United Airlines Cancellation Policy

The United 24 hour cancellation policy is flexible and helps a passenger to cancel the flight without hassle. Let’s understand how this airline's cancellation policy is helpful for you while canceling flights.

United Airlines Flight Cancellation Policy

As per United cancellation policy, a traveler can request flight cancellation 3 hours before the scheduled departure for international flights. Similarly, in the case of domestic flights, a passenger can cancel the flight before 2 hours.

You should know about the following other flight-related cancellation policies:

The flight cancellation request is subject to some fees. The amount may vary depending on the trip type, fare rule associated with the reservation, and cabin class.
As per the United 24 hour cancellation policy, economy reservations are non-refundable and non-changeable after 24 hours of purchase.
If a passenger is marked a no-show for a flight, the value of the reservation may be forfeited.
If United Airlines has canceled the flight, the traveler would not need to pay any cancellation fee. Besides, if you deny taking the alternative flight, you will get a refund on the unused portion of the ticket.
In the event of the death of a traveler, immediate family member, or traveling companion, United will waive the cancellation fee. In that case, you will get a refund amount on the unflown flight segment.

United Airlines Covid Cancellation Policy

According to the United cancellation policy, a passenger has to take note of the following travel requirement and restrictions:

Your airline ticket may get cancelled if the government or local public health department has ordered you to quarantine.
If you have been denied boarding on international airlines, you cannot rebook.
A medical statement declaring that you don’t have Covid-19 is a must for traveling.
As per the United Covid-19 policy, a vaccination certificate for international travel is mandatory.
A passenger with Covid symptoms will not be allowed to board the flight.
The traveler with health issues or covid related symptoms will require to submit a health declaration, medical certificate, or a doctor’s note.
Flyers may not be allowed to board if they are not wearing a mask or covering their face while traveling to or from United Airlines.

United Airlines 24 Hour Cancellation Policy

You can get a full refund with no fees if you cancel the ticket within 24 hours of booking the airline. However, some banks or credit card companies may temporarily hold your funds on your card. In such a case, contact the bank to understand their policies.

Following are the terms and conditions of United Airlines 24 hours cancellation policy:

The 24-hour applies from the time you have reserved the flight.
All the refund amount will go to your original form of payment except for the booking made with a United gift certificate.
United 24 hour cancellation policy is applicable on all basic economy fares unless you cancel within the timeframe.
If you cancel after 24 hours, then a fee of $200 will apply to you.
The 24 hours will begin from the moment your ticket number generates.
If your PNR consists of more than nine members, the 24-hour cancellation policywill not be applicable.
The tickets purchased with e-certificates are not eligible under United 24 hour cancellation policy.
The bookings held but not yet purchased are not eligible under this United cancellation.

How to Cancel United Airlines Reservation?

Apart from the flexible United Airlines reservation policy, a passenger also gets various modes of cancelling a United airline ticket. You can use any of these methods to cancel the flight at your convenience. Now, let’s go through the following ways to call off the flight ticket:

1. Cancel the Ticket Via Website Online

A customer can cancel a united airlines ticket online with the help of a website. For ticket cancellation, you need to follow a few steps. You can cancel the ticket by following the below-mentioned steps:

Go to the website of United Airlines.
Find the My Trips tab.
Submit the booking reference number and the passenger’s last name.
Choose the flight segment that you would like to cancel.
After selecting the segment, pay the necessary fees to complete the request.
Lastly, you will get a confirmation mail on your email ID.

2. Cancel the Ticket Via Phone Number

If you want to cancel the United flight ticket due to an unforeseen circumstance, you can reach out to a United Airlines executive via call. Under this United 24 hour cancellation method, you can dial the customer service number and connect with the agent. Once you connect with the executive, you can request them to cancel your ticket. Then, they will ask you to provide the ticket number or booking confirmation.

After the necessary details, they will ask you to pay the United cancellation fee and any other charges over the phone. Later, the agent will cancel your ticket and confirm the same in the email.

3. Cancel Flight by Visiting Airport

Cancelling a flight by visiting the airport is an offline method. In this, you can go to the departure airport and request flight cancellation up to 3 hours before the departure time. If you have checked in for the airlines, you must cancel the check-in first to claim the refund on your booking. It is one of the most feasible methods to cancel the airline ticket offline.

In some cases, it is not necessary to cancel your United flight when you have the option to change or rebook. In accordance with United Airlines flight change policy, you are free to reschedule your flight. You will not be charged for this service. However, you will need to pay a fare difference in case your new flight costs more than your original United reservation.

If you are confused about the cancellation process and don’t know how to do it, we are here to help. Contact us.

United Airlines Flight Cancellation Rules by Ticket Type

In order to experience the flexibility of United Airlines 24-hour cancellation and avoid cancellation charges, passengers have 24 hours from the time of their initial booking to revoke as long as the ticket was bought at least a week before their scheduled departure.
The terms and limitations of United Airlines cancellation differ depending on your fare category. Take a look at the information listed below to understand more.

United Flight Cancellation Policy for Basic Economy Ticket

United Airlines doesn’t permit its passengers to cancel their basic economy tickets unless they cancel them within 24 hours of purchasing the ticket. Moreover, the ticket must have been purchased at least a week prior to departure.
In case you decide to cancel your ticket, you are eligible for getting a complete refund for your unused Basic Economy ticket within 24 hours of purchase. This rule is applicable to all United-operated domestic as well as international.

United Airlines Cancellation Policy for Non-Refundable Ticket

When you cancel your United airline with a non-refundable ticket, you’ll not be eligible for a refund. Moreover, in the event that you revoke your itinerary after 24 hours of purchasing the ticket, you will be liable for paying a flight cancellation fee of USD 200 on a domestic flight as per United Airlines 24 hour cancellation rules. For international flight cancellations, the charges can reach up to USD 400. Basically, it depends on your travel class.

United Airlines Flight Cancellation Policy For A Refundable Ticket

As per the United 24 hour cancellation processes, United refundable ticket holders can cancel their flight anytime before departure and request a full refund. Your reimbursement will be processed to the initial mode of payment. As per the rules and regulations, if the payment during booking was made by credit card, the refund will typically be processed within seven business days. However, other payment methods may take up to 20 business days.

United Airlines Cancellation Policy For Award Ticket

United 24 hour cancellation fee completely depends on your award ticket membership status. For a No-show United cancellation, the fee would be USD 125, regardless of your membership status.
However, if you revoke your flight 61 days or prior to the departure date, the cancellation fees would be USD 75 for general members, USD 50 for silver members, USD 25 for gold members, and 0 charges for platinum and 1K members.

United Airlines Policy on Cancelled Flights

A flight is not only called off by the passenger but also by the airline. Although United Airlines works hard to take care of its customers and bring them to their destinations, it sometimes fails. Usually, it happens due to unpredicted circumstances. In that case, United Airlines do its best to assist travelers in the best possible way.

Here are some types of cancelled flights under the United Airlines flight cancellation policy:

1. Delayed Flights

If you have booked your ticket with United Airlines, they will notify you via email or text message on your number. You will get a new departure time. With the United Airlines app, you can get up-to-date flight details. You can also check the website for flight status updates or real-time updates.

If your flight gets delayed for more than three hours, the airline will provide you with an alternate flight and a service voucher for a meal.

2. Missed Connecting Flights

Sometimes, a passenger may miss a connecting flight. It may happen when you assume that you have a single flight for all the routes. However, it can also happen when your existing flight is held back, because of which you miss your subsequent flight. In such cases, the airline will ensure that the passengers arrive at their final destination.

Here’s what will happen if you miss a United Airlines flight:

United Airlines will reroute your flight. It may take some time due to the lack of alternative flights.
Airlines will constantly update you about any modifications to your connecting flights.
If your reservation includes a flight from another airline, it will require a separate ticket. In this case, you will need to contact the issuing agency to make modifications.

3. Cancelled Flights

Often, flights get cancelled due to unforeseen circumstances. The reasons for booking cancellations can be bad weather, technical problems, or others. In the event of United cancellation, United Airlines will contact you via message or email.

In the case of ticket cancellation, a passenger gets the following three choices:

A customer can modify the travel date to 7 days in either direction. In this case, no additional cost will be applicable.
Under the United 24 hour cancellation, the airline will reroute your ticket to the final destination. It is necessary to know that rerouting may take some time.
If you don’t want an alternate flight, you can claim a refund for the unused portion of the booking.

4. Overbooked Flights

At times, the airlines accept more reservations than the usual capacity of aircraft to accommodate people. It is because not every passenger board the flight.

If something like this occurs, the following things will happen:

The airlines will transfer you to a different flight.
According to the United 24 hour cancellation, the airline will assist you with a new booking and compensation.
United Airlines will accommodate you with the new alternative flight to your destination. Also, they will compensate you for delays and inconveniences.

United Airlines Ticket Cancellation Compensation

A passenger will be entitled to compensation if the flight has been cancelled, delayed, or denied boarding. Under the cancellation policy, the compensation depends on several factors like length of delay, cause, and flight destination.

The compensation for delayed flights will be:

In the case of denied boarding, the airline will offer the following compensation:

As per the United Airlines flight cancellation policy, if your flight gets cancelled, you will get the following compensation:

United Airlines Refund Policy

United Airlines cancellation policy allows refund requests for only unused/unflown portions of the ticket. For this, there are several guidelines that a passenger should consider before requesting a refund for a reservation:

A passenger who purchased a ticket one week before and cancelled it within 24 hours of purchase will be eligible for a refund. In addition, no cancellation fee will be applicable.
Basic Economy tickets cannot be refunded if cancelled after 24 hours. That means you will get a refund only if you have cancelled it within 24 hours of purchase.
According to the United flight cancellation policy, the fee will depend on the fare rules of your ticket.
A person may not qualify for a voluntary refund for non-refundable fares, but the ticket’s fare value will get converted into a Future Flight Credit.
Generally, flight tickets have 12-month viability from the day of issue. However, the tickets purchased on or before December 31, 2022, have validity up to December 31, 2022. It means your travel must not begin after December 31, 2022, and must complete within a year from the outbound travel date.
The refund amount depends on several factors. For example, the refund for partially used tickets will be calculated on a prorated basis. Other tax and cancellation fees will be applicable as per the rules.
A passenger who purchased the air ticket by credit card will get the refund within 7 days. On the other hand, all other passengers will get the cancellation refund within 20 business days.
The customer will get the refund back to the original form of payment.

How To Use United Future Flight Credits from Canceled Flights?

United Airlines now lists future travel credits on the “My Account” page. You can access this page by logging into your MileagePlus account.
However, if you are unaware of the procedure to use the United travel credit, follow the simple steps mentioned below -

First - open the official United Airlines website.
Second - enter your email address and password and access your account.
Third - navigate to the Manage Booking section and select a cancelled flight. (make sure the cancellation is confirmed)
Fourth - Go to the My Trip option and follow the instructions to redeem future flight credit.
Fifth - Enter your flight reservation and cancellation details along with other credentials and click on the “apply” button.
Sixth - choose the future credit card to use. Now you may proceed with the new booking.

United Airlines Cancellation Fee

United Airlines will not charge any cancellation fee if it happens due to covid-19 restrictions. Other than that, a passenger will have to pay a cancellation fee. As per United Airlines cancellation policy, a customer with a basic economy ticket will not have to pay any cancellation fee.

If the passenger has non-refundable and refundable airline tickets, the fee will be $200 for domestic and $400 for international flights. With United Airlines, you will get ease in handling the cancellation process.

Besides the Flight cancellation, if you want to make certain alterations to your existing flight ticket, check United Airlines name change policy. Additionally, while booking passengers must know all the terms and conditions associated with the name change policy.

How To Avoid United Airlines Flight Cancellation Fees?

If you are a frequent United passenger looking to avoid unexpected and hefty cancellation charges, here are some things to consider -

Purchase a fully refundable ticket.
Try to cancel your ticket within the 24-hours grace period. If your ticket was booked 7 days or more before the scheduled departure and you cancel it within 24 hours, there will be no penalty.
In the event that your flight is delayed by 6 hours or more, you may be eligible to claim a full refund in the form of travel credits for future booking usage.
If your flight is cancelled due to low demand, weather, or other issues, you may qualify for a full refund.
In case of unavoidable emergencies such as a co-passengers death, passengers may qualify for a refund.

How To Talk To a Live Agent at United Airlines for Flight Cancellation?

United Airlines offers a wide range of in-flight and onboard services, as well as a professional customer service department. No matter if you require assistance with reservations, flight rescheduling, or itinerary cancellations, United Airlines has a qualified team to assist you.

1 - Via Phone

In order to speak to a live person at the United Airlines customer support department, passengers may freely call on. However, if you are notably searching for the United Airlines ticket cancellation phone number. Call on for instant support and get all your flight cancellation resolved within a matter of minutes.

2 - Via Chat

When you are not in a situation to talk to the representative, there are some other options too you may go with. Through the chat option, passengers may overcome the language barrier. Flyers are free to ask any questions to the representative in any language. The staff will provide you with the most appropriate solution in your language.