Going home a day early: A successful use of United's no change fee policy
Editor's Note
All it took was $3.97 to fly home a day early.
A recent trip on United reminded me just how important it is to take full advantage of U.S. airlines' no change fee policies, a pandemic-era development that seems set to stick around.
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As TPG’s newest reporter, I had been spending the week meeting some of the team in our New York office and was supposed to return home to Houston on Friday. But my plans changed: A check of the weather forecast for Friday spooked me, and I immediately got the sense that my Friday afternoon flight would be severely delayed or even canceled.
I simply went on the United app and found several free or inexpensive options for an alternate flight. I chose inexpensive: a whopping $3.97. I paid for it with my United Explorer Card, which will earn me 8 MileagePlus miles (enough for, well, not much of anything). Soon after, I was on my way to Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR) a day early. As a MileagePlus Premier 1K member, I was even able to select one of the best Economy Plus seats on United’s 737-800s for free: 7F, a bulkhead that features under-seat storage.
United stunned the industry in August 2020 when it announced it was permanently eliminating change fees for domestic and close-in international destinations on non-Basic Economy tickets, and its competitors quickly matched the policy with certain variations. Before this development, the change I made would have cost $203.97, including a $200 change fee. The change was a customer-friendly move that eliminated an important segmentation device (the change fee) that often provided the airline’s lucrative business customers incentive to purchase a more expensive, flexible fare.
Another option for changes is United’s same-day change (SDC) policy, which becomes available 24 hours before your original flight is scheduled to depart. A confirmed change is free for MileagePlus Premier members, and $75 for everyone else, while standby options are available at no charge. Had I waited for the SDC window to open for my original Friday flight time, however, I would not have made it to EWR in time for the Thursday flight I ended up taking.
More: A comprehensive guide to United Airlines’ new same-day flight change policy
While a fare difference could be quite high, making a change not worth it, it’s important to always check your flight change options to see what’s available. With airline pricing and availability being highly dynamic, persistence could very well lead to a positive outcome like I had.
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The Capital One Venture X card is one of the best all-round travel credit cards ever launched. Not only is it offering a tremendous welcome bonus, but cardholders can earn tons of miles on everyday spending and receive a 10,000-mile anniversary bonus to boot. Its annual fee is $395, but cardholders can count on up to $300 in statement credits toward travel booked through Capital One Travel each year and other valuable benefits like access to Priority Pass lounges and Capital One’s own growing family of airport lounges.Pros
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Cons
- The $395 annual fee might be expensive for some, but this card’s benefits provide much more value than that.
- If you don’t travel frequently, this might not be the best card for you.
- Earn 75,000 bonus miles when you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening, equal to $750 in travel
- Receive up to $300 back annually as statement credits for bookings through Capital One Travel, where you'll get Capital One's best prices on thousands of options
- Get 10,000 bonus miles (equal to $100 towards travel) every year, starting on your first anniversary
- Earn unlimited 10X miles on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel and 5X miles on flights booked through Capital One Travel
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Rewards Rate
10X | Earn unlimited 10X miles on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel |
5X | 5X miles on flights booked through Capital One Travel. |
2X | 2 Miles per dollar on every purchase, every day |
Intro Offer
Earn 75,000 bonus miles when you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening, equal to $750 in travel75,000 bonus milesAnnual Fee
$395Recommended Credit
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Why We Chose It
The Capital One Venture X card is one of the best all-round travel credit cards ever launched. Not only is it offering a tremendous welcome bonus, but cardholders can earn tons of miles on everyday spending and receive a 10,000-mile anniversary bonus to boot. Its annual fee is $395, but cardholders can count on up to $300 in statement credits toward travel booked through Capital One Travel each year and other valuable benefits like access to Priority Pass lounges and Capital One’s own growing family of airport lounges.Pros
- Excellent welcome offer worth 75,000 miles after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first three months.
- Up to $300 in annual travel statement credits toward bookings make through Capital One Travel.
- 10,000 bonus miles (worth $100 toward travel) each account anniversary.
Cons
- The $395 annual fee might be expensive for some, but this card’s benefits provide much more value than that.
- If you don’t travel frequently, this might not be the best card for you.
- Earn 75,000 bonus miles when you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening, equal to $750 in travel
- Receive up to $300 back annually as statement credits for bookings through Capital One Travel, where you'll get Capital One's best prices on thousands of options
- Get 10,000 bonus miles (equal to $100 towards travel) every year, starting on your first anniversary
- Earn unlimited 10X miles on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel and 5X miles on flights booked through Capital One Travel
- Earn unlimited 2X miles on all other purchases
- Unlimited complimentary access for you and two guests to 1,300+ lounges, including Capital One Lounges and the Partner Lounge Network
- Receive up to a $100 credit for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck®
- Use your Venture X miles to easily cover travel expenses, including flights, hotels, rental cars and more—you can even transfer your miles to your choice of 15+ travel loyalty programs
- Named editors' choice for "Best New Credit Card of 2021" by The Points Guy
- Earn 10 miles per dollar when you book on Turo, the world's largest car sharing marketplace, through May 16, 2023