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 21, 2019, 4:39 pm
#5777
Join Date: Jun 2015
Posts: 343
It looks like the last many attempts in this thread to SDC a UA codeshare to UA metal haven't worked out. But this used to have a better success rate, right?
I have YOW-YYZ-IAH coming up on AC and UA, respectively. I'd like to SDC to YOW-IAD-IAH all on UA. At worst, if I couldn't pull that off, I could still SDC the last leg once I board at YOW, right?
I have YOW-YYZ-IAH coming up on AC and UA, respectively. I'd like to SDC to YOW-IAD-IAH all on UA. At worst, if I couldn't pull that off, I could still SDC the last leg once I board at YOW, right?
Sep 21, 2019, 10:59 pm
#5778
Join Date: Apr 2013
Location: New Zealand (most of the time)
Programs: Air NZ Elite *G, Honors Gold, IHG Platinum Elite
Posts: 6,120
I have a UA flight from SFO-LAS in a few weeks that is a Air NZ codeshare on NZ 086 ticket stock. I'm familiar with the SDC rules on UA issued tickets and have changed these a few times in the past as *G, but I'm wondering if anybody has any recent experience of whether UA will change a ticket that's not on UA ticket stock?
I'm pretty sure a few years ago that I changed a NZ issued ticket at the airport and the Premier Access agent was happy to do this. Is anybody aware of whether this is something they will still do even though it's not in the rules?
I'm pretty sure a few years ago that I changed a NZ issued ticket at the airport and the Premier Access agent was happy to do this. Is anybody aware of whether this is something they will still do even though it's not in the rules?
Sep 21, 2019, 11:38 pm
#5779
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Oct 2001
Location: Austin, TX
Posts: 21,415
I have a UA flight from SFO-LAS in a few weeks that is a Air NZ codeshare on NZ 086 ticket stock. I'm familiar with the SDC rules on UA issued tickets and have changed these a few times in the past as *G, but I'm wondering if anybody has any recent experience of whether UA will change a ticket that's not on UA ticket stock?
You can standby for an earlier UA-operated flight. If there are IRROPS, UA can take over the ticket and issue you a new one. But, otherwise, you need to follow NZ's rules, because you have an NZ ticket.
Sep 21, 2019, 11:52 pm
#5780
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
One traveler that regretted that decision
Sep 22, 2019, 1:54 pm
#5781
Join Date: Apr 2013
Location: New Zealand (most of the time)
Programs: Air NZ Elite *G, Honors Gold, IHG Platinum Elite
Posts: 6,120
Thanks for the comments. This is the only UA sector on this ticket but it's not the last sector (still fly back to NZ afterwards). I was pretty sure I had done this before with no issue but it is possible this was a standalone UA ticket that I changed which I'm aware is not an issue for *G. The risks of something going wrong probably outweigh any benefits right now!
Sep 24, 2019, 6:40 pm
#5782
Join Date: Jan 2008
Location: EAU
Programs: UA 1K, CO Plat, NW Plat, Marriott Premiere Plat, SPG Plat, Priority Gold, Hilton Gold
Posts: 4,712
Ended up oversold in Premium Economy on the LH flight and got bumped to J so it all worked out in the end.
Sep 26, 2019, 7:50 am
#5783
Join Date: Aug 2006
Location: ORD
Posts: 435
Success report: booked on Air Canada with mileage plus number. purchased upgrade to P from V via United mobile app a week prior. assigned seat in first. at T-24 offered SDC (in P class with seat in first) through hub city increasing to two segments from one segment. accepted offer of SDC in unted app.
result was that seats were reserved but didnt ticket because stock was not 016. called customer service. got a little push back, but eventually convinced them it was their problem because they made me an offer and I accepted. I am not a lawyer, but generally, that's how contracts are created. anyway, they confirmed me on the new flights and i secured seats in first.
result was that seats were reserved but didnt ticket because stock was not 016. called customer service. got a little push back, but eventually convinced them it was their problem because they made me an offer and I accepted. I am not a lawyer, but generally, that's how contracts are created. anyway, they confirmed me on the new flights and i secured seats in first.
Sep 26, 2019, 7:56 am
#5784
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Oct 2001
Location: Austin, TX
Posts: 21,415
Success report: booked on Air Canada with mileage plus number. purchased upgrade to P from V via United mobile app a week prior. assigned seat in first. at T-24 offered SDC (in P class with seat in first) through hub city increasing to two segments from one segment. accepted offer of SDC in unted app.
Contracts are created when you read them and abide by the terms in them. You got lucky.
Sep 26, 2019, 1:48 pm
#5785
Join Date: Aug 2006
Location: ORD
Posts: 435
I can't debate the legal merits. But seems like United bears some responsibility considering they are making an unsolicited offer to customers via their own phone app.
Maybe I am wrong, but I do not recall terms and conditions attached or referenced in their offer.
As a company, United has made a choice that they are better off financially from rolling out half baked applications (as they undoubtedly know app works in the majority of instances but does not work in specific instances).
As you pointed out though, luck did play a part. I was aware of the risks as I proceeded.
Maybe I am wrong, but I do not recall terms and conditions attached or referenced in their offer.
As a company, United has made a choice that they are better off financially from rolling out half baked applications (as they undoubtedly know app works in the majority of instances but does not work in specific instances).
As you pointed out though, luck did play a part. I was aware of the risks as I proceeded.
Sep 26, 2019, 8:50 pm
#5786
Used to be MBS PremExec
Join Date: Sep 2000
Location: Saginaw, MI (MBS)
Programs: UA 1K 1.9MM, Marriott Titanium w/Lifetime Plat, Hilton LIfetime ♢, National Exec, Amex Plat
Posts: 5,722
I somewhat combed the thread to see my situation tonight and didn’t see it. Apologies if it’s been covered (it’s not in the wiki)...
I had originally booked and paid for a P fare, all on United metal. I finished work early and saw space on an earlier flight that went something like this:
F1 J1 D1 C1 P1 Y0 B0 M0...Basically one seat left in F, Y sold out. On the app, I didn’t see the flight as an option to SDC onto (saw the fare buckets when searching for a revenue seat). Called 1K line, and received the (in)famous:
“You’re not seeing it because ‘You’re on a coach fare that came with a free upgrade to first(TM)’, since there’s no coach space to SDC into, it’s not an option...And there’s nothing we can do about it, maybe go to the airport and stand by.”
HUCA
2nd agent was almost verbatim:“You’re not seeing it because ‘You’re on a coach fare that came with a free upgrade to first(TM)’”. HOWEVER: “Let me call the rate desk to see what we can do.
Agent moved me to the flight, and all was well that ended well, but A) Despite many P-fares for me, this was the first time I’ve ever heard the ‘coach fare with a free upgrade’ line reported here so often, and B) Is it really policy that you can’t SDC to a flight booked in P unless there is a seat in Y? By the app not offering the flight, it makes sense that it is indeed policy.
This was not an upfare, UFC, TOD or any other pseudo- or actual upgrade. When I booked the ticket, I searched for first fares, I clicked on and purchased a first class ticket. But back-end, buried fare classes preventing me from SDC? That is new to me since SDC became a thing.
I had originally booked and paid for a P fare, all on United metal. I finished work early and saw space on an earlier flight that went something like this:
F1 J1 D1 C1 P1 Y0 B0 M0...Basically one seat left in F, Y sold out. On the app, I didn’t see the flight as an option to SDC onto (saw the fare buckets when searching for a revenue seat). Called 1K line, and received the (in)famous:
“You’re not seeing it because ‘You’re on a coach fare that came with a free upgrade to first(TM)’, since there’s no coach space to SDC into, it’s not an option...And there’s nothing we can do about it, maybe go to the airport and stand by.”
HUCA
2nd agent was almost verbatim:“You’re not seeing it because ‘You’re on a coach fare that came with a free upgrade to first(TM)’”. HOWEVER: “Let me call the rate desk to see what we can do.
Agent moved me to the flight, and all was well that ended well, but A) Despite many P-fares for me, this was the first time I’ve ever heard the ‘coach fare with a free upgrade’ line reported here so often, and B) Is it really policy that you can’t SDC to a flight booked in P unless there is a seat in Y? By the app not offering the flight, it makes sense that it is indeed policy.
This was not an upfare, UFC, TOD or any other pseudo- or actual upgrade. When I booked the ticket, I searched for first fares, I clicked on and purchased a first class ticket. But back-end, buried fare classes preventing me from SDC? That is new to me since SDC became a thing.
Sep 26, 2019, 8:56 pm
#5787
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
... This was not an upfare, UFC, TOD or any other pseudo- or actual upgrade. When I booked the ticket, I searched for first fares, I clicked on and purchased a first class ticket. But back-end, buried fare classes preventing me from SDC? That is new to me since SDC became a thing.
The agent statements are backwards but correct you need both fare classes.
Sep 26, 2019, 9:07 pm
#5788
Used to be MBS PremExec
Join Date: Sep 2000
Location: Saginaw, MI (MBS)
Programs: UA 1K 1.9MM, Marriott Titanium w/Lifetime Plat, Hilton LIfetime ♢, National Exec, Amex Plat
Posts: 5,722
But odd that I get the opposite of what you report...App showed nothing, yet (2nd) phone agent was able to get it done for me.
Can’t say I understand the logic, but it’s United being United.
Funnier thing was that I checked in right after I hung up with the agent and got the ‘volunteer your seat’ message. I put in $500. 30 mins later, my phone rang as I was in security and missed the call, it was the gate agent trying to reach me to verify that I wanted to IDB. Turns out they didn’t need the seat, but funny that they’d oversell the seat for the sake of an SDC—even if my fare class wasn’t ‘quite’ eligible, although they’d have done it for someone in Z or higher that wanted to move.
Last edited by MBS MillionMiler; Sep 26, 2019 at 9:14 pm
Sep 26, 2019, 10:45 pm
#5789
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Oct 2001
Location: Austin, TX
Posts: 21,415
The only role that P, Z, D, C, and J buckets serve on most domestic fares is to make sure that they don't sell out the F cabin with low-priced seats merely because economy isn't selling well.
There are many more economy buckets than there are business / first buckets, so multiple economy buckets will map to the same business/first buckets when they're setting up the differential fares (e.g., G, K, L, T, S map to P; W, V, Q map to Z, etc. -- I don't remember the exact mapping off of the top of my head).
So, if you stick with the idea that SDC merely a change fee waiver: in order to have your fare be applicable for the new flight, you'd need availability in both the underlying economy bucket and the business / first bucket.
Funnier thing was that I checked in right after I hung up with the agent and got the ‘volunteer your seat’ message. I put in $500. 30 mins later, my phone rang as I was in security and missed the call, it was the gate agent trying to reach me to verify that I wanted to IDB. Turns out they didn’t need the seat, but funny that they’d oversell the seat for the sake of an SDC—even if my fare class wasn’t ‘quite’ eligible, although they’d have done it for someone in Z or higher that wanted to move.
Someone in Z would have had the same problem. There's nothing special about "P." Differential pricing is used for nearly all domestic first class fares. You might have been able to buy a ticket -- at full J, because that's generally published without an economy bucket requirement. UA would have been happy to give somebody a voucher to sell a J ticket. But nobody was really supposed to be able to SDC to the flight.
Sep 26, 2019, 11:21 pm
#5790
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: 44,353
It's also a fare difference waiver*
Changing from a 30 day advance purchase W fare to a W fare with no advance purchase requirement would normally have some additional collection.
*As long as the fare class is available.
But as far as I know, you can only have one RBD. Fare rules can require whatever they want, but if my RBD is P, then my RBD is P.