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}
May 19, 2019, 10:00 pm
#5327
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Oct 2001
Location: Austin, TX
Posts: 21,391
The reason that I ask is that, typically, changing the return after flying the outbound does not involve a re-price if the same inventory class is available and all fare rules of the original ticket are met. So, while you may not be able to change for free, if there's inventory in your fare bucket, it's worth calling UA to see if you can do the change for only the change fee. It's not as good as $0, but it may be better than nothing.
May 21, 2019, 5:03 pm
#5328
Join Date: Oct 2008
Posts: 188
Hi, I can't seem to locate the discussion on this even though I know I saw it before. After we SDC to a new flight that's later than original scheduled flight, can we then subsequently re-SDC again to another later flight that is now going to be more than 24 hours past original scheduled flight? I vaguely remembered someone said that United is/has tightening this rule to enforce that all SDC cannot be more than 24 hours of original scheduled flight. Can someone confirm this or we continue to have the flexibility to SDC multiple times to push the dates out? Thanks.
May 21, 2019, 6:12 pm
#5329
Join Date: Apr 2009
Location: LAX
Programs: UA Plat MM, CM Plat, Amex Plat, Hertz CP, Hyatt Globalist, SPG Gold, Vons Club
Posts: 6,849
Hi, I can't seem to locate the discussion on this even though I know I saw it before. After we SDC to a new flight that's later than original scheduled flight, can we then subsequently re-SDC again to another later flight that is now going to be more than 24 hours past original scheduled flight? I vaguely remembered someone said that United is/has tightening this rule to enforce that all SDC cannot be more than 24 hours of original scheduled flight. Can someone confirm this or we continue to have the flexibility to SDC multiple times to push the dates out? Thanks.
May 21, 2019, 6:21 pm
#5330
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Nov 2018
Location: Istanbul, Turkey
Programs: TK Elite Plus,BAEC GGL,ITA Executive, AFKL Gold,QR Gold,HH Diamond,Bonvoy Gold,ALL Gold
Posts: 14,186
Hi, I can't seem to locate the discussion on this even though I know I saw it before. After we SDC to a new flight that's later than original scheduled flight, can we then subsequently re-SDC again to another later flight that is now going to be more than 24 hours past original scheduled flight? I vaguely remembered someone said that United is/has tightening this rule to enforce that all SDC cannot be more than 24 hours of original scheduled flight. Can someone confirm this or we continue to have the flexibility to SDC multiple times to push the dates out? Thanks.
May 21, 2019, 7:50 pm
#5331
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Oct 2001
Location: Austin, TX
Posts: 21,391
The core question -- still unanswered, in my opinion -- is whether or not there are recent experiences with this given that the app is seemingly no longer showing next-day options and you'd need to call to make them.
May 21, 2019, 8:06 pm
#5332
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Nov 2018
Location: Istanbul, Turkey
Programs: TK Elite Plus,BAEC GGL,ITA Executive, AFKL Gold,QR Gold,HH Diamond,Bonvoy Gold,ALL Gold
Posts: 14,186
Huh? No-charge SDC always depends upon the same fare class being available. Flexible vs non-flexible is irrelevant.
Availability changes constantly, in both directions. It's not uncommon to see flight inventory disappear, nor is it uncommon to see it reappear as plans change. Also, in order to do an SDC, you need to be within 24 hours of both flights -- the one you're on now and the one you're targeting. It's almost impossible to move a flight 24 hours ahead in one SDC, because by the time you're eligible for a change, you've no-showed your existing flight.
The core question -- still unanswered, in my opinion -- is whether or not there are recent experiences with this given that the app is seemingly no longer showing next-day options and you'd need to call to make them.
Availability changes constantly, in both directions. It's not uncommon to see flight inventory disappear, nor is it uncommon to see it reappear as plans change. Also, in order to do an SDC, you need to be within 24 hours of both flights -- the one you're on now and the one you're targeting. It's almost impossible to move a flight 24 hours ahead in one SDC, because by the time you're eligible for a change, you've no-showed your existing flight.
The core question -- still unanswered, in my opinion -- is whether or not there are recent experiences with this given that the app is seemingly no longer showing next-day options and you'd need to call to make them.
I would fly United next week ( Friday ) and being relied on to the SDC process, I bought a cheaper option from my origin to my destination in L fare as the flights that I am intending to take had only Q class ( or expensive fare classes ) available at that time. I would check the fare availability at expertflyer once I have changed my flights and report it back here.
To answer your core question, that Sunday morning I was able to see Monday 06:00 AM-08:00 AM departures on the SDC list.
However, I would re-answer this core question with screenshots next Thursday or Friday.
May 21, 2019, 8:15 pm
#5333
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Oct 2001
Location: Austin, TX
Posts: 21,391
I remember, in March 2019. I was going to fly LAX-IAD on a red-eye on Sunday on an L fare. However, last minute, Monday morning at 08:00 am, an important event has been scheduled and I needed to attend. So I've changed my flight to the 1:00 PM departure on Sunday and obviously there was no L fare ( discounted Economy ) available.
I would fly United next week ( Friday ) and being relied on to the SDC process, I bought a cheaper option from my origin to my destination in L fare as the flights that I am intending to take had only Q class ( or expensive fare classes ) available at that time. I would check the fare availability at expertflyer once I have changed my flights and report it back here.
This is a good piece of information, as many people have not been able to see next-day departures on the SDC list recently. Were you using the app?
May 21, 2019, 8:24 pm
#5334
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Nov 2018
Location: Istanbul, Turkey
Programs: TK Elite Plus,BAEC GGL,ITA Executive, AFKL Gold,QR Gold,HH Diamond,Bonvoy Gold,ALL Gold
Posts: 14,186
Whether or not there is a fare available is irrelevant. For free SDC, you need inventory in the correct fare bucket, but there does not need to be a fare that covers that inventory. (Meaning: you may be able to change an existing ticket to use that flight, but you can't buy a new ticket at that fare).
I wish the same.
It was the iPhone app that I have used.
May 21, 2019, 8:24 pm
#5335
Join Date: Nov 2016
Location: SFO
Programs: UA 1K
Posts: 127
Keep in mind it is primarily the advance purchase requirements written into the fare rules and not individual fare bucket availability that prevents this from occurring. It is not uncommon to see all fare classes open close to departure even up to G9 which would allow a free SDC on any fare while the cheapest fare available for sale may be close to full fare.
May 21, 2019, 8:31 pm
#5336
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Oct 2001
Location: Austin, TX
Posts: 21,391
Also, it's possible for there to be no non-flexible fares applicable at all, but there could still be plenty of discount inventory.
The only way to know what should be available for SDC is to look at the inventory buckets for that particular flight.
^ That's good news, as the app has definitely been problematic for some people. I'm still hoping that they're not actually changing the SDC rules...
Keep in mind it is primarily the advance purchase requirements written into the fare rules and not individual fare bucket availability that prevents this from occurring. It is not uncommon to see all fare classes open close to departure even up to G9 which would allow a free SDC on any fare while the cheapest fare available for sale may be close to full fare.
May 22, 2019, 5:35 am
#5337
Join Date: Apr 2016
Programs: UA Mileage Plus Delta SkyMiles
Posts: 424
If it's a question of getting back early, did you look at the routes NRT via HNL?
May 22, 2019, 6:02 am
#5338
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Aug 2015
Posts: 11,460
I remember, in March 2019. I was going to fly LAX-IAD on a red-eye on Sunday on an L fare. However, last minute, Monday morning at 08:00 am, an important event has been scheduled and I needed to attend. So I've changed my flight to the 1:00 PM departure on Sunday and obviously there was no L fare ( discounted Economy ) available. I am %100 sure that United won't sell $139 walk-in tickets for a transcontinental flight on a Sunday which was fully booked at the time we boarded. I had no issues transferring my flight 24 hours before my originally booked flight. I have also intended to take the 787-10 to EWR and connect to a regional plane ( which would depart around Sunday 09:00 am and arrive at the same time with the 1:00 PM direct ) but I wasn't able to change for that specific combination even it was bookable via united.com. Then I individually checked every flight on the SDC list with the bookable options and in the SDC list, only "all" flights that had Economy Non-Flex availability were visible on the SDC list.
I would fly United next week ( Friday ) and being relied on to the SDC process, I bought a cheaper option from my origin to my destination in L fare as the flights that I am intending to take had only Q class ( or expensive fare classes ) available at that time. I would check the fare availability at expertflyer once I have changed my flights and report it back here.
To answer your core question, that Sunday morning I was able to see Monday 06:00 AM-08:00 AM departures on the SDC list.
However, I would re-answer this core question with screenshots next Thursday or Friday.
I would fly United next week ( Friday ) and being relied on to the SDC process, I bought a cheaper option from my origin to my destination in L fare as the flights that I am intending to take had only Q class ( or expensive fare classes ) available at that time. I would check the fare availability at expertflyer once I have changed my flights and report it back here.
To answer your core question, that Sunday morning I was able to see Monday 06:00 AM-08:00 AM departures on the SDC list.
However, I would re-answer this core question with screenshots next Thursday or Friday.
May 22, 2019, 7:28 am
#5339
Join Date: Oct 2017
Location: ORD
Programs: United Platinum, Marriott Titanium, Hilton Diamond, Hertz PC, Avis Preferred Plus
Posts: 79
Is this an app only issue, or did the policy change? I'm hoping that I would still be able to call to get a SDC to the first flight out tomorrow morning instead of the last one tonight.
May 22, 2019, 7:37 am
#5340
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Policy has not changed, but the app has usually been significantly more lenient than the policy. You should be fine making your SDC by agent though.