United Airlines has followed other major U.S. carriers and has brought back the change fee waiver for tickets purchased in all classes including Basic Economy, making them essentially flexible.
While fare differences apply passengers with existing Basic Economy tickets now have the ability of making changes to their travel dates without any penalty as until the end of 2021.
This comes as the pandemic is still showing it’s teeth and cases are on the rise again, mainly due to the Delta Variant now making the rounds in the U.S..
With this, many customers are seeking to make changes to their travel arrangements especially as restrictions are being implemented once again at many destinations.
You can access United Airlines travel waivers and ticket change fee policies here.
Tickets: Applies to standard fare tickets issued between March 3, 2020, and September 30, 2021, and Basic Economy fare tickets issued between March 3, 2020, and April 30, 2021, or Basic Economy tickets issued between May 1, 2021 and December 31, 2021 for travel between August 11 and December 31, 2021.
Changes/Cancellations: Customers with Basic Economy fare tickets issued between March 3, 2020, and April 30, 2021, or between May 1, 2021 and December 31, 2021 for travel between August 11 and December 31, 2021, or standard fare tickets issued between March 3, 2020, and September 30, 2021, will be permitted to change without paying a change fee. If the new flight is priced higher, the customer may change for no change fee but must pay the fare difference. If the new flight is priced lower, the customer may change without paying a change fee, and standard fare tickets may be given residual value in the form of a future flight credit. If you purchased your ticket from a third-party agency, please check with the issuing agency for the rules of your ticket. Contract fares such as special bulk fares sold by travel agencies (e.g., opaque) may not be eligible for free changes. Any changes or cancellations must occur prior to ticketed travel date.
Please note: As of August 30, 2020, we no longer have change fees for most Economy and premium cabin tickets for flights within the U.S., or between the U.S. and Mexico or the Caribbean. We also no longer have change fees for international travel originating in the U.S. For more information visit united.com/changefee.
Fare validity: This applies to all standard fare tickets issued through September 30, 2021, all destinations, all points-of-sale, all travel dates available for sale, provided ticket number starts with 016. It also applies to Basic Economy fare tickets issued through April 30, 2021 or Basic Economy tickets issued between May 1, 2021 and December 31, 2021 for travel between August 11 and December 31, 2021, all destinations, all points of sale, provided the ticket number starts with 016.
Miscellaneous: Fares, fees, rules and offers are subject to change without notice. Seats are capacity-controlled and may not be available on all flights or days. Some fares are nonrefundable except during the first 24 hours after purchase. Other restrictions may apply.
United seem to have backdated their policy to purchases made on or after May 1, 2021 so that’s a welcome surprise for those holding Basic Economy tickets.
As the policy says clearly If the new flight is priced higher, the customer may change for no change fee but must pay the fare difference. If the new flight is priced lower, the customer may change without paying a change fee, and standard fare tickets may be given residual value in the form of a future flight credit. So while you’re able to change for free, only standard fares are eligible to receive a residual value credit.
This policy was updated on August 11th and is good for tickets through December 31, 2021 which you could then push into 2022, however keep in mind that ticket validity is usually one year from the date of original purchase.
I rarely if ever purchase Basic Economy these days as this means I can’t get upgraded. That being said I probably should have just gone for the cheaper fare on my flights this months since as Premier Gold I didn’t get upgraded a single time in August.
Conclusion
United Airlines Basic Economy customers with tickets purchased between May 1, 2021 and December 31, 2021 can now apply free changes to their tickets without incurring any fee or charges unless the fare changes (which is quite often the case).
You can play around with your tickets quite a bit at the moment, I noticed that when I had my Seattle – San Francisco flight last week and just for fun I went through a few random changes including picking a totally different destination and it priced with zero fare difference. Great for travelers who love to be flexible!
