Update: United confirmed the basic economy fees below with me, but they note that the fees on one-way basic economy tickets will be half the round-trip price, so $49.50 and $99.50 respectively.
United also notes that they are the only airline that offers the choice between buying up from basic economy to economy and paying a fee to cancel a basic economy ticket.
Earlier this year Delta extended eCredits and ticket validity through 12/31/23.
United has now copied that move. Wholly unused tickets that were issued or will be issued between 5/1/19-12/31/22 will now be valid through 12/31/23. Travel must begin by 12/31/23.
That means if you cancelled wholly unused travel and are holding onto a future flight credit, it is now valid through 12/31/23.
Delta announced last year that they would allow passengers to pay for changes on basic economy tickets. They charge $99 for changes to flights within the US, Caribbean, Mexico, and Central America or $199 for other flights. That price point undercut JetBlue by $1, as they charge $100 for changes to flights within the US, Caribbean, Mexico, and Central America or $200 for other flights.
I did several searches on United for basic economy tickets and the fare rules on all of them now indicate that they have matched Delta’s policy. They charge $99 for changes to flights within the US, Caribbean, Mexico, and Central America or $199 for other flights.
This only applies to wholly unused basic economy tickets issued as of today.
Do you think that other airlines will match?
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11 Comments On "United Matches Delta In Extending Ticket Validity, Allowing Changes On Basic Economy Tickets For A Fee"
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Glad to hear about the ticket change option on basic econ. For someone with a UA credit card, there’s not much value proposition to upgrade from basic econ. The biggest drawback was the lack of ability to cancel at all. Now that it’s there, it could make sense depending on the up-charge to regular econ.
Can you use United ETC to pay for bags?
Yes
care to share how?
Doesn’t United allow free changes as long as it’s 30 days out?
Not on basic economy.
That’s on award tickets
Did United change their Tlv routes direct? I got an email that tickets were changed from sfo-Tlv to sfo-ewr-Tlv?
What about Travel Bank credits?
What if I have a united flight but it’s booked through the Merrill Lynch travel portal? If I cancel the ticket, is the amount valid till the end of next year?
If my delta flight was canceled because of covid, can I use that flight credit with delta to book a flight for a different family member? I really need to know and am not sure how to find this out, so would love if you have an answer for me, thanks Dan