Understanding/Using UA Electronic Travel Certificate(ETC) & Future Flight Credit(FFC)
#61
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Oct 2006
Location: SFO/SJC
Programs: UA Silver, Marriott Gold, Hilton Gold
Posts: 14,847
that said, there were some reporting bugs where multiple pax PNRs being canceled had the full amount credited to only one of the travelers. Not sure if that has been fixed.
#63
Join Date: Aug 2011
Programs: Marriott Gold, Hilton Diamond, Radisson Rewards Gold, Best Western Diamond Select
Posts: 1,856
FFCs are per person. Canceling a 2-person PNR will give you credits for each person, and each original pax can only use their own credit.
that said, there were some reporting bugs where multiple pax PNRs being canceled had the full amount credited to only one of the travelers. Not sure if that has been fixed.
that said, there were some reporting bugs where multiple pax PNRs being canceled had the full amount credited to only one of the travelers. Not sure if that has been fixed.
#64
Join Date: May 2022
Programs: UA Gold, Bonvoy Platinum, IHG Platinum, Hilton Gold, Hyatt Discoverist
Posts: 9
FFC still shows in wallet after use
Hey all, I have an interesting situation where an FFC that I've already used on a ticketed reservation still shows as available and can be applied to the balance of dummy bookings. Is this expected?
For some context, I originally had booked IAD-BRU-BCN-ZRH-IAD on UA (TATL), SN, and LX, all in Y. I then re-booked myself onto the same itinerary, but upfared from Y to Prem Plus on the IAD-BRU leg and paid the difference (surprisingly it was only $40). The FFC in question was generated when I canceled the original reservation, but I applied it to the new reservation and therefore only paid the price difference out of pocket. This new reservation has since been ticketed, and I can pull it up on the SN and LX websites and see a confirmed status there as well.
Not sure if this FFC will disappear once I travel on the re-booked reservation, or if it'll throw errors if its used. For now I plan to sit on it until after I fly my itinerary in March, but I'm curious if others have had this experience or if this is an expected quirk in United IT.
For some context, I originally had booked IAD-BRU-BCN-ZRH-IAD on UA (TATL), SN, and LX, all in Y. I then re-booked myself onto the same itinerary, but upfared from Y to Prem Plus on the IAD-BRU leg and paid the difference (surprisingly it was only $40). The FFC in question was generated when I canceled the original reservation, but I applied it to the new reservation and therefore only paid the price difference out of pocket. This new reservation has since been ticketed, and I can pull it up on the SN and LX websites and see a confirmed status there as well.
Not sure if this FFC will disappear once I travel on the re-booked reservation, or if it'll throw errors if its used. For now I plan to sit on it until after I fly my itinerary in March, but I'm curious if others have had this experience or if this is an expected quirk in United IT.
#65
Join Date: May 2009
Posts: 821
Mine ticket is full refundable, I send form through United website ask refund to ETC (credit card rebate promo so have to go this way), rep reply email said I need call in first cancl all segments, just wondering if this is correct info?
#66
Moderator: United Airlines
Join Date: Jun 2007
Location: SFO
Programs: UA Plat 1.99MM, Hyatt Discoverist, Marriott Plat/LT Gold, Hilton Silver, IHG Plat
Posts: 66,425
If you received an airline/tavel credit from your credit card, the refund will not reverse that.
#67
Join Date: May 2009
Posts: 821
it's not an airline credit, it's a Canada AMEX UA $500-$250 Amex offer, AMEX will reverse the $250 credit.
#68
Moderator: United Airlines
Join Date: Jun 2007
Location: SFO
Programs: UA Plat 1.99MM, Hyatt Discoverist, Marriott Plat/LT Gold, Hilton Silver, IHG Plat
Posts: 66,425
#69
Join Date: May 2009
Posts: 821
#70
Join Date: May 2017
Posts: 2,244
Not supposed to be done. Anything fully refundable, including 24 hour flexible booking window, is supposed to be sent back to OFOP only and not converted to an ETC or used for a different named traveller. What your describing is a commonly used method of fraud that airlines have to fight against and as I understand it UA has recently been putting a renewed interest in addressing with their agents specifically to not do this, in addition to a number of other things which can be used to perpetuate fraud.
#71
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Aug 2015
Posts: 11,327
Not supposed to be done. Anything fully refundable, including 24 hour flexible booking window, is supposed to be sent back to OFOP only and not converted to an ETC or used for a different named traveller. What your describing is a commonly used method of fraud that airlines have to fight against and as I understand it UA has recently been putting a renewed interest in addressing with their agents specifically to not do this, in addition to a number of other things which can be used to perpetuate fraud.
#72
Join Date: May 2017
Posts: 2,244
https://www.ravelin.com/blog/fightin...rline-industry
https://amadeus.com/documents/en/tra...r-airlines.pdf
https://www.accertify.com/industries/travel/
#73
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Aug 2015
Posts: 11,327
Without getting too much into fraud mitigation procedures or methods of perpetuating fraud - you're thinking about it from the wrong perspective of a legitimate purchase being stolen away from getting ahold of the PNR/last name. Think about it in terms of stolen credit cards and chargebacks, and/or the different types of fraud checks the airline might be doing depending on your form of payment. And while every CC transaction initially can be easily traced to the ticket/item it was issued against via the document number submitted with that charge, that quickly becomes more complicated and requires someone to manually trace it once you begin moving money around internally.
https://www.ravelin.com/blog/fightin...rline-industry
https://amadeus.com/documents/en/tra...r-airlines.pdf
https://www.accertify.com/industries/travel/
https://www.ravelin.com/blog/fightin...rline-industry
https://amadeus.com/documents/en/tra...r-airlines.pdf
https://www.accertify.com/industries/travel/
#74
Join Date: May 2009
Posts: 821
ok,never thought about the fraud thing, just called United CSR don't know how to convert CAD to USD ETC, and I don't know why email rep ask me to call in to cancel all open segments? what's that mean cancel all open segments?
Anyway I just ask for full refund to save the hassle, next year I will just not book the full refundable, after 24 hours refund to FFC then ask United change to ETC...
Anyway I just ask for full refund to save the hassle, next year I will just not book the full refundable, after 24 hours refund to FFC then ask United change to ETC...
Not supposed to be done. Anything fully refundable, including 24 hour flexible booking window, is supposed to be sent back to OFOP only and not converted to an ETC or used for a different named traveller. What your describing is a commonly used method of fraud that airlines have to fight against and as I understand it UA has recently been putting a renewed interest in addressing with their agents specifically to not do this, in addition to a number of other things which can be used to perpetuate fraud.
#75
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Oct 2001
Location: Austin, TX
Posts: 21,108
Converting FFC to ETC is, likewise, contrary to policy.