ByDoNotPay Makes United Airlines Refund a Hassle-Free Experience
We’ve all been there. You plan a trip and buy a flight ticket, then look forward to it and prepare in advance. But before the trip, things may happen—you suddenly land that desired job interview, you get in a fight with a friend or family member you’re supposed to visit, or maybe a global pandemic messes everyone’s business and pleasure flight plans.
The only thing you can do at that point is to check whether you can get a refund for those plane tickets. Whether you will be successful depends a lot on the airline you choose.
United Airlines Refund Policy
United Airlines has a 24-hour flexible booking policy, which applies if you booked a ticket through United in the past 24 hours, but one week or more before the initially scheduled departure.
In such cases, you can modify or cancel your flight with no extra charges or receive a full refund. Basic Economy tickets cannot be changed, but they are fully refundable if these time constraints are honored. For more info, check out DoNotPay’s guide to United Airlines change fees and policies.
If you are out of the 24-hour window, you may still request a refund, but United Airlines warns that most fares are non-refundable. It might be possible to use the amount paid for the ticket to get a new one, but it comes with a cost. All tickets are valid for one year from the date of purchase.
United Airlines Refunds for Cancelled Flights and Delays
Even if you got an otherwise non-refundable ticket, in cases of weather disruptions, air traffic control, and delays caused by technical issues, you might claim appropriate compensation. The same option is possible if your flight is significantly delayed. If you choose to postpone the flight, the change penalties will not apply.
United Airlines Refunds in Case of Unplanned Events
Otherwise non-refundable tickets can qualify for a refund in certain unplanned situations that cannot be controlled by the passenger, including:
- Death of the traveler, their immediate family member, or traveling companion
- Jury duty obligations coinciding with the dates of the planned trip
- Certain health-related situations
If you submit a request for a refund based on one of these, you will need to back it up with proper documentation.
How to Get a Refund for a United Airlines Ticket?
When asking for a refund for a United Airlines flight ticket, your best bet is to use their website. Depending on the circumstances, you will have two possible courses of action:
- Requesting a refund within 24 hours from the purchase
- Requesting a refund after 24 hours from the purchase
United Airlines Refund Request Within the 24-Hour Window
If you purchased a ticket in the last 24 hours and you need to cancel it with a refund you should:
- Open the Manage reservations page
- Select Flight, if not selected by default
- Type in your confirmation number and the last name on the reservation
- Hit Find
- Follow the rest of the instructions to cancel your ticket or change it, if applicable
Other United Airlines Refund Requests
In case you missed the 24-hour window, you still have the option to ask for a refund in the following manner:
- Go to the Refunds page
- Make sure you are in the Request a refund field
- Fill in your personal information
- Add your flight details
- Explain the reason for your refund request in 1,000 characters or less
- Attach any relevant documents
- Provide your email address for future contact
- Click Submit
United Airlines Refunds via Mail
In situations where you cannot use the Request a refund online form, or you need to provide certain documents in paper, you can contact the company by postal mail at United Airlines, United Refunds, P.O. Box 4607, Dept. NHCRF, Houston, TX 77253-3056. If you choose this option to file a refund request, make sure to include your:
- United ticket number
- Flight information
- Contact information
- Nature of your request
United Airlines Refunds via Phone
Even though a phone is not specified as a viable way to handle refund requests, United Airlines has a phone line dedicated to additional questions regarding refunds. It is not included as an option on the Refund Policies page, but some Reddit users managed to finalize their refund requests over the phone. They can be reached at 1-800-864-8331. Make sure to check United’s Contact page, and our guide to contacting UA customer service, which can save you time!
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Can You Request a Refund Via |
Yes / No |
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DoNotPay | Yes |
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No | |
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Phone | Yes |
| Letter |
Yes |
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Website | Yes |
| In-person |
No |
How Can DoNotPay Help You With United Refunds?
Changing your flight plans usually causes stress. Dealing with convoluted airlines’ policies about what is and isn’t allowed causes even more stress. How could it not when your money is on the line?
If you don’t want to bother with combing through the United Airlines website, DoNotPay can help. You don’t need to waste time or energy. Instead, create a profile on the DoNotPay website in your .
After you sign up, log in and follow these straightforward instructions:
- Choose File a Chargeback
- Select the payment option you used for purchasing a ticket with United Airlines
- Provide the name and the address of your bank
- Make sure to type in United Airlines when asked about the merchant
- Answer a few additional short questions
- Confirm your personal information and finish the process
In just a few moments, DoNotPay’s virtual assistant will create a letter that can be sent to your bank to dispute the charges. You can also get a statement with all relevant MasterCard and Visa regulations that support your claim.
Don’t stop there. DoNotPay has your back if you need to get compensation for United Airlines overbooked flights or poor United wifi. Our AI Consumer Champion app will even help you send demand letters to United Airlines if it comes to that.
How Long Does It Take to Get a Refund From United Airlines?
Once you submit your refund request on the website or by mail and it gets approved, the money will be returned to the original form of payment. For credit card refunds, you should allow up to seven business days. If you cannot see the refund within one billing cycle, you should contact your credit card company. All other refunds are processed within 20 days. The 20-day window refers to:
- Cash
- Check
- Traveler’s check
- United.com gift certificate
- United.com gift TravelBank
- PayPal
- Electronic certificate
How to Check the Status of Your United Airline Refund?
In case you want to check the status of the refund request you submitted some time ago, you can use United’s website:
- Open the Refunds page
- Click on Check status
- Enter your last name
- Provide a ticket, document, or tracking number
- Hit the Check status button
If you prefer to talk to a representative, you might get more information about your refund by dialing 1-800-864-8331.
DoNotPay Offers Help With More Than United Airlines Refunds
DoNotPay doesn’t deal with just one airline. If you need to secure a refund from Delta, Frontier, Southwest, or American Airlines, the world’s first AI Consumer Champion will be there to assist you along the way.
Our app offers help with other administrative and issues that might bother you daily. Many people don’t even know that they can do something about high medical bills, scary stalkers, or the robocall epidemic.
DoNotPay wants to make sure that you don’t lose money or time on fixing these problems. Open DoNotPay in your , sit back and explore the things that we can help with, including:
- Fixing issues with credit cards
- Fighting speeding tickets
- Getting rid of unwanted subscriptions or memberships
- Getting refunds from other companies
- Jumping the phone queue when getting in touch with customer service reps
- Getting revenge on robocalls
- Suing people and companies in small claims court
- Getting a DMV appointment fast and easy
- Dealing with traffic tickets
- Contesting parking tickets
- Dealing with bills you are unable to pay
- Getting refunded for delayed or canceled flights
- Protecting yourself from stalking and harassment