How To Cancel United AirlinesFlight and Get a Refund?

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Life is unpredictable, and sometimes travel plans change. If you’ve booked a flight with United Airlines but need to cancel, don’t worry—United has flexible cancellation policies that may help you get a refund. In this guide, we’ll explain how to cancel a United Airlines flight and get a refund step by step.

1. Understand United Airlines’ Cancellation Policy

Before you cancel your flight, it’s important to understand United Airlines’ cancellation rules. These vary depending on the type of ticket you’ve purchased:

Basic Economy Tickets:

Generally non-refundable and non-changeable.
You can only cancel within 24 hours of booking to get a full refund.

Non-Refundable Tickets:

You can cancel, but you’ll receive a travel credit instead of cash.
Credits are valid for 12 months from the original booking date.

Refundable Tickets:

These offer the most flexibility.
You can cancel at any time before departure and get a full refund to your original payment method.

Award Tickets (MileagePlus):

You can cancel award bookings and often redeposit your miles with little or no fee.

2. Cancel Within 24 Hours for a Full Refund

United Airlines allows all passengers to cancel their flight within 24 hours of booking—as long as the flight was booked at least 7 days before departure.

To cancel within this window and get a full refund, just log into your account or use the United app.

3. How to Cancel Your United Flight

Cancelling your flight is simple. Follow these steps:

Visit www.united.com.
Click on “My Trips”.
Enter your confirmation number and last name.
Select your trip and click “Cancel”.
Follow the prompts to complete cancellation.

If you’re using the United app, the process is just as easy. Go to “My Trips,” choose your flight, and tap “Cancel Flight.”

4. Requesting a Refund

After canceling, you may wonder how to get your money back. Here's how:

If your ticket is refundable, you’ll be given the option to request a refund online during cancellation.
For non-refundable tickets, you’ll usually receive United Travel Credit, not cash.
You can also visit United’s Refund Request page here:

Fill out the form with your ticket details and reason for cancellation. Refunds may take 7 to 20 business days to process, depending on your bank.

5. Refund Exceptions

You may be eligible for a full refund, even on non-refundable tickets, in certain situations:

Death of a passenger or immediate family member
Military orders
Severe illness (with documentation)

In these cases, contact United Customer Service and provide the necessary documents.

6. How to Use United Travel Credit

If you’ve received Future Flight Credit instead of cash, here’s how to use it:

Go to United’s booking page.
Choose your flight.
At checkout, apply your travel credit from your United account.

Credits must usually be used within 12 months of the original booking.

Final Thoughts

Cancelling a flight isn’t fun, but United Airlines makes it relatively simple. Whether you’re cancelling due to personal reasons or unexpected emergencies, it’s important to know your ticket type and follow the proper steps.