Advice for cancelling entire trip, separate tickets; how to reschedule & aviod fees?
Aug 21, 2019, 7:45 am
#1
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Join Date: Nov 2011
Location: Iowa
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Advice for cancelling entire trip, separate tickets; how to reschedule & aviod fees?
Sorry that this is probably poorly explained but I just arrived back home from the emergency room where I was diagnosed with a torn quadriceps ligament. I can barely walk at this point.
I have a trip (flight and hotel) beginning Sunday to Europe. I have 2 one way tickets (one going there and a separate ticket for returning). The tickets for both the departure and return were 'paid' for with United points but I bought travel insurance (via Travel Guard Group, Inc.) for the departure but not for the return (I am not sure why I did only one way). But I paid for the taxes and fees with a United Explorer Mileage Plus credit card.
My main question at this time, where should I begin the trip cancellation process? Do I call the airline, the credit card company (to see if they have any cancellation benefits), or the Travel Guard Group (insurance).
Any other advice would be appreciated. Thanks.
I have a trip (flight and hotel) beginning Sunday to Europe. I have 2 one way tickets (one going there and a separate ticket for returning). The tickets for both the departure and return were 'paid' for with United points but I bought travel insurance (via Travel Guard Group, Inc.) for the departure but not for the return (I am not sure why I did only one way). But I paid for the taxes and fees with a United Explorer Mileage Plus credit card.
My main question at this time, where should I begin the trip cancellation process? Do I call the airline, the credit card company (to see if they have any cancellation benefits), or the Travel Guard Group (insurance).
Any other advice would be appreciated. Thanks.
Aug 21, 2019, 7:49 am
#2
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The CC company isn't gong to help on this one, I don't think. I'd start with the travel insurance company to see if they want you to cancel and pay the fee and then they'll reimburse you or if some other process is in place.
At worst you're out $250 for refunding a pair of awards (https://www.united.com/ual/en/us/fly...ticketing.html) so the exposure isn't too awful.
Hope you're on the mend soon.
At worst you're out $250 for refunding a pair of awards (https://www.united.com/ual/en/us/fly...ticketing.html) so the exposure isn't too awful.
Hope you're on the mend soon.
Aug 21, 2019, 8:19 am
#3
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Travel insurance, aside from often being terrible for other reasons, appears to suck even worse for award travel.
The good news is that $250 is a minor loss compared to if you had two heavily-restricted paid tickets.
The good news is that $250 is a minor loss compared to if you had two heavily-restricted paid tickets.
Aug 21, 2019, 8:25 am
#4
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Don't forget about canceling the hotel reservations too, before the deadline if you have a refundable (nonprepaid) rate, although if you contact a hotel directly, they might be willing to allow you to cancel or apply any deposit toward a future stay, assuming that you booked directly with the hotel, its chain, or FHR/Virtuoso/etc.
For the plane tickets, pay attention to deadlines too and don't just be a no show even if you expect your insurance to cover the costs.
For the plane tickets, pay attention to deadlines too and don't just be a no show even if you expect your insurance to cover the costs.
Aug 21, 2019, 9:55 am
#5
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Another thing I forgot to mention is that United has changed the flight arrival time on my return flight by 5 hours. Is that a reason that United would accept for me to cancel and give me a full refund?
Aug 21, 2019, 9:58 am
#6
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Five hours should be enough to allow a full refund and no fee when you cancel the ticket, assuming that you havne't "accepted" the change. It's a USA DOT rule and should be in the UA CoC.
DL has a rule that award tickets must be canceled by at least T-72 or all miles are forfeited. I don't know whether there would be a similar rule for your tickets.
DL has a rule that award tickets must be canceled by at least T-72 or all miles are forfeited. I don't know whether there would be a similar rule for your tickets.
Aug 21, 2019, 10:09 am
#8
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Five hours should be enough to allow a full refund and no fee when you cancel the ticket, assuming that you havne't "accepted" the change. It's a USA DOT rule and should be in the UA CoC.
DL has a rule that award tickets must be canceled by at least T-72 or all miles are forfeited. I don't know whether there would be a similar rule for your tickets.
DL has a rule that award tickets must be canceled by at least T-72 or all miles are forfeited. I don't know whether there would be a similar rule for your tickets.
Do not cancel until as close to the last minute as possible. All of the above considerations are out if your flight is cancelled or there is a significant schedule change. In that case, you are entitled to cancel for a full ree-free refund. By "last minute" I suggest not playing it too close.
Aug 21, 2019, 10:14 am
#9
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We got a hotel room, woke up on Paris time the next morning, and got a one-way rental to Columbus. The car alone was $400; insurance eventually paid over $600. The AIG insurance sold by UA had a great online claims process. I got nowhere on-line with my Chase card's insurance, though to be fair, I never tried picking up the phone.
Aug 21, 2019, 10:23 am
#10
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When I call United to discuss getting a full refund for the reservation that has changed arrival time by 5 hours, do I get right to the point with them and ask for the refund or do I beat around the bush and ask something like, 'since my flight arrival time has changed is there anything you can do if I am no longer interested in this flight?"
My goal is to get a refund and not find a better flight because of my injury/medical condition.
My goal is to get a refund and not find a better flight because of my injury/medical condition.
Aug 21, 2019, 10:47 am
#11
Join Date: Mar 2007
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From my own experience with UA if you have a medical reason for not flying they will refund or waive most of the rebooking fee. I had to cancel a few years ago for medical reasons at the very last minute and when I called UA they expressed concern and told me they would cancel my reservation, issue a flight credit good for one year on the same PRN but for any itinerary and when I was ready to use it just pay the change fee and then file for the refund with proof from my doctor. I did just that and got a nice refund. Since you booked with points I am guessing they would be willing to refund the re-deposit fee. Call them ASAP.
Aug 21, 2019, 10:47 am
#12
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When I call United to discuss getting a full refund for the reservation that has changed arrival time by 5 hours, do I get right to the point with them and ask for the refund or do I beat around the bush and ask something like, 'since my flight arrival time has changed is there anything you can do if I am no longer interested in this flight?"
My goal is to get a refund and not find a better flight because of my injury/medical condition.
My goal is to get a refund and not find a better flight because of my injury/medical condition.
When the change is greater than 90 or 120 minutes (I forget which), they give you much greater options, one of which is to simply say it's a "trip in vain" and get a refund, regardless of fare rules.
Again, this assumes you haven't accepted the 5 hour shift already and there isn't some other reroute that could get you there on-time.
Aug 21, 2019, 10:48 am
#13
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Just tell them that the change in arrival time by 5 hours makes it a "trip in vain," you're unable to schedule an earlier or later arrival, and ask for a refund.
No need to disclose medical conditions, I would think.
No need to disclose medical conditions, I would think.
Aug 21, 2019, 10:50 am
#14
Join Date: Sep 2014
Posts: 2,531
You have tons of options here:
(1) Try to get a refund because of schedule change. With a 5 hour change this should not be a problem. Just call and say "this new flight time doesn't work for me, I'd like to cancel for a refund". Don't mention the injury. If this works, you're done!
(2) If that doesn't work, cancel the flight before the check-in deadline (1 hour before departure). If you don't do this you lose a lot of options. This is an important step. You don't have to pay at the time you cancel.
(3) Get a doctor's not recommending that you don't travel.
(4) United's policy is they refund change fee for illness/injury, and they'll refund the ticket if you can't travel for 1 year. See the refund page: https://www.united.com/ual/en/tw/customer/refund click "Refund Policies". Note you'll have to pay the change/redposit fee and get it refunded, there's no way to just avoid paying it.
(5) If United gives you problems, your Explorer card has Trip Cancellation insurance which should cover the cancel/change fee, read the details in your brochure or see wiki on this thread: https://www.flyertalk.com/forum/chas...l#post31437289
(6) Go through your Travel Insurance; obviously I don't know the details of that!
(7) Cancel/change/redeposit fees are not that high, so even if all 6 above fail you're only out a few hundred bucks!
(1) Try to get a refund because of schedule change. With a 5 hour change this should not be a problem. Just call and say "this new flight time doesn't work for me, I'd like to cancel for a refund". Don't mention the injury. If this works, you're done!
(2) If that doesn't work, cancel the flight before the check-in deadline (1 hour before departure). If you don't do this you lose a lot of options. This is an important step. You don't have to pay at the time you cancel.
(3) Get a doctor's not recommending that you don't travel.
(4) United's policy is they refund change fee for illness/injury, and they'll refund the ticket if you can't travel for 1 year. See the refund page: https://www.united.com/ual/en/tw/customer/refund click "Refund Policies". Note you'll have to pay the change/redposit fee and get it refunded, there's no way to just avoid paying it.
(5) If United gives you problems, your Explorer card has Trip Cancellation insurance which should cover the cancel/change fee, read the details in your brochure or see wiki on this thread: https://www.flyertalk.com/forum/chas...l#post31437289
(6) Go through your Travel Insurance; obviously I don't know the details of that!
(7) Cancel/change/redeposit fees are not that high, so even if all 6 above fail you're only out a few hundred bucks!
Aug 21, 2019, 11:00 am
#15
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There are a number of approaches that have been purposed and each as a possibility.
The waiting to one hour before departure for a major delay isn't highly useful approach as it rarely applies, well less than 10% of the time.
The 5-hour schedule change is a possibility for the one ticket but as separate tickets that will be a push to get UA to refund both tickets.
Travel insurance will obviously cover the one ticket.
UA's medical waiver is very applicable to both, see the wiki of Consolidated "Refunds/Cancellations Due to Illness/Death" Thread [Merged] for process details
The waiting to one hour before departure for a major delay isn't highly useful approach as it rarely applies, well less than 10% of the time.
The 5-hour schedule change is a possibility for the one ticket but as separate tickets that will be a push to get UA to refund both tickets.
Travel insurance will obviously cover the one ticket.
UA's medical waiver is very applicable to both, see the wiki of Consolidated "Refunds/Cancellations Due to Illness/Death" Thread [Merged] for process details