United Ups Change Fees for Award Tickets

Effective immediately—and with no advance notice—United has increased the fees non-elite MileagePlus members will pay to change an award booking or cancel an award booking and have the miles redeposited into a MileagePlus account.

• To change a booking date more than 21 days prior to departure, the fee increases from zero to $75.
• To change a booking date less than 21 days prior to departure, the fee increases from $75 to $100.
• To change the origin or destination of a flight, at any time, the fee increases from $75 to $100.
• To cancel a trip and redeposit the miles, the fee increases from $150 to $200.

For context, change fees more than 21 days out are still free on American, and canceling and redepositing miles still costs $150 on other major carriers. United’s changes open the door for increases at other carriers, and they’re likely to follow.

Reader Reality Check

Nasty business, or business as usual?

This article originally appeared on FrequentFlier.com.

You Might Also Like:

• In-Flight Exercises That Aren’t Embarrassing
• 10 Free Things at Airports
• 
  Hottest New Planes in the Sky