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Change Fees "Gone For Good"(WW ex-USA,non-BE), credit for lower fare!, Intl&BE waiver

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View Poll Results: What do you think of the recent UA changes in Changes fees?
Good idea: No Domestic Change fee w/ no rebooking residual AND No Standby fee/Free SDC all elites
148
64.35%
Good idea: No Domestic Change fee w/ no rebooking residual but NOT No Standby fee/Free SDC all elite
25
10.87%
Good idea: No Standby fee/Free SDC all elite but NOT No Domestic Change fee w/ no rebooking residual
18
7.83%
Neutral /don’t care about either
30
13.04%
Don’t like / think either is a good idea
9
3.91%
Voters: 230. You may not vote on this poll

Old Aug 30, 2020, 2:32 pm
FlyerTalk Forums Expert How-Tos and Guides
Last edit by: DELee
Latest Update: 23 December 2021:

"Change fees are gone" (change fee waiver): https://www.united.com/ual/en/us/fly/travel/notices.html#changefeesaregone
We've permanently gotten rid of change fees for most Economy and premium cabin tickets for travel within the U.S., or between the U.S. and Mexico or the Caribbean. There also won't be change fees for other international travel originating in the U.S. Learn more

For all other standard Economy and premium cabin tickets, change fees are waived through January 31, 2022. Basic Economy tickets can only be changed if they’re issued by December 31, 2021, for travel commencing by December 31, 2021. See terms and conditions
(change fee waiver) Terms and Conditions: https://www.united.com/ual/en/us/fly/travel/notices.html#ChangeFeeTerms

Tickets: Applies to standard fare tickets issued between March 3, 2020, and January 31, 2022, and Basic Economy fare tickets issued between March 3, 2020, and April 30, 2021, or Basic Economy tickets issued between May 1, 2021 and December 31, 2021 for travel commencing between August 11 and December 31, 2021.

Changes/Cancellations: Customers with Basic Economy fare tickets issued between March 3, 2020, and April 30, 2021, or between May 1, 2021 and December 31, 2021 for travel commencing between August 11 and December 31, 2021, or standard fare tickets issued between March 3, 2020, and January 31, 2022, will be permitted to change without paying a change fee. If the new flight is priced higher, the customer may change for no change fee but must pay the fare difference. If the new flight is priced lower, the customer may change without paying a change fee, and standard fare tickets may be given residual value in the form of a future flight credit. If you purchased your ticket from a third-party agency, please check with the issuing agency for the rules of your ticket. Contract fares such as special bulk fares sold by travel agencies (e.g., opaque) may not be eligible for free changes. Any changes or cancellations must occur prior to ticketed travel date.

Please note: As of August 30, 2020, we no longer have change fees for most Economy and premium cabin tickets for flights within the U.S., or between the U.S. and Mexico or the Caribbean. We also no longer have change fees for international travel originating in the U.S. For more information visit united.com/changefee.

Fare validity: This applies to all standard fare tickets issued through January 31, 2022, all destinations, all points-of-sale, all travel dates available for sale, provided ticket number starts with 016. It also applies to Basic Economy fare tickets issued through April 30, 2021 or Basic Economy tickets issued between May 1, 2021 and December 31, 2021 for travel commencing between August 11 and December 31, 2021, all destinations, all points of sale, provided the ticket number starts with 016.

Miscellaneous: Fares, fees, rules and offers are subject to change without notice. Seats are capacity-controlled and may not be available on all flights or days. Some fares are nonrefundable except during the first 24 hours after purchase. Other restrictions may apply.

New fine print (1 April 2021)
  • You can change Basic Economy tickets without change fees if the ticket is issued by April 30, 2021,
  • and all other international travel without change fees if the ticket is issued by May 31, 2021.
  • If the new flight is priced lower, the customer may change without paying a change fee, and may be given residual value in the form of a future flight credit.
Updated 30 Sept 2021
Tickets: Applies to standard fare tickets issued between March 3, 2020, and December 31, 2021, and Basic Economy fare tickets issued between March 3, 2020, and April 30, 2021, or Basic Economy tickets issued between May 1, 2021 and December 31, 2021 for travel commencing between August 11 and December 31, 2021.

Changes/Cancellations: Customers with Basic Economy fare tickets issued between March 3, 2020, and April 30, 2021, or between May 1, 2021 and December 31, 2021 for travel commencing between August 11 and December 31, 2021, or standard fare tickets issued between March 3, 2020, and December 31, 2021, will be permitted to change without paying a change fee. If the new flight is priced higher, the customer may change for no change fee but must pay the fare difference. If the new flight is priced lower, the customer may change without paying a change fee, and standard fare tickets may be given residual value in the form of a future flight credit. If you purchased your ticket from a third-party agency, please check with the issuing agency for the rules of your ticket. Contract fares such as special bulk fares sold by travel agencies (e.g., opaque) may not be eligible for free changes. Any changes or cancellations must occur prior to ticketed travel date.

Please note: As of August 30, 2020, we no longer have change fees for most Economy and premium cabin tickets for flights within the U.S., or between the U.S. and Mexico or the Caribbean. We also no longer have change fees for international travel originating in the U.S. For more information visit united.com/changefee.

Fare validity: This applies to all standard fare tickets issued through December 31, 2021, all destinations, all points-of-sale, all travel dates available for sale, provided ticket number starts with 016. It also applies to Basic Economy fare tickets issued through April 30, 2021 or Basic Economy tickets issued between May 1, 2021 and December 31, 2021 for travel commencing between August 11 and December 31, 2021, all destinations, all points of sale, provided the ticket number starts with 016.

Miscellaneous: Fares, fees, rules and offers are subject to change without notice. Seats are capacity-controlled and may not be available on all flights or days. Some fares are nonrefundable except during the first 24 hours after purchase. Other restrictions may apply.

Originally Posted by spartacusmcfly
I just went through the process on a post-April 1st itinerary and was issued the new FFC vs ETCs. The agent tried to explain the new FFCs in detail:

The Bad:
1. No more ETC
2. No transferability
3. No combinability
4. Given there is no combinability, there is no more date-pushing (meaning new expiration date is most favorable of combined cert dates)

The Good:
5. Can use multiple towards a single itinerary (up to 10 she said)
6. Can pull from multiple accounts (3 from yours, 3 from spouse), so you don't have to split the locator to use from multiple accounts
7. Can be used on partner itineraries as long as one segment is UA
8. The FFCs show up in the account of the recipient and the booker. So I can see my spouse's FFCs if I booked the itenerary
9. FFCs now show up as a payment method in the app booking flow. For multi-passenger FFCs, both passengers show up!

I can live with all this, in exchange for no change fees, and reclaiming residual!
The fine-print on the change rules:
  1. If the new ticket costs less, the residual value from the old ticket is lost
  2. Multiple cancelled reservations cannot be combined to pay for a more expensive ticket
  3. Strictly U.S. and Mexico or the Caribbean only (excludes Canada) and excludes Basic Economy and International flights
    1. Worldwide until Dec 31, 2020
United Airlines Permanently Eliminates Change Fees
Applies to all Economy and Premium cabin tickets for travel within the U.S.;
Airline also announces complimentary standby travel, becomes only U.S. airline that will let all customers in all classes of service fly same-day standby for free
With these new options, United gives more flexibility than any other U.S. carrier when customers' travel plans change
Video(1) Photos(1)

CHICAGO, Aug. 30, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- The only thing constant is change and at United Airlines, some of the fees associated with changes related to flying are gone for good. The carrier announced today that it is permanently getting rid of change fees on all standard Economy and Premium cabin tickets for travel within the U.S., effective immediately. And starting on January 1, 2021, any United customer can fly standby for free on a flight departing the day of their travel regardless of the type of ticket or class of service, a first among U.S. carriers, while MileagePlus Premier members can confirm a seat on a different flight on the same day with the same departure and arrival cities as their original ticket if a seat in the same ticket fare class is available.

United is also extending its waiver for new tickets issued through December 31, 2020, to permit unlimited changes with no fee. This policy applies to all ticket types issued after March 3, 2020 and is valid for domestic and international travel. With these improvements, no U.S. airline gives their customers more flexibility when booking – and changing – their travel plans than United Airlines.

"Change is inevitable these days – but it's how we respond to it that matters most. When we hear from customers about where we can improve, getting rid of this fee is often the top request," said Scott Kirby, CEO of United Airlines, in a video message to customers. "Following previous tough times, airlines made difficult decisions to survive, sometimes at the expense of customer service. United Airlines won't be following that same playbook as we come out of this crisis. Instead, we're taking a completely different approach – and looking at new ways to serve our customers better."

The new change fee policy applies to all standard Economy and Premium cabin tickets for travel within the U.S. 50 states, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands and customers will not be limited in the number of times they adjust their flights.

Additionally, United is giving customers more flexibility to change their flights on the day of their travel so they can head home if a meeting ends earlier or enjoy a few more hours on vacation. With the ability to list for same-day standby for free, customers will now have an option to take a different flight with the same origin and destination airports as their original itinerary if space is available at departure. This enhanced option will be available to all customers for travel within the U.S. and to and from international destinations beginning on January 1, 2021. Customers who want to switch flights will be able to add themselves to the standby list through United's award-winning mobile app, on united.com or at the airport no later than 30 minutes prior to departure for domestic flights and one hour before departure on international flights.

The carrier is also improving the travel experience for its MileagePlus members including waiving all redeposit fees on award travel for flights changed or cancelled more than 30 days before departure and allowing all MileagePlus Premier members to confirm a different flight on the day of their travel. As a way to thank MileagePlus Premier members for their loyalty, beginning January 1, 2021, all Premier members will be able to confirm a seat for free on a different flight with the same departure and arrival cities as their original ticket. This expanded option will allow MileagePlus Silver members and above to confirm a new seat in the same ticket fare class if space is available. Earlier this year, United announced that it will extend status for MileagePlus Premier and Global Services members through January 2022. United also reduced thresholds for Premier qualification by 50 percent for each status level, to make reaching an even higher status tier easier.

For more information on United's new flexible travel policies, visit https://www.united.com/ual/en/us/fly...hange-fee.html.

......
Related Threads
AA Eliminates Many Change Fees, Other Benefits 31 Aug 2020
Delta to Eliminate Change Fees on Domestic Tickets [Consolidated Thread]
Alaska Eliminates Change Fees (9/1/2020)

UA will extend BE/International change fee waiver (In response to AA?)
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Change Fees "Gone For Good"(WW ex-USA,non-BE), credit for lower fare!, Intl&BE waiver

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Old Apr 22, 2021, 8:46 am
  #421  
 
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Just went to see what the website says if I click on ‘Cancel Flight’ for an upcoming trip that I just booked about 3 days ago, and here’s what it says. Why does it say a change fee will apply when I use the FFC unless I qualify for a change fee waiver? What is a change fee waiver and how do I qualify for it? I did not cancel the flight yet, just wanted to see what my options were...


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Old Apr 22, 2021, 8:56 am
  #422  
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While UA has "permanently" dropped change fees for many flights, there are still some types of flights (Basic Economy -- waiver till 30 April 2021 and some international flights that do not originate from USA -- waiver till 31 May 2021) that may have change fees.

https://www.united.com/ual/en/US/fly...hange-fee.html
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Old Apr 22, 2021, 9:21 am
  #423  
 
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Originally Posted by WineCountryUA
While UA has "permanently" dropped change fees for many flights, there are still some types of flights (Basic Economy -- waiver till 30 April 2021 and some international flights that do not originate from USA -- waiver till 31 May 2021) that may have change fees.

https://www.united.com/ual/en/US/fly...hange-fee.html
My flight originates in the USA, and is regular Economy (L and K class, booked with an ETC), so I'm not sure how either of the above would apply to me. Is the info when I click on 'Cancel Flight' just a blanket statement that the provide to anyone canceling, or is it specific to my reservation?
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Old Apr 22, 2021, 9:44 am
  #424  
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Originally Posted by mpiotrow
.. Is the info when I click on 'Cancel Flight' just a blanket statement that the provide to anyone canceling, ...
Likely yes
Originally Posted by mpiotrow
.. or is it specific to my reservation?...
It is safer for UA to do blanket statements then to try to get too specific and perhaps be wrong.
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Old Apr 22, 2021, 10:41 am
  #425  
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Originally Posted by mpiotrow
What is FFC v2.0?
[Edit]Guessing this is the new fine print listed in the Wiki, right?[/Edit]
UA currently has two products they call Future Flight Credit. The first is the traditional future flight credit which can be used by making a change to an existing reservation. The new one, which I'm calling FFC v2.0, is applied similarly to an ETC: you make a new purchase, and then when you get to the payment options, you select FFC and identify the credit(s) you want to use. It's more flexible than the original FFC.
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Old Apr 25, 2021, 7:13 am
  #426  
 
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I’m trying to understand what happens if I should cancel an international that I’m thinking about buying soon.

We are considering purchasing flights to Croatia (business+PE, not basic economy) for late September 2021, but want to have the option to cancel if the covid rate goes up. Currently, the country is open for tourists.

If we cancel, I understand (according to both Flyertalk and talking with an agent), we would have no change fees and receive a travel credit (FFS?) which would need to be used within the year.

Question: would the flight have to be COMPLETED within a year from date of purchase or INITIATED from the date of purchase?
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Old Apr 25, 2021, 8:07 am
  #427  
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Originally Posted by progol
Question: would the flight have to be COMPLETED within a year from date of purchase or INITIATED from the date of purchase?
Initiated.
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Old Apr 25, 2021, 8:10 am
  #428  
 
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Thanks, jsloan! Very helpful!
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Old Apr 28, 2021, 3:51 pm
  #429  
 
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Originally Posted by jsloan
UA currently has two products they call Future Flight Credit. The first is the traditional future flight credit which can be used by making a change to an existing reservation. The new one, which I'm calling FFC v2.0, is applied similarly to an ETC: you make a new purchase, and then when you get to the payment options, you select FFC and identify the credit(s) you want to use. It's more flexible than the original FFC.
I have no problem receiving the FFC v2 after a fight change, it's just that I cannot use them at all online. I'd rather use the FFCs before the ETCs, but whenever I try to use the FFC (v2) online, everything works fine until I press the "Buy Now" button then it errors out. It seems that most reports I see indicate this issue, just curious about hearing any recent experiences using FFC v2 (ether online or over the phone successfully).

EDIT: I just had an unsuccessful attempt to use the FFC v2 over the phone. The phone agent INSISTS that I can only apply one FFC to the reservation, even after I explained that they were residual values (and have multiple FFC under one PNR in one case). I just cancelled and will book another airline.

Last edited by radiowell; Apr 28, 2021 at 4:13 pm Reason: Added info
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Old Apr 29, 2021, 5:14 pm
  #430  
 
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Originally Posted by jsloan
...FFC v2.0, is applied similarly to an ETC: you make a new purchase, and then when you get to the payment options, you select FFC and identify the credit(s) you want to use.
What happens if I have a single large FFC v2.0 and my new ticket cost is less than the FFC. Is it like an ETC that can be used for multiple purchases over time?
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Old Apr 30, 2021, 8:55 am
  #431  
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Originally Posted by shdflyer
What happens if I have a single large FFC v2.0 and my new ticket cost is less than the FFC. Is it like an ETC that can be used for multiple purchases over time?
I assume so, but I can't point to any specific evidence of that. It's not mentioned directly in the terms and conditions. But since the way you interact with FFC v2.0 is so similar to ETCs, it seems logical that the same logistics apply -- especially since they allow you to combine multiple FFC v2.0s. That would seem to make it particularly easy for somebody to accidentally waste a bunch of their credit if UA doesn't allow you to keep residual value. (Also, FFC v2.0 are granted, in the first place, as residual value after a flight change. So it would be very odd if they did not retain residual value themselves).
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Old May 3, 2021, 10:59 pm
  #432  
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Change Fees is gone-ish...until May 31, 2021...

The drippy water drip change fees is sorta gone-ish continues...

(https://www.united.com/ual/en/us/fly...ngefeesaregone)

...and the accompanying T's and C's:

(https://www.united.com/ual/en/us/fly...ChangeFeeTerms)

David
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Old May 3, 2021, 11:15 pm
  #433  
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Originally Posted by DELee
Change Fees is gone-ish...until May 31, 2021...
The drippy water drip change fees is sorta gone-ish continues... ...
This date and waiver applies to the non-USA orgin flights that are not covered by the main no-change-fee policy change (that was not a time limited waiver).

These exceptions were clearly called out in the initial announcement and the resumption of fees for BE and those non-covered non-USA origin flights was original to expire 31 March 2021 and have been extended by this waiver.

This is not back sliding on the original no-change-fee announcement.
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Old May 3, 2021, 11:38 pm
  #434  
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Originally Posted by WineCountryUA
This date and waiver applies to the non-USA orgin flights that are not covered by the main no-change-fee policy change (that was not a time limited waiver).

These exceptions were clearly called out in the initial announcement and the resumption of fees for BE and those non-covered non-USA origin flights was original to expire 31 March 2021 and have been extended by this waiver.

This is not back sliding on the original no-change-fee announcement.
I'm not disagreeing that this is not backsliding.

However, these are still change fees that are not "gone for good" - they're simply being waived. For now until 31 May 2021.

So their original claim of "gone for good" is still not good. They're there - just not _yet_ getting charged.

David
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Old May 3, 2021, 11:49 pm
  #435  
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Originally Posted by DELee
I'm not disagreeing that this is not backsliding.

However, these are still change fees that are not "gone for good" - they're simply being waived. For now until 31 May 2021.

So their original claim of "gone for good" is still not good. They're there - just not _yet_ getting charged.

David
You are incorrect, that date does not apply to the bulk of the fares, (the "gone for good"), such as


but related to BE and certain non-USA origin flights, not covered by the above
You can change Basic Economy tickets without change fees if the ticket is issued by April 30, 2021, and all other international travel without change fees if the ticket is issued by May 31, 2021. Basic Economy tickets issued on or after May 1, 2021, are nonrefundable and non-changeable, except in connection with same-day standby. Learn more
If you are trying to draw a connection of the May date to the "gone for good" policy change, that is incorrect.
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