united airlines cancellation policy

United Airlines Cancellation Policy: Know Your Options

Have you wondered what it’s like to cancel your flight with one of the major airlines in the U.S.? Here, we will decipher the hidden secrets of the cancellation policy and understand the details progressively. United Airlines is a major airline in the United States, and canceling a flight with United Airlines is very easy. Most of the fares are free to cancel, and every passenger has the liberty to make desired changes and cancel and refund according to the United Airlines cancellation policy. The airlines have various methods to cancel your flights, which you will learn in the following article. We have listed down various fruitful information for you to grab before canceling.

United Airlines Cancellation Policy

Cancelling your flight does not come easy, as you have to abide by all the policies that govern the cancellation process. Cancelling your flight might be related to either an emergency with the passenger or irregularities in the flight schedule by the airline. In both cases, you can claim refunds, but policies may vary. If you are longing for a refund, you must fulfill a certain United flight cancellation policy.

United Airlines Cancel Flight Rules

The United Airlines flight cancellation policy is simple and straightforward. Here, we have mentioned all the policies that are important for passengers:

  • If the passenger has booked the ticket with any kind of fraudulent information, the ticket will be canceled by the airline within 72 hours of booking.
  • Passengers who are unable to travel due to cancellation, schedule change, or irregular operations will be able to claim their refunds from the airlines.
  • If any of the passengers or their family member or travel companion dies, the airline will waive the cancellation fees in that event.
  • There are no applied cancellation charges for any fare type. However, you might have to pay the difference in fare whenever you cancel and rebook your flight.

How can you cancel a Flight with United Airlines?

The question “How to cancel a United flight?” might disturb you, but not anymore. There are various ways via which you can cancel your United flight, and we have mentioned some of them here:

Flight Cancellation Online

Making cancellations online is the easiest method, and you will have full control of what is going on. Here are the steps you need to take while making the cancellation:

  • Go to Manage My Trip and enter all the details required.
  • Look for the option to cancel your flight on the page.
  • Click on cancel now and then check if any fees are incurred.
  • Pay the fees, and your cancellation will be confirmed.
  • Then, you can proceed with your refund process.

Cancel Flights via Mobile App

The mobile app is even better compared to the website, as you can cancel on the go. While canceling your flight, you are required to follow these steps:

  • Visit the United App and enter your booking details.
  • After logging in, you need to get to the My Trip section.
  • Then, you can make your desired cancellations and save the page.
  • After you have paid any fees that were incurred during the cancellation, your cancellation will be confirmed.

Flight Cancellation at the Airport

Making cancellations at the airport is a time-consuming and lengthy process, and if you are willing to invest your time, here are the steps you need to take at the airport:

  • Get to the agent at the United Airlines reservation counter.
  • Give them your booking details, and they will make the cancellations as you wish.
  • If the cancellation incurs any fees, you will have to pay them, and the remaining amount of the itinerary will be refunded to your account.

United Airlines Cancellation Fees

United Airlines has recently announced that there will be no additional United Airlines cancellation charges for canceling most of the tickets. However, there are always some exceptions; some ticket types might incur additional United cancellation fees that you will be informed of only during the cancellation process.

United Airlines 24 Hour Cancellation Policy

According to the United cancel within 24 hours policy, if a passenger has booked a ticket that is more than 7 days from departure and cancels it within 24 hours of booking, they will be charged no additional fees for that.

United Airlines Refund Policy

After the cancellation, the next step for every passenger is to get a refund. If you have canceled your flight or the airline has canceled from its end, either voluntarily or non-voluntarily, you are eligible to claim your refunds. The rest of it all, you will get to learn to cancel United flight refund and their terms & conditions that will highlight all the important policies regarding refunds.

Refund Terms & Conditions

The refund process is governed by some of the rules set by the Airlines. Passengers following the rules will be allowed to get refunds for the amount that they have booked the flight with. Here are the rules that you need to follow:

  • Passengers traveling in basic economy have to cancel their tickets within 24 hours of booking so that they will be eligible for a full refund according to the United economy cancellation policy.
  • If you have booked your tickets via credit cards, they will be processed within 7 business days. Bookings made via all other methods are refunded within 20 days of cancellation.
  • For basic economy, all the refunds will be credited as Travel Credits and not in the form of payment. All this is done under the United economy refundable policy.
  • All passengers can claim their refunds using this form.
  • If your flight arrival at the airport is delayed by more than 30 minutes, you can claim full refunds.

Steps to Get a Refund Online

There are several ways to apply for refunds. Here, we will learn all the ways and detailed steps to claim your refunds.

Refund by Contacting Customer Service

The United Airlines customer service allows you to get an agent live at the other end of the call, and they help you get your refunds. The number that is mentioned below can be used to contact our service agent, and here are the steps to follow:

  • Call on the toll-free number.
  • Get an agent live on call.
  • Provide them with the necessary booking details, and they will access your reservations.
  • They will cancel your tickets and then request a refund.

Refunds by filling out the Online Form

If you are willing to do the refund process all by yourself, you can follow these steps at the official United website:

  • Visit the official United Airlines website.
  • Get to this refund request form.
  • Enter your booking details and last name.
  • You can add up to 15 items per form and can claim refunds for tickets, Wi-Fi, food, drinks, and more.
  • After reviewing your claims, provide your contact details and confirm the refunds.
  • It will take around 7 business days to get your refunds back.

Refunds by Writing

This option is old-school and you will have to draft a letter and post it to United Airlines, United Refunds, P.O. Box 4607, Dept. NHCRF, Houston TX 77253-3046. In this letter, you will have to include all your booking details and other necessary information about your itinerary.

How to Avoid United Flight Cancellation Fee?

Although cancellation fees are inevitable, you can still follow some tricks to avoid maximum cancellation charges for United Airlines. Here are some great tips that will help you with that.

  • Make sure to follow the cancellation policies accurately.
  • Make cancellations within 24 hours of booking.
  • Make sure to upgrade to MileagePlus to avoid any cancellation fees.
  • If there are any mishaps, like the death of a passenger or close relative, you can cancel your tickets without cancellation fees.

Summary

United Airlines has various policies, but the United Airlines cancellation policy is one of the most sought-after. Your United trip cancellation is your right, and you can do it anytime, anywhere you wish. If you are fully aware of the cancellation policy for United Airlines, you will have no trouble canceling your tickets. If you have any difficulty with your cancellations or refunds, you can directly contact our customer support via the number below, and they will help you with cancellations and refunds. Make sure to check out all the policies and use them in your favor.

FAQs

1) Are United flights refundable?

Yes, if your flight was canceled voluntarily, you can receive the full amount as a refund. If your flight was canceled involuntarily, you would receive only the amount deducted from the service charge and others.

2) What refunds are available for Premium fares?

For unrestricted premium fares, you are eligible to claim a refund of 50% of the prorated fare for that segment plus applicable variable taxes and fees.

3) What are the refund policies for special and restricted fares?

For special and restricted fares the refunds will be provided on this basis- the lowest applicable fare at the time the ticket was purchased or the difference between the upgradeable and non-upgradeable fare type.

4) Can I claim a refund after the expiration date of a ticket?

No, you are not allowed to claim refunds after the tickets have expired.

5) Can I claim refunds for tickets issued by a third party?

Yes, you can directly contact the third party to fulfill your cancellation and refund requests.

6) What charges are non-refundable?

Booking charges, upgrade charges, and baggage charges are non-refundable, and you can not claim them back.

7) How can you cancel a United flight within 24 hours?

United 24 hour cancellation policy allows you to cancel your flight within 24 hours of booking, refunding you the total amount back.

8) How to cancel a United flight?

If you are willing to cancel your United flight, you will have to follow the procedures and the steps mentioned above in detail.

About the author

Picture of Anna Wilson

Anna Wilson

Wandering the world for over a decade, Anna Wilson has been to over 250 countries and traveled via most of the airlines in the world. We bring in here the experience she carries and creativity she reflects through these posts. These posts can easily help travellers access the information they need regarding all the airlines.