United Airlines is one of the largest commercial airlines in the world, headquartered in Chicago, Illinois. The airline attracts tens of millions of travelers annually with flights to over 200 domestic destinations and over 100 international destinations.
But if this is your first time booking with United Airlines, it can be overwhelming to search for where to go if you want to cancel your plane tickets and get your money back. In this article, we’ll show you how to know if you qualify for a refund and how to request one.
About United Airlines Refunds
According to the United Airlines official website, the company offers a 24-hour window to customers to request a refund on recently purchased flight tickets.
For Basic Economy tickets, the refund window will only be present if your flight is at least over a week away. If it’s less than a week from your scheduled flight, you unfortunately won’t be able to get a refund.
If United Airlines, your airport, or the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) canceled your flight, you should get a refund automatically. Up until 2024, many airlines required the customers to contact customer support to ask for a refund if they qualify. A bill that passed in 2024, however, made it mandatory for United to process every refund automatically.
For significantly delayed flights, the airline must give you the option to cancel your flight for a full refund. This rule is in effect for domestic flights that are delayed by at least three hours and global flights that are delayed by at least six.
Refunds For Unplanned Events and Other Expenses
If your flight will still go on, but forces beyond your control stop you from making the flight, you could also be eligible for a refund. United lists military orders, death in the family, jury duty, and certain illnesses as four “unplanned events” that make a refund considerable.
As far as other United expenses go, there are a select number of them that customers can also cancel and get refunds for. These include service fees, meals, and Wi-Fi. Services that are ineligible for refunds include Economy Plus subscriptions, United Club subscriptions, and travel bundles.
If your flight was canceled, and you also ordered Priority Boarding, Premier Access, and Cabin Upgrades, you will get a refund for these services also.
If United asked you to downgrade your seat, you can also opt for a United Airlines refund. Should you accept the new seat, you’ll get a partial refund. If you reject the new seat, you’ll cancel your flight, but you’ll get a full refund, even if it’s outside the 24-hour window.
Canceling A United Airlines Flight
You can cancel a United Airlines flight on the airline’ official website. You’ll need to log in to your account to request your cancelation.
Once you’re logged in, click on the “My Trips” page. You’ll then the site will prompt you to enter your confirmation number and MileagePlus number. If you don’t know these numbers, you can find them in your confirmation email when you ordered your tickets.
If you’re due for a refund, no matter the circumstance, your money should return to your original payment method. Credit card refunds take up to seven days while bank account orders should take up to 20 days. The refund should appear on your next bank statement.
If you don’t qualify for a refund, you can still cancel your tickets. Rather than a monetary refund, however, the airline will issue non-refundable travel credits. You can redeem these credits for future flights with United for up to a year.
Depending on the flight you choose, you can order a flight using your credit and spend little to no money on that flight.
There are many different ways you can qualify for a United Airlines refund. Request a refund as soon as you decide to while you still have the option to get your hard-earned money back.
