username

Well, I got home after a month long trip. No ETC in the mail. I called the 1K line and was transferred to the "electronic department". The agent said that:

1 - they cannot give out the PIN on the phone or e-mail
2 - HOWEVER, if I am booking a reservation, I can call them and they can apply it as it is "in my profile"

I also asked her the scenario where if I have ANOTHER cancelled reservation that I need to rebook and pay change fee - if an ETC can be applied if the new ticket is more expensive. She said no.

Am I not talking to the right people?

Thanks.

WineCountryUA

The initial residual value fo two cancelled tickets can not be combined to fund a third ticket. If one of the cancelled tickets was used to fund a super cheap ($50) ticket. Believe the residual value voucher (essential a cash credit) can be used with a cancelled ticket credit.

FlippyTheRed

This is similar to the problem I am having. I'm trying to reuse value on a non-refundable ticket that I cancelled earlier this year. Purchasing the ticket as a new, stand-alone trip would cost me $830. When I view my cancelled reservation and select "Change Flight", the same ticket (same flights, same fare class) is pricing at $1575 - without the $200 change fee!

I called the MP reservations desk and got the same $1575 price with no explanation of why there was such a difference. Can anyone help me understand this?

WineCountryUA

This has been reported before.

Suggest calling and asking for "Web Support" and requesting the honoring of the lower new ticket quote.

radiowell

So glad I found this thread a few months back! Set my expectations accordingly, for a ticket cancel and rebook. Long story short, I wanted to change a ticket but couldn't do it online (some bug and web issues with my reservation, as UA acknowledged), so I called in to cancel and change. Transaction resulted in some credit, and hence the ETC. But the ETC was never emailed to me, and after 3 attempts to get it emailed, I gave up and just booked a ticket over the phone using the ETC "in the system."

If you want the long version, read on...

(1) As mentioned above, I wanted a simple ticket change, but the website wouldn't allow me to do it online. So I called, and the agent acknowledged that it was an web issue ("web support tells me that your are not the only one having this kind of problem"), so he canceled and rebooked over the phone. I paid the change fee, and the new ticket cost less than the old one, so the agent told me that I should be getting an ETC by email. BUT, although he said the "3 to 5 days to reach by email" as a standard protocol, he admitted that it's a crapshoot when I actually get it, and he even suggested that I might be better off booking it over the phone as I might never get it! (hmm...). It was rather a nice exchange, as he seemed to be very knowledgeable, even figuring out my new flights with very little details given to him at first.

(2) A week or so has passed, no ETC. I started to worry a little, just because I don't want ETC to disappear through the cracks in the system (happened to me once at WN). So I called, and the agent apologized to me profusely about not getting the ETC. Then she checked on my reservation, and yes indeed I have an ETC. She offered to request to have the ETC emailed to me again, with the standard "3 to 5 days" timeframe. She assured me that the ETC will be "in the system." Again, she was nice and knowledgeable.

(3) A few more weeks has passed since my second call, no ETC . Now, I do have a flight in mind, so I decided to call and see if they can actually book it without quoting me a higher fare (I was burned by something like this pre-Mar'12, when I found a great fare online but couldn't book/change, only to be quoted a higher fare over the phone, because they couldn't see the fares I saw online). This time, the agent was not as knowledgeable as the first two, but she got the job done. At first, she asked for a PIN number that I never got. So I explained to her the situation, and after putting me on hold, she finally figured it out, then at first told me the same "3 to 5 days" deal again. But then I told her that I should be able to book it over the phone, and after some time, finally booked my flight, with the same fare quoted on the web. I was happy, just amused to have booked this flight using the ETC that I never saw.

P.S.
I think, if I am able to change flights on the website, I get the ETC almost immediately. I'm guessing this particular issue was caused by cancel/rebook over the phone (which again, I had to do because I couldn't do online change)?

P.P.S.
As I mentioned above, I was impressed with some of the phone agents, and the wait times for all calls were less than 5 seconds (and they all answered with "1K desk" if that means anything).

Starman

Can I apply a small ($60) ETC as partial payment to a brand new (single) record that has 2 passengers on it, rather than one? Will that work online?

WineCountryUA

You can apply it to one passagner on a multi-passenger PNR at payment.

username

Well, 2 weeks after my phone call, I got a PDF file with the ETC. Not sure if they mailed it again.

Then I had to do the same thing with another reservation. This time, the 1K agent verified some information and gave me the PIN over the phone ^

blueman2

I was going FLL-IAH-SJC, and had to cancel IAH to SJC portion. I cancelled before the flight departed. At the time, I was told the residual value was $426. it was an A fare ticket that cost about about $625. But now, there is no record of any value. The original receipt for the entire ticket is still there in the PAST reservations. Nothing in the cancelled reservations. I called 1K line, and they said there is no way to determine residual value until you try to book something and use the cancelled Locator number.

Really?

hans

I've got an international ticket that had to be canceled. I know I can re-book and I know it's going to cost me $300/passenger but what happens to the residual value if I don't use all of the original value in my re-purchase? Is it a voucher for the balance or is it still an unused ticket for less value now but still with another $300 change fee to be completely used?

Thanks

zrs70

Let's say you get a $500 voucher and you purchase a new ticket for $275. the same voucher number will now have a value of $225. No change fee on the new value.

hans

OP here - I don't have a voucher at this time. I have a cancelled ticket that I'll use by re-booking and paying a change fee. The question comes from any balance that may be left after that purchase. Will that be a voucher without an additional change fee?

glx

Yes, you will get an ETC for the remaining amount that you can apply to any new reservation without any additional fees.

Often1

The change fee of $300 is paid on the change, e.g., the cancellation of ticket #1 and use of the residual value for other ticket(s).

emcampbe

Yes.

When you go to book the new ticket, if it is less then the original value, you will get a TCVA for the remaining balance.

The process will go something like this: when you rebook, you will pay the $300 fee out of pocket, which gives you access to the full value of the old ticket (I.e. the $300 isn't used from the balance of the ticket, you have to pay that in new money.). Then, you will get an ETC for the full value minus whatever the new ticket cost.

Example: you bought a $1000 ticket which you canceled. You want to buy a new flight using the value which costs $650. When you make the change, you will pay $300, receive the new ticket worth $650, and will get an ETC for $350. No new fees to receive that.

IME, however, i have had difficulty receiving these new vouchers are by mail/email (i think they are supposed to be by email now). Also, rebooking it on the web site is flaky - for me, often errors out by the end and the search is really bad. I'd suggest calling in the change (in which you shouldn't be charged for doing) and ask the agent on the phone for the TCVA info. It should be generated immediately (at least, they used to be) and an agent should be able to give you you that info. In the past, the only way I have gotten this information is from an agent - like I said, I've never had these things successfully sent to me.