Jan 4, 2015, 2:01 pm
Last edit by: WineCountryUA
This wiki was created to distill SDC (and related standby) down to a set of rules in the hopes of benefiting others.
The official "rules" can be found here. In practice, some of the rules almost always apply, and some are more flexible.
Note there have been reports of SDC to one segment removing confirmed CPU upgrades on downline segments. If maintaining the confirmed upgrade is important then these changes should be handled with care.
Most Frequently Asked Question: When do I call/go online to make the change?
Follow this flowchart:
Question 1: Are you within 24 hours of your currently scheduled UA(*) operated flight that you're trying to change off of? If yes, continue to Question 2. If no, continue to answer 1.
Question 2: Are you within 24 hours of the first UA operated flight you're trying to change on to? If yes, continue to to Answer 2. If no, continue to Answer 1.
Answer 1: No, you cannot call/go online yet to make an SDC.
Answer 2: Yes, then you can call/go online to make an SDC.
General Baseline Rules
These are the general rules that usually apply to SDC's; falling outside these rules usually requires payment of a full change fee and the fare difference:
How to SDC
SDC can be accomplished in a few different places (in rough order of likelihood of being able to get the rules bent):
Please note that the United.com “change flight” link before checking in within T-24, is broken. The website may not show all available options and will often attempt to collect the change fee rather than the SDC fee (if any).
NB: An SDC where the original itinerary (in one direction) has three or more segments cannot be done online.
Nuances and Loose Rules
Now for the hard part: figuring out where the flexibility is in the rules. This list is compiled from the responses to people saying "Can I do X?" where X is something that is not clearly permitted by the rules. One's likelihood of success here depends a bit on the method used for the SDC.
For each item, the following codes apply:
Y = officially permitted and possible using any method
A = not permitted but perhaps possible using an agent (phone/counter), perhaps having to HUACA
A* = mixed reports of success with an agent (phone/counter),
N* = possible only if you find a very accommodating agent
N = little or no reported success.
If you encounter issues with an agent (phone or counter/gate), you can ask the agent to reference GG SDC. Additionally, GG SDC line 61 specifically references that fare classes are supposed to level out 3.5 hours before departure, so you might be able to use that to your advantage if fare classes have not leveled out and you're trying to ask an agent to open up the correct inventory or force you onto the flight.
Note -- as of 11/27/2017: A datapoint indicates that UA may have updated its GG rule regarding leveling out to state the following:
Standby
You may stand by if seats are not available in the purchased fare class. In these cases, the same-day change fee will apply, but will not be charged unless you are assigned a seat on your alternate flight. Changes in routing are not allowed when standing by. Standby may be requested on the day of departure at an airport kiosk or with a United representative at the airport. Once you are added to the flight standby list, you can check your real-time standby status at united.com/flightstatus or on your mobile device at mobile.united.com/info.
Instead of paying a same-day change discounted fee, can I stand by for my desired flight for free?
No. The only time you may standby for free is when the fare does not have any penalties for making changes, or when standing by involuntarily due to a flight irregularity.
Can I pay the same-day change discount fee with cash?
Cash will only be accepted by a United airport representative when the change is available to be confirmed, not for standby travel.
original posting by mgcsinc, initiated by jackal
Previous threads:
UA Same-Day Travel Change (SDC) Fees/Questions *now with WikiPost* {pre-2015 Archive}
The official "rules" can be found here. In practice, some of the rules almost always apply, and some are more flexible.
Note there have been reports of SDC to one segment removing confirmed CPU upgrades on downline segments. If maintaining the confirmed upgrade is important then these changes should be handled with care.
Most Frequently Asked Question: When do I call/go online to make the change?
Follow this flowchart:
Question 1: Are you within 24 hours of your currently scheduled UA(*) operated flight that you're trying to change off of? If yes, continue to Question 2. If no, continue to answer 1.
Question 2: Are you within 24 hours of the first UA operated flight you're trying to change on to? If yes, continue to to Answer 2. If no, continue to Answer 1.
Answer 1: No, you cannot call/go online yet to make an SDC.
Answer 2: Yes, then you can call/go online to make an SDC.
General Baseline Rules
These are the general rules that usually apply to SDC's; falling outside these rules usually requires payment of a full change fee and the fare difference:
- The departure time of the first segment of the old itinerary and the departure time of the first segment of the new itinerary must both be within 24 hours of the moment that the change is made.
- Only applies to UA/UX operated flights, domestic or international. Changing from a non-UA operated to UA operated may be possible.
- The ultimate origin and destination airports must remain the same.
- Routing can be changed (addition, deletion, or change of connection points) but the routing rules of the original fare usually apply.
- All remaining unflown segments in single fared itinerary are considered together (i.e., if you're flying WWW-XXX-YYY-ZZZ, you can go to a kiosk at XXX and potentially fly XXX-AAA-ZZZ or XXX-ZZZ direct).
- SDC can be done an unlimited number of times, and can therefore be used to extend a trip indefinitely (pending availability).
- SDC costs $75 for Members and Silvers - the fee is waived for Golds and up (plus any applicable fare difference, see below). *G's may also get free SDC, although there is no mention of this in the official rules. Once in-route, fees for an earlier connecting flight may be waived per GG SDC Line 118.
- Non-elites on the same PNR benefit from any waived fees for SDC.
- No fare difference is charged so long as there is availability on all of the new segments in the originally ticketed fare class. Fare class availability in all classes often opens up after T-24 and almost always opens up at T-3 unless the plane is very full.
- SDC on bulk tickets, including United Specials, is not permitted.
- SDC is permitted on both domestic and international itineraries.
How to SDC
SDC can be accomplished in a few different places (in rough order of likelihood of being able to get the rules bent):
- United mobile app
- Kiosk
- Phone
- On united.com, right now only the "Search Other Flight Options" button during On-Line Check-In (OLCI) works. This has spotty availability, particularly if the change would involve paying an additional fare due to fare bucket non-availability.
- Counter/Gate (although reports are that most airport agents are not familiar with the SDC policy and may not allow you to SDC to a valid itinerary--you can try to direct them to look up GG SDC, but they often won't understand that what you're trying to do is permitted by those rules)
NB: An SDC where the original itinerary (in one direction) has three or more segments cannot be done online.
Nuances and Loose Rules
Now for the hard part: figuring out where the flexibility is in the rules. This list is compiled from the responses to people saying "Can I do X?" where X is something that is not clearly permitted by the rules. One's likelihood of success here depends a bit on the method used for the SDC.
For each item, the following codes apply:
Y = officially permitted and possible using any method
A = not permitted but perhaps possible using an agent (phone/counter), perhaps having to HUACA
A* = mixed reports of success with an agent (phone/counter),
N* = possible only if you find a very accommodating agent
N = little or no reported success.
- Violating various non-routing fare rules (day/time, minimum stay, etc.): Y
- Change destination to ultra-close airport (see the old S*FAR/STANDBY): A
- Change destination to a co-terminal: N*
- Change destination to an entirely different place: N
- Change itinerary at the beginning to include illegal layovers (> 4 hours): N*
- Change itinerary at the layover point (using kiosk, app, or agent) to create an otherwise illegal layover: Y
- Change itinerary at the beginning to add a layover point not permitted by the routing rules: N*
- Change itinerary at a layover point to add another layover not permitted (either in terms of number of segments or routing rules) by the routing rules: Y
- Change to a flight exactly 24 hours before or after the original flight: N*
- Change to a flight exactly 24 hours before the original flight, if the previous day's flight has been delayed: Y (based on one report)
- Combining separately-fared segments to do SDC (e.g. XXX-YYY+YYY-ZZZ -> XXX-ZZZ): A
- Change UA-codeshare, non-UA-metal segment to UA metal: A
- Change from UA metal to UA-codeshare, non-UA-metal segment: N (see post 1813 for one exception)
- Change from UA-codeshare, non-UA-metal segment to a different UA-codeshare, non-UA-metal segment: ??
- Change on a non-UA ticketed segment: N* (with potential dire consequences)
- Change from an upgraded flight into Y on the new flight: Y
- Change from a GPU-upgraded flight into J/F on the new flight: A
- Change from a CPU-upgraded flight and get confirmed into available R space on the new flight: N*
- Change from an instrument-upgraded flight and get confirmed into available R space on the new flight: A*
- Non-elite on different PNR benefiting from Elite's waived-fee SDC: A
- Change at origin airport after tendering a checked bag: N
- Change at layover airport when a bag has been checked: N
If you encounter issues with an agent (phone or counter/gate), you can ask the agent to reference GG SDC. Additionally, GG SDC line 61 specifically references that fare classes are supposed to level out 3.5 hours before departure, so you might be able to use that to your advantage if fare classes have not leveled out and you're trying to ask an agent to open up the correct inventory or force you onto the flight.
Note -- as of 11/27/2017: A datapoint indicates that UA may have updated its GG rule regarding leveling out to state the following:
Code:
EVERYDAY AWARD AND REVENUE BUCKETS ARE TO LEVEL OUT WITHIN 2H OF DEPARTURE
You may stand by if seats are not available in the purchased fare class. In these cases, the same-day change fee will apply, but will not be charged unless you are assigned a seat on your alternate flight. Changes in routing are not allowed when standing by. Standby may be requested on the day of departure at an airport kiosk or with a United representative at the airport. Once you are added to the flight standby list, you can check your real-time standby status at united.com/flightstatus or on your mobile device at mobile.united.com/info.
Instead of paying a same-day change discounted fee, can I stand by for my desired flight for free?
No. The only time you may standby for free is when the fare does not have any penalties for making changes, or when standing by involuntarily due to a flight irregularity.
Can I pay the same-day change discount fee with cash?
Cash will only be accepted by a United airport representative when the change is available to be confirmed, not for standby travel.
original posting by mgcsinc, initiated by jackal
Previous threads:
UA Same-Day Travel Change (SDC) Fees/Questions *now with WikiPost* {pre-2015 Archive}
UA Same-Day Travel Change (SDC) Fees/Questions (with Wiki) {Archive}
Sep 26, 2018, 8:25 am
#4396
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Sep 26, 2018, 2:25 pm
#4397
Join Date: Apr 2002
Location: boulder, co usa
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LH flight on 016 stock
Reviewed the thread and not clear about SDC if on an LH flight (LHR-FRA-DEN) and trying to change to LHR-DEN direct or via ORD.
Any experiences here on getting an SDC over to UA metal?
Thanks
Any experiences here on getting an SDC over to UA metal?
Thanks
Sep 26, 2018, 3:21 pm
#4398
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-RM
Sep 26, 2018, 6:24 pm
#4399
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call. An agent can do it, the app or OLCI are not an option. Technically this is not allowed, but SDCing TO UA metal on a 016 ticket has been successful for me before.
Sep 28, 2018, 8:21 pm
#4400
Join Date: Sep 2008
Posts: 812
App SDC options will be based on your current confirmed fare class (including CPUed if applicable) last time I checked. In fact the app didn't give the option to switch to a flight with availability in my ORIGINALLY booked fare class. You're best bet would probably be to call in if you need to switch to a flight ex: F0, Y9
CPU will never break SDC. For tickets in any revenue or award fare class, PN, and RN, you will be offered SDCs based on the current booking class (rbd) of your segment. For most upgraded tickets (R), you will be offered SDC based on the original booking class.
If you have a ticket in R and wish to SDC into R, this requires an agent and your original fare class available.
If you have a ticket in RN or PN and wish to SDC into your original booking class, this requires an agent.
If you have a ticket in R and wish to SDC into R, this requires an agent and your original fare class available.
If you have a ticket in RN or PN and wish to SDC into your original booking class, this requires an agent.
Any one actually tried this recently? Within 24 hours of departure, after a CPU has cleared, is the United App smart enough to offer SDC options based on the original fare class (which is likely to be far more available than R)?
I know calling in should work (as long as one accepts a downgrade back to economy), but given the App often offers much more creative routing options than an agent, I'd like to stay with the App if possible.
Sep 28, 2018, 8:33 pm
#4401
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Yes; I've done this quite a few times. (I almost always look at the SDC options, even if I don't take one). I've definitely done this within the last month.
Sep 28, 2018, 11:28 pm
#4403
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Yes, many, many times.
Oct 3, 2018, 2:25 pm
#4404
Join Date: Dec 2010
Location: San Francisco, CA (SFO)
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Has anyone ever tried to SDC within the app to a flight that you knew was an impossible connection?
Example: I flew SFO-DEN-GRR yesterday.
SFO-DEN departs SFO at 1:10 PM, arrives DEN at 4:51 PM
DEN-GRR departs DEN at 5:55 PM, arrives GRR at 10:25 PM
Once in the air, I logged into the app and looked at my SDC options for DEN-GRR:
DEN-ORD-GRR, departing DEN at 3:53 PM
Obviously I did not SDC to the 3:53 PM, but I'm curious what would have happened if I selected that? Would the app detect that there was no way I was going to make that flight? If I were to be able to book it, and obviously miss it, then what?
Example: I flew SFO-DEN-GRR yesterday.
SFO-DEN departs SFO at 1:10 PM, arrives DEN at 4:51 PM
DEN-GRR departs DEN at 5:55 PM, arrives GRR at 10:25 PM
Once in the air, I logged into the app and looked at my SDC options for DEN-GRR:
DEN-ORD-GRR, departing DEN at 3:53 PM
Obviously I did not SDC to the 3:53 PM, but I'm curious what would have happened if I selected that? Would the app detect that there was no way I was going to make that flight? If I were to be able to book it, and obviously miss it, then what?
Oct 3, 2018, 3:17 pm
#4405
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Seems like there are two contradictory answers to this.
Any one actually tried this recently? Within 24 hours of departure, after a CPU has cleared, is the United App smart enough to offer SDC options based on the original fare class (which is likely to be far more available than R)?
Any one actually tried this recently? Within 24 hours of departure, after a CPU has cleared, is the United App smart enough to offer SDC options based on the original fare class (which is likely to be far more available than R)?
Oct 3, 2018, 8:23 pm
#4406
Join Date: Apr 2012
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Posts: 3,525
Has anyone ever tried to SDC within the app to a flight that you knew was an impossible connection?
Example: I flew SFO-DEN-GRR yesterday.
SFO-DEN departs SFO at 1:10 PM, arrives DEN at 4:51 PM
DEN-GRR departs DEN at 5:55 PM, arrives GRR at 10:25 PM
Once in the air, I logged into the app and looked at my SDC options for DEN-GRR:
DEN-ORD-GRR, departing DEN at 3:53 PM
Obviously I did not SDC to the 3:53 PM, but I'm curious what would have happened if I selected that? Would the app detect that there was no way I was going to make that flight? If I were to be able to book it, and obviously miss it, then what?
Example: I flew SFO-DEN-GRR yesterday.
SFO-DEN departs SFO at 1:10 PM, arrives DEN at 4:51 PM
DEN-GRR departs DEN at 5:55 PM, arrives GRR at 10:25 PM
Once in the air, I logged into the app and looked at my SDC options for DEN-GRR:
DEN-ORD-GRR, departing DEN at 3:53 PM
Obviously I did not SDC to the 3:53 PM, but I'm curious what would have happened if I selected that? Would the app detect that there was no way I was going to make that flight? If I were to be able to book it, and obviously miss it, then what?
Oct 5, 2018, 10:42 am
#4407
Join Date: Sep 2010
Location: San Francisco, CA
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Posts: 499
Interesting finding today. Trying to do SDC on SFO-PHL today. On PC United.com, all flights asked for at least $1000 for change. On United App, same options ask for $0.
Oct 5, 2018, 11:13 am
#4408
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Oct 5, 2018, 3:54 pm
#4409
Join Date: Dec 2006
Location: Silicon wasteland
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SDC beginning of trip, no published fare, but connecting availability
Here's one for you experts.
I want to SDC tomorrow LAX-NRT. It has no P-fare availability direct, but I can see that P is available on that leg if connecting (say from SFO-LAX-NRT (P2)). SO there is some married-segment / non-stop fare bucket restrictions going on.
Currently LAX-HNL-NRT.
Can I SDC onto the LAX-NRT leg even if the P class is not available on the direct segment? And can I do so if this begins the trip versus being a return segment?
Thanks!!
I want to SDC tomorrow LAX-NRT. It has no P-fare availability direct, but I can see that P is available on that leg if connecting (say from SFO-LAX-NRT (P2)). SO there is some married-segment / non-stop fare bucket restrictions going on.
Currently LAX-HNL-NRT.
Can I SDC onto the LAX-NRT leg even if the P class is not available on the direct segment? And can I do so if this begins the trip versus being a return segment?
Thanks!!
Oct 5, 2018, 4:46 pm
#4410
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