United Airlines General Cancellation Policy 24-Hour Risk-Free Cancellation: United Airlines offers a 24-hour risk-free cancellation period for all bookings made at least seven days before the departure date.

Under United Airlines' "24-hour flexible booking policy," you can cancel any flight—including Basic Economy—within 24 hours of purchase for a full refund, provided you booked the ticket at least one week before departure. Beyond this window, the rules depend on your ticket type. For standard Economy or higher, United eliminated change and cancellation fees in 2021; you can cancel your flight up until the moment of departure and receive a Future Flight Credit valid for 12 months. If you purchased a fully Refundable Ticket, you can cancel at any time before the doors close and receive your money back to the original form of payment. However, if you have a Basic Economy ticket and are past the initial 24-hour window, you generally cannot cancel for a credit or refund. For "Award Tickets" (booked with miles), United allows you to cancel and redeposit your miles for free at any time before departure, though a $125 "no-show" fee applies if the flight has already taken off.