Refund Policies



Refund policy overview

  • Under our 24-hour flexible booking policy, if your ticket was purchased through United in the last 24 hours and you completed your purchase one week or more before the original scheduled departure flight, it may qualify for waiver of change or cancellation fees.
  • Basic Economy tickets are not eligible for changes, but are eligible for a full refund inside 24 hours of booking as long as you completed your purchase one week or more before the original scheduled departure flight.
  • If your ticket qualifies, you can go to My Trips to cancel your reservation and receive a refund.
  • Different policies will apply based on the country or region of your billing address. Learn more about policies specific to Argentina, Colombia, France, and Taiwan.
  • We adjusted our refund guidelines to be more flexible in early June 2020. If you experienced a significant United schedule disruption and were denied a refund between March 1, 2020 and June 6, 2020 and no longer wish to use your travel credit, please fill out the refund form and we will review your claim to determine if you are now eligible for a refund.
  • A refund may be requested for any fare that allows refunds. Depending on the rules of the fare purchased, a cancellation fee may apply. Most fares are nonrefundable, and are not eligible for voluntary refunds. However, the value of your ticket may be eligible to be applied toward the price of a new ticket for a fee. Tickets are valid 12 months from the day of ticket issuance, except for tickets purchased on or before December 31, 2022, which are extended from original date of issue to December 31, 2023. Travel must begin by December 31, 2023. Once travel begins, travel must be completed within 12 months from the outbound travel date.
  • The refund amount you will receive depends on several variables. For example, tickets that are partially traveled will be calculated at a prorated amount based on the rules of the ticket purchased and segments flown. Fees and surcharges collected in conjunction with the ticket will only be refunded if applicable.
  • Credit card refunds will be processed within seven business days of the request. All other refunds will be processed within 20 business days of the request
  • Your refund will be credited back to your original form of payment.

Need to check the status of your refund request? Visit the refunds page and open the "Check status" tab on the right.

Baggage

  • Baggage service fee refunds may be requested if you have paid for one or more checked bags and don't travel as a result of a cancellation, change in schedule or schedule irregularity caused by United.

  • All United subscriptions are non-refundable once purchased. Requests for an individual baggage refund on an individual flight basis will not be granted. If you wish to upgrade your subscription or modify your renewal settings, please visit My Account.

  • Baggage service charge refunds may be permitted if you have paid for one or more checked bags and don't fly due to flight cancellations or schedule changes. Please complete the refund request form.

    All refunds are credited to the original form of payment used. Please allow up to seven business days for a refund to post to your credit card. If the refund does not post within one billing cycle, please contact your credit card company for information. For all other forms of payment, please allow up to 20 days for a refund to be processed.

Day of travel extras

  • A food purchase refund may be requested if you purchased an in-flight meal or snack and were dissatisfied for any reason.

    All refunds are credited to the original form of payment used. Please allow up to seven business days for a refund to post to your credit card. If the refund does not post within one billing cycle, please contact your credit card company for information. For all other forms of payment, please allow up to 20 days for a refund to be processed.

  • In the event of flight cancellation or involuntary schedule change, a refund of fees paid for unused Premier Access may be requested. Voluntary changes to your itinerary may forfeit your Premier Access purchase and any associated fees.

    All refunds are credited to the original form of payment used. Please allow up to seven business days for a refund to post to your credit card. If the refund does not post within one billing cycle, please contact your credit card company for information. For all other forms of payment, please allow up to 20 days for a refund to be processed.

  • In the event of flight cancellation or involuntary schedule change, a refund of fees paid for unused Priority Boarding may be requested. Voluntary changes to your itinerary may forfeit your Priority Boarding purchase and any associated fees.

    All refunds are credited to the original form of payment used. Please allow up to seven business days for a refund to post to your credit card. If the refund does not post within one billing cycle, please contact your credit card company for information. For all other forms of payment, please allow up to 20 business days for a refund to be processed.

  • All United Club memberships are non-refundable once purchased. If you wish to upgrade your subscription or modify your renewal settings, please visit My Account.

  • All United Travel Options bundles and bundle components are nonrefundable. If you are eligible for a refund due to circumstances such as irregular operations, you should automatically receive a refund and an email receipt. (Please note: If you purchased Economy Plus® Enhanced and completed any associated travel, you will not be refunded for the extra award miles, Premier Access® or United Club℠ trip pass.)

    If you did not receive an email receipt and feel that you are due a refund, please fill out and submit the refund request form. Submitting a refund request does not guarantee that you will receive a refund.

  • If you purchased United Wi-Fi access and did not receive or were unable to use the service, you may request a refund using this form.

    If you purchased Gogo Inflight Internet access on our two-cabin regional aircraft (CRJ-550, CRJ-700, EMB170 and EMB175), please contact Gogo to request a refund.

    All refunds are credited to the original form of payment used. United is committed to processing Wi-Fi refunds within seven business days. Please allow up to one billing cycle for the activity to post to your credit card or seven days for the award miles to be credited back to your MileagePlus account. If the refund does not post within these time frame, please contact your credit card company or the MileagePlus Service Center.

Delayed or canceled flight

  • When complications such as weather, air traffic control, and mechanical delays occur, you may be eligible to request a travel credit or refund for a ticket that would otherwise be nonrefundable or have restrictions on refunds. In these situations, please submit a refund request.

    If your flight is significantly delayed, and you would rather postpone your travel, please let us know, and we'll waive any change penalties that may have applied to your ticket. Or, if you choose not to travel, you will also be eligible to receive a travel credit or refund upon request for the unused portion of your trip. If your trip involves a connection and you have made it to the connecting city, you may ask to return to your origin and receive a travel credit or refund if there are no other suitable alternatives. The amount and type of credit or refund will depend on the fare and what portion of the ticket has been used.

    Different policies will apply when traveling to and from certain other countries. Learn more about policies specific to the European Union or refer to our Contract of Carriage for more information.

Other

  • MileagePlus award tickets are subject to the fees outlined in our MileagePlus Award Terms and Conditions.

    MileagePlus mileage purchase

    Purchased or transferred MileagePlus miles are added to the receiving account immediately, and these transactions are nonrefundable.

    MileagePlus upgrade service fees

    Members will be charged the service fee when requesting an upgrade to United Polaris℠ first class, United First®, United Polaris business class or United Business®. If for any reason the upgrade is not provided, the service fee will be refunded in conjunction with the re-deposit of the miles used to upgrade

    Money + Miles

    Money + Miles is not offered on all fares. Refunds will only be provided in accordance with the rules of the applicable fare. The mileage portion of a Money + Miles purchase is a form of payment for refund purposes.

Refund policies for certain international points of sale/regions

  • In compliance with article 4 of the Argentine Resolution 1532/1998 of the Ministry of Economy, Public Works and Services, the customer is informed that tickets issued by United Airlines, Inc. are non-refundable unless the customer has purchased a refundable fare ticket, subject to the terms established by United Airlines, Inc.

  • Right of Withdrawal: You can cancel travel up to 24 hours before the scheduled flight departure. If you cancel your reservation, United will refund your purchase, but it may keep 10% of the fare. The Right of Withdrawal does not apply to promotional fares, so please refer to the fare rules for your ticket.

    Right of Retraction: When you purchase a ticket through a United Customer Contact Center or on united.com, you can cancel your reservation within 5 days of purchase and request a refund as long as the request for cancellation is before the scheduled flight’s departure. United will refund your purchase within 30 calendar days of your request and exclude non-refundable taxes and fees.

  • You must complete a refund request form in order to be reimbursed for taxes and fees if you have not flown in the ticket and it is no longer valid. We will reimburse you within 30 days of receipt of your claim. You will not be charged an administrative fee if you provide an email address.

  • The seven-day refund period provided to consumers under Article 19 of Taiwan's Consumer Protection Act does not apply to international airline passenger services (including airline ticketing) due to an exception provided for such services under the Act. Any changes made to a ticketed reservation are subject to applicable fare regulations.

Seats

  • In some cases, such as a last- minute change of aircraft or an irregular operation, you may be reaccommodated in a seat other than the one you originally selected. In most cases, you will be issued a new boarding pass. If you were not reaccommodated in a seat with similar or greater value, and you were issued a new boarding pass, the fees paid for the seat will automatically be refunded. If you were not issued a new boarding pass, please complete the refund request form.

    All refunds are credited to the original form of payment used. Please allow up to seven business days for a refund to post to your credit card. If the refund does not post within one billing cycle, please contact your credit card company for information. For all other forms of payment, please allow up to 20 days for a refund to be processed.

  • There are certain scenarios where you may be reaccommodated in a seat other than the one you've purchased, such as in instances of irregular operations, a last-minute aircraft change or an oversell. In these cases, you will be issued a new boarding pass. If you find that you have not been reaccommodated in a seat of similar or greater value, fees paid for the seat will usually automatically be refunded. In the event a new boarding pass is not issued, however, you may request a refund for your Economy Plus purchase.

  • All United subscriptions are non-refundable once purchased. Requests for an Economy Plus seat refund on an individual flight basis will not be granted. If you wish to upgrade your subscription or modify your renewal settings, please visit My Account.

Taxes and fees

  • Reservation booking service fees and close-in booking fees for award tickets are refundable only if you cancel your reservation within 24 hours of purchase. If you have purchased a ticket from United in the last 24 hours, go to My Trips to cancel your reservation or contact the United Customer Contact Center for assistance.

  • Surcharges, including international and insurance surcharges filed as YQ or YR, will follow the refund rule of the fare. If the fare is nonrefundable, the surcharges are also nonrefundable.

Tickets

  • For purchases made in the last 24 hours, a refund request can be made through the My Trips page. To complete the E-Ticket refund request, please complete the refund request form. All refund requests are subject to audit and final approval by the United Airlines Refund Department. All refunds are credited in the form of payment used to purchase the original ticket. From the date received please allow 20 business days to receive a cash refund. For credit card refunds please allow seven business days. If a credit card refund is not posted within one billing cycle, please contact your credit card company for information.

  • In the event that you have lost your paper ticket, please complete the lost ticket refund form. At least one of the following supporting documents must be provided in order for us to process your request:

    • Lost and/or Replacement Ticket number
    • If paid by check, copies of both sides of the canceled check
    • If purchased through a travel agency, a copy of the lost ticket, which can be requested from the issuing agency
    • If you are a travel agent submitting an application on behalf of your customer, please enclose a copy of your lost ticket coupon.

    You may submit your request by printing the lost ticket refund form, filling in the required information, and returning it to United. You may bring the form and supporting document(s) to any United Airlines ticketing location or mail it to the address on the form.

    The Lost Ticket Application must be submitted within 12 months after you purchased the lost ticket. All refund requests are subject to audit and final approval by the United Airlines Refund Department. A $150 nonrefundable processing fee will be charged for each lost ticket, and your application may take 90 days to process.

    All refund requests are subject to audit and final approval by the United Airlines Refund Department. All refunds, with the exception of purchases made with Gift Certificates, are credited to the form of payment of the original ticket. Refunds for purchases made with Gift Certificates will be provided in the form of electronic travel certificates. Please allow 90 days for processing of lost ticket claims.

  • United will refund change fees and tickets in certain cases. All requests must be received prior to the ticket's expiration date and must be accompanied by proper documentation (see “Documentation requirements and processing” below). We will refund tickets only when the unplanned event prevents the use of that ticket within one year of the ticket's date of issue. In all other instances, the fare can be credited toward future travel, though the customer may receive a refund for flight change fees (see “Change fee refunds” below).

    If your refund request is approved, a refund will be provided to the original form of payment. Refunds for purchases made with Gift Certificates will be provided in the form of electronic travel certificates.

    This policy applies in the following cases:

    • Death of the traveler, traveling companion or immediate family member
    • Travelers in the reservation actively on jury duty during the dates of planned travel
    • Certain illness situations
    • Immediate family members (adopted ward, aunt, brother, brother-in-law, daughter, daughter-in-law, domestic partner, father, father-in-law, foster brother, foster daughter, foster father, foster mother, foster sister, foster son, granddaughter, grandfather, grandmother, grandson, half-brother, half-sister, husband, legal guardian, mother, mother-in-law, nephew, niece, sister, sister-in-law, son, son-in-law, step-brother, step-daughter, step-father, step-mother, step-sister, step-son, uncle, wife

    Change fee refunds

    In the event that your travel plans change as a result of illness or jury duty, you will be required to pay the applicable change fee at the time of that change. Once this change fee is applied, you may submit a request to have the fee refunded.

    Ticket refunds

    Ticket refunds will be provided in the event of death and, in some cases, illness and jury duty. This applies to all tickets, including revenue, MileagePlus award tickets, promotional, bulk and net fares.

    Documentation requirements

    • In case of death: Refunds require a copy of the death certificate. If your change is due to the death of an immediate family member, the request must contain the family member's name and relationship to you.
    • Illness situations: Change fee refunds require a letter (on letterhead) from a licensed physician confirming that travel was not recommended due to the customer's illness. Ticket refunds require a letter (on letterhead) from a licensed physician confirming that travel was not recommended within the validity of the ticket (one year of ticket's issued date) due to illness. If the request is due to the illness of an immediate family member, the request must contain the family member's name and relationship to you.
    • Jury duty refunds requests: Refunds require a copy of the jury summons.

    Send all refund requests to United Refunds for consideration. Requests directed through other departments (contact centers, airport staff, etc.) will be referred to United Refunds.

  • The refund amount for reissued or partially used tickets will be based on the difference between the fare plus charges applicable to the originally issued ticket and the fare plus charges of the segments flown.

  • Refunds for tickets issued through a travel agency should be processed through the issuing agency.

  • Refunds for tickets issued by another airline for United flights should be processed through the issuing airline.

Upgrades

  • In some cases, such as a last-minute change of aircraft or an irregular operation, you may be reaccommodated in a seat other than the one you originally selected. In most cases, you will be issued a new boarding pass. If you were not reaccommodated in a seat with similar or greater value, and you were issued a new boarding pass, the fees paid for the seat will automatically be refunded. If you were not issued a new boarding pass, please complete the refund request form.

    All refunds are credited to the original form of payment used. Please allow up to seven business days for a refund to post to your credit card. If the refund does not post within one billing cycle, please contact your credit card company for information. For all other forms of payment, please allow up to 20 days for a refund to be processed.

  • Cabin upgrade fees are generally nonrefundable, but if a flight for which an upgrade fee has been paid is affected by a schedule change, cancellation or oversale, and you cannot be accommodated in a premium cabin on a later flight, you may request a refund of the fees paid for the upgrade using the refund request form.

    If you are unable to submit your request using our Request a Refund form, or if you need to send additional documentation and can't do so electronically, you can contact United Refunds below. Please be sure to include your United ticket number, your flight information, contact information and nature of your request.

If you are unable to submit your request using our Request a refund form, or if you need to send additional documentation and can't do so electronically, you can contact United Refunds below. Please be sure to include your United ticket number, your flight information, contact information and nature of your request.

Postal mail

United Airlines
United Refunds
P.O. Box 4607, Dept. NHCRF
Houston, TX 77210-4607