivers are currently in place for travel through May 31; the month of May was added about a week ago. So, if you canceled a flight you were planning to take in June, you'd need to pay a change fee to use the residual credit. If you canceled a flight scheduled for May, but you did it two weeks ago, when the waiver only covered through the end of April, a sympathetic agent might be willing to waive the fee based upon the current waiver, but that's a goodwill gesture, not a requirement.
This is what UA says
If booked before 3 March 2020 and schedule to travel before 1 June 2020 -- no change Fee for the first rebooking and residual as an ETC
Assuming first rebooking is done after 31 March, then that ticket will depend on the fare / change rules at that time for further changes.
If booked before 3 March 2020 and schedule to travel before 1 June 2020 -- no change Fee for the first rebooking and residual as an ETC
Assuming first rebooking is done after 31 March, then that ticket will depend on the fare / change rules at that time for further changes.
#243
Join Date: Aug 2019
Posts: 47
Two weeks no refund
I applied for a refund two weeks ago. The United refunds website still saying my refund request is being reviewed. Looks like they are not processing refunds.
#244
Join Date: Jun 2003
Location: San Francisco, CA
Posts: 4
My scenario is this - thinking of booking fall travel for my family under the same PNR given fares are inexpensive right now (for simplicity, 4x $150/ticket = $600 total). If we have to cancel for some reason, will the $600 have to be used by each of the travelers ($150 of credit per person) or can the entire $600 be used for any of the travelers covered under the PNR? Asking as I travel enough for work that using a $600 credit for my future travel will be easy, but as I typically fly my family on award tickets, less easy if they each have $150 of credit to use.
Many thanks in advance...
#245
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Oct 2001
Location: Austin, TX
Posts: 21,419
Apologies if this was covered somewhere else, but are the credits for multiple tickets booked under the same PNR between Mar 3-31 and cancelled prior to travel for use by ANY ticketed traveler covered under the original PNR or does it have to be used by ALL ticketed travelers under the same, original PNR?
#246
Join Date: Jun 2008
Location: Houston
Programs: UA Silver, IHG Plat AMB, Hertz Pres. Circle, Avis Presidents Club; Caesars Diamond Plus
Posts: 641
Ok, here's one for you:
Non-refundable, booked March 10 for a November 2020 trip: Nov 5: AAA-BBB Nov 8 BBB-CCC Nov 12 CCC-AAA. (Ticket booked as AAA-BBB-CCC-AAA) cost ~$500 total
Now I'm rethinking the BBB-CCC portion. Making a change and deleting that part results in no change fee, but no fare difference refund (ETC). If I were to buy the ticket outright at this time (AAA-BBB-AAA) the fare is ~$200. !!
What if I cancel instead of change? If I get the $500 dollar amount on the cancelled resv to apply to a future flight, does the future flight need to be to the same destinations...? Whether it does or not, if the future flight I book is cheaper than the original, can I apply the cost and retain the balance for another future flight purchase?
(And BTW I supposedly have two small ETCs out there somewhere from previously changed flights... have yet to receive emails from UA with ETC numbers, pins, whatever.... It has been several weeks now. I'm not all that worried about it, but it is definitely taking a very long time.)
Thank you!
Non-refundable, booked March 10 for a November 2020 trip: Nov 5: AAA-BBB Nov 8 BBB-CCC Nov 12 CCC-AAA. (Ticket booked as AAA-BBB-CCC-AAA) cost ~$500 total
Now I'm rethinking the BBB-CCC portion. Making a change and deleting that part results in no change fee, but no fare difference refund (ETC). If I were to buy the ticket outright at this time (AAA-BBB-AAA) the fare is ~$200. !!
What if I cancel instead of change? If I get the $500 dollar amount on the cancelled resv to apply to a future flight, does the future flight need to be to the same destinations...? Whether it does or not, if the future flight I book is cheaper than the original, can I apply the cost and retain the balance for another future flight purchase?
(And BTW I supposedly have two small ETCs out there somewhere from previously changed flights... have yet to receive emails from UA with ETC numbers, pins, whatever.... It has been several weeks now. I'm not all that worried about it, but it is definitely taking a very long time.)
Thank you!
#247
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Oct 2001
Location: Austin, TX
Posts: 21,419
No. If the new fare is lower, the residual is ignored (UA keeps it). They wrote that into all of their non-refundable fares when they introduced the all-tickets change fee waiver.
#248
Join Date: Jan 2005
Posts: 930
I'm not sure I read this anywhere else, but United is extending the time you must travel by three months from the last booking. My situation:
Cancelled a non-refundable ticket to Hawaii this morning. While I had originally booked it back in June of 2019, United had made a schedule change in December and I was re-booked on my current flight.
The agent told me that I must use the value of the cancelled ticket by March 2021as United is extending the time by three months from the anniversary of the booking date which would now be December 2020.
So instead of having to travel by June of this year, I have until March 2021 to travel.
Cancelled a non-refundable ticket to Hawaii this morning. While I had originally booked it back in June of 2019, United had made a schedule change in December and I was re-booked on my current flight.
The agent told me that I must use the value of the cancelled ticket by March 2021as United is extending the time by three months from the anniversary of the booking date which would now be December 2020.
So instead of having to travel by June of this year, I have until March 2021 to travel.
#249
Join Date: Nov 2010
Location: BWI, PHL, IAD
Programs: Marriott LT Titanium; Mileage Plus 1K, 1 MM; Global Entry
Posts: 1,516
So, if I cancel a reservation with multiple people on it for future flight credit I understand that each traveler gets their own credit. When I go to rebook do I have to rebook everyone at the same time, or can I rebook each one separately?
#250
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Aug 2015
Posts: 11,471
Currently I think it is actually issuing one voucher for the whole reservation.
#251
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Oct 2001
Location: Austin, TX
Posts: 21,419
You can rebook each passenger separately; however, to do that, you will have to split the passenger(s) being changed onto another reservation. I don't know if that can be done through the cancelled flight page or if it can only be done by an agent.
#252
Join Date: Oct 2013
Location: KEWR
Programs: UA 1K, HH Diamond, SPG/Marriott Gold, Hyatt Plat, National Exec, GE/Nexus
Posts: 501
I booked a flight to HND back in February in anticipation of the Olympics ... which of course the event is now postponed to next year. What are my options on this ticket? I don't need the flight anymore.
- Do I cancel it, and then use the residual value (+possibly change fee) for another flight I book out in the future?
- Can I cancel it and get ETC?
- If I use the ticket to change to a different flight, and the new flight costs less than the original flight, I do not get the difference in value back?
- Wait for UA to potentially cancel it, giving me a refund?
- Do I cancel it, and then use the residual value (+possibly change fee) for another flight I book out in the future?
- Can I cancel it and get ETC?
- If I use the ticket to change to a different flight, and the new flight costs less than the original flight, I do not get the difference in value back?
- Wait for UA to potentially cancel it, giving me a refund?
#253
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Oct 2001
Location: Austin, TX
Posts: 21,419
This is extremely unlikely to be offered for a voluntary change now of a flight in July.
This is what I would do. There's no need to cancel it now, with no waiver in place (and, thus, a change fee required), when they may extend the waiver or end up canceling the flight altogether. Check on it again after a month or two.
An ETC can be used for travel by anyone, provided that travel is on United or United Express.
#254
Join Date: Apr 2020
Programs: united
Posts: 7
Question on canceling flight for ex girlfriend
So I booked a big flight for the girlfriend and I back in October of 2019, for a roundtrip flight in July of 2020. The flight value was about $2000, I paid for it on a United credit card. We broke up a month ago, and I want to cancel the flight and get the money back. I called United, and they said since its in her name, all they can do is rebook HER on a flight before October 2020, but that I cannot use the money for anybody but HER name. After much talking with a supervisor, they discovered I could cancel the flight and pay $300, but get the rest back onto my credit card.
However, their other suggestion was to wait and see if the coronavirus restrictions last until July, which then the full ticket value would become a credit (I assume under her name again), and then I'd get the money back if she didn't use it in a year.
My exgirlfriend will not be doing any traveling on United for the next year, so I can't get her to use the credit and pay me in cash.
In both cases, they said it would get credited back to the original credit card. My first question is, if I don't have that credit card when they cancel, can they put it onto any credit card?
Next question, do I have any other options? I've seen something about rebooking someone on a cheap flight, not showing up, and United gives the remaining value as a voucher? But would that voucher be in her name?
Last question, if the coronoavirus restrictions go until July, and I get the credit and have to wait a year to get the cash, but then United has to declare bankruptcy, would I then lose that credit/cash forever?
However, their other suggestion was to wait and see if the coronavirus restrictions last until July, which then the full ticket value would become a credit (I assume under her name again), and then I'd get the money back if she didn't use it in a year.
My exgirlfriend will not be doing any traveling on United for the next year, so I can't get her to use the credit and pay me in cash.
In both cases, they said it would get credited back to the original credit card. My first question is, if I don't have that credit card when they cancel, can they put it onto any credit card?
Next question, do I have any other options? I've seen something about rebooking someone on a cheap flight, not showing up, and United gives the remaining value as a voucher? But would that voucher be in her name?
Last question, if the coronoavirus restrictions go until July, and I get the credit and have to wait a year to get the cash, but then United has to declare bankruptcy, would I then lose that credit/cash forever?
#255
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
Welcome to FT!, Brianguy11
Correct and not mentioned, she can reschedule the flight herself without your involvement.
Personal tickets once purchased belong to the traveler, not the purchaser. Some businesses can have special arrangements with their ticket purchases that are different.
See the wiki/top post of this thread for a general overview
Not sure about this, as that sounds like the change fee. Non-refundable tickets are non-refundable for voluntary changes unless there is a waiver. Would need more information to determine that eligiblity.
That is possible but again if she does not use it.
United can not, you will need to talk to the bank issuing the credit card to get the credit moved to another card. It can take something and may need some persistence but it can be done.
Yes, it would be in her name. But if you used your email on the reservation, and she does not have a UA account, the voucher PIN may get sent to you. Also if the individual is willing to get your voucher / ETC PIN code, then you can use it.
While possible, that is unlikely.UA Viability/ Chance of Bankruptcy/ Bailout discussion in COVID-19 Era [Consolidated]
So I booked a big flight for the girlfriend and I back in October of 2019, for a roundtrip flight in July of 2020. The flight value was about $2000, I paid for it on a United credit card. We broke up a month ago, and I want to cancel the flight and get the money back. I called United, and they said since its in her name, all they can do is rebook HER on a flight before October 2020, but that I cannot use the money for anybody but HER name. ...
Personal tickets once purchased belong to the traveler, not the purchaser. Some businesses can have special arrangements with their ticket purchases that are different.
See the wiki/top post of this thread for a general overview
Last edited by WineCountryUA; Apr 2, 2020 at 11:50 am