travel bank refund united

TravelBank usually processes refunds within 5 to 7 business days, but for refunds involving our airline partners, timelines may vary. The refund or credit amount available is determined by the ticket type and eligibility; some ticket cancellations may be eligible for a credit and some may be eligible for a refund. Contact our travel support team ( [email protected] ) for more details.

Read our article about canceling or modifying your flight .

An official website of the United States Government

• Kreyòl ayisyen
• Search Toggle search Search Include Historical Content - Any - No Include Historical Content - Any - No Search
• Menu Toggle menu
• INFORMATION FOR…
• Individuals
• Business & Self Employed
• Charities and Nonprofits
• International Taxpayers
• Federal State and Local Governments
• Indian Tribal Governments
• Tax Exempt Bonds
• FILING FOR INDIVIDUALS
• How to File
• When to File
• Where to File
• Update Your Information
• Get Your Tax Record
• Apply for an Employer ID Number (EIN)
• Check Your Amended Return Status
• Get an Identity Protection PIN (IP PIN)
• File Your Taxes for Free
• Bank Account (Direct Pay)
• Payment Plan (Installment Agreement)
• Electronic Federal Tax Payment System (EFTPS)
• Your Online Account
• Tax Withholding Estimator
• Estimated Taxes
• Where's My Refund
• What to Expect
• Direct Deposit
• Reduced Refunds
• Amend Return

Credits & Deductions

• INFORMATION FOR...
• Businesses & Self-Employed
• Earned Income Credit (EITC)
• Child Tax Credit
• Clean Energy and Vehicle Credits
• Standard Deduction
• Retirement Plans

Forms & Instructions

• POPULAR FORMS & INSTRUCTIONS
• Form 1040 Instructions
• Form 4506-T
• POPULAR FOR TAX PROS
• Form 1040-X
• Circular 230

IRS, Security Summit partners warn taxpayers of new scam; unusual delivery service mailing tries to trick people into sending photos, bank account information

More in news.

• Topics in the news
• News releases for frequently asked questions
• Multimedia center
• Tax relief in disaster situations
• Inflation Reduction Act
• Taxpayer First Act
• Tax scams and consumer alerts
• The tax gap
• Fact sheets
• IRS Tax Tips
• e-News subscriptions
• IRS guidance
• Media contacts
• IRS statements and announcements

IR-2023-123, July 3, 2023

WASHINGTON ― The Internal Revenue Service warned taxpayers today to be on the lookout for a new scam mailing that tries to mislead people into believing they are owed a refund.

The new scheme involves a mailing coming in a cardboard envelope from a delivery service. The enclosed letter includes the IRS masthead and wording that the notice is "in relation to your unclaimed refund."

Like many scams, the letter includes contact information and a phone number that do not belong to the IRS. But it also seeks a variety of sensitive personal information from taxpayers – including detailed pictures of driver's licenses – that can be used by identity thieves to try obtaining a tax refund and other sensitive financial information.

"This is just the latest in the long string of attempts by identity thieves posing as the IRS in hopes of tricking people into providing valuable personal information to steal identities and money, including tax refunds," said IRS Commissioner Danny Werfel. "These scams can come in through email, text or even in special mailings. People should be careful to watch out for red flags that clearly mark these as IRS scams."

The Security Summit – a coalition between the IRS, state tax administrators and the nation's tax industry – continue to warn people to protect their personal information to protect against tax-related identity theft as well as scams like this.

In this new scam, there are many warning signs that can be seen in many similar schemes via email or by text. An unusual feature of this scam is that it tries tricking people to email or phone very detailed personal information in hopes of stealing valuable information.

The letter tells the recipients they need to provide "Filing Information" for their refund. This includes some awkwardly worded requests like this:

"A Clear Phone of Your Driver's License That Clearly Displays All Four (4) Angles, Taken in a Place with Good Lighting."

The letter proceeds for more sensitive information including cellphone number, bank routing information, Social Security number and bank account type, followed by a poorly worded warning:

"You'll Need to Get This to Get Your Refunds After Filing. These Must Be Given to a Filing Agent Who Will Help You Submit Your Unclaimed Property Claim. Once You Send All The Information Please Try to Be Checking Your Email for Response From The Agents Thanks"

This letter contains a variety of warning signs, including odd punctuation and a mixture of fonts as well as inaccuracies.

For example, the letter says the deadline for filing tax refunds is Oct. 17; the deadline for people on extension for their 2022 tax returns is actually Oct.16, and those owed refunds from last year have time beyond that. And the IRS handles tax refunds, not "unclaimed property."

Important reminders about scams

The IRS and Security Summit partners regularly warn people about common scams, including the annual IRS Dirty Dozen list .

Taxpayers and tax professionals should be alert to fake communications posing as legitimate organizations in the tax and financial community, including the IRS and states. These messages can arrive in the form of an unsolicited text or email to lure unsuspecting victims to provide valuable personal and financial information that can lead to identity theft, including phishing and smishing.

The IRS never initiates contact with taxpayers by email, text or social media regarding a bill or tax refund.

As a reminder: Never click on any unsolicited communication claiming to be the IRS as it may surreptitiously load malware. It may also be a way for malicious hackers to load ransomware that keeps the legitimate user from accessing their system and files.

Individuals should never respond to tax-related phishing or smishing or click on the URL link. Instead, the scams should be reported by sending the email or a copy of the text/SMS as an attachment to [email protected] . The report should include the caller ID (email or phone number), date, time and time zone, and the number that received the message.

Taxpayers can also report scams to the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration or the Internet Crime Complaint Center . The Report Phishing and Online Scams page at IRS.gov provides complete details. The Federal Communications Commission's Smartphone Security Checker is a useful tool against mobile security threats.

The IRS also warns taxpayers to be wary of messages that appear to be from friends or family but that are possibly stolen or compromised email or text accounts from someone they know. This remains a popular way to target individuals and tax preparers for a variety of scams. Individuals should verify the identity of the sender by using another communication method; for instance, calling a number they independently know to be accurate, not the number provided in the email or text.

milenomics.com

Learn, Use, Repeat. A detailed trip into the world of Points, Miles, and Travel. How to earn more Miles and how to use those miles more effectively

Things to Keep in Mind About Airline Travel Bank Credits

Editor’s Note: The following Post is Guest written by Matt from Miles Earn and Burn. Special thanks to Matt for putting this resource together.

In Episode 48 of the Milenomics No-Annual Fee Edition Podcast, Robert and Sam talked about the perils involved in holding funds in airline travel banks or certificates. To summarize this excellent discussion, each airline has different expiry rules, travel banks are held and redeemed in different ways, and sometimes you can extend the validity of the funds, but sometimes not. Of course these funds are still useful in travel hacking, especially for cashing out certain types of travel credits from premium credit cards.

Perhaps it goes without saying, but if you have the choice between a full cash-out and a travel bank, always take the full cash out. Travel banks aren’t the same as cash and shouldn’t be treated as such. Cash, for example doesn’t expire, cash can be used to buy seat-upgrades and pay change fees, cash doesn’t tie you to a particular airline, cash can be invested to earn a return. Cash is fungible, travel bank funds are not. For those times when cash isn’t an option, here are the basic rules for the major US airlines in order of my perceived ease of use:

United Travel Bank

United’s Travel Bank is arguably the most straight forward to use and keep active. It unfortunately can’t be used on non-United or United Express flights, and as of January 14, 2021 it doesn’t seem to work as a way to cash out American Express Platinum airline credit.

Note: United’s Travel Bank Terms and Conditions only mention an expiration at 18 months, but they show a different expiration date next to each load at this link . It’s unclear whether either or both apply. To be safe, I’d assume both.

JetBlue Travel Bank

JetBlue’s Travel Bank is managed by Sabre, not JetBlue itself, a fact which is painfully obvious when you try and interact with it and see how disconnected from JetBlue’s website it truly is.

Alaska Airlines Credit Certificates

Alaska doesn’t have a travel bank, but they have a wallet which lets you combine certificates into something that looks like a bank. You can see your wallet funds at this link . During the height of the travel downturn caused by the COVID pandemic Alaska let you convert certificates into miles, however that offer has expired and I don’t expect it to come back.

Southwest Airlines Travel Funds

Southwest travel funds are easy to see and manage , but there’s a huge caveat with them: if you book airfare using multiple funds, the earliest expiration date applies to the new booking — you must complete travel before expiration and if you cancel the newly booked ticket, you’ll get a new travel fund certificate that expires on the date of the earliest expiration original funds.

Delta Air Lines eCredits

Delta has no formal travel bank program, but they do have eCredits for non-refundable fares cancelled more than 24 hours after booking. You can use up to three of them per ticket, but the eCredit must be booked in the name of the certificate holder. If everything is working with Delta’s IT, you should be able to see them at this link . (Note: This never works for me, but I’ve seen it work for others. I have to call reservations to find out what I’ve got.)

Note that unlike most other airlines, Delta’s eCredits just require that you book by expiration, even if your flight is months after the expiry of the eCredit, it can still be used to pay for airfare.

American Airlines Vouchers

American doesn’t have a full travel bank like some other airlines, but they do have eVouchers, Travel Vouchers, and Trip Credits, all of which are largely similar.

Matt is the creator of Miles Earn And Burn , a travel hacking short-post blog that posts once per day, Monday through Friday.

About the author

Related posts.

This Week in Bank Points: Stacking AmEx Insider Fares, 35% Rebate, 4x and more for Flights

Best Points and Miles for Aer Lingus Business Class in 2018

Episode 54: New Routes, New Airlines, New Welcome Bonuses

Helpful overview, thanks for the work Matt

Thank you Mike and Maria!

• Pingback: Southwest Companion Pass, Bank Bonuses, TikTok Financial Advice, Biden Era Begins - TravelBloggerBuzz
• Pingback: Weekend Vibes – Miles Earn and Burn
• Pingback: Tuesday Triple Threat – Miles Earn and Burn

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Notify me of follow-up comments by email.

Notify me of new posts by email.

Hand-Picked Top-Read Stories

Guide: How does the $400 Hilton credit work?

Review: SAS Airbus A320neo Economy Oslo to Stockholm

Your United TravelBank funds may expire a lot earlier than you think

In this post Hide

United travelbank, expiration dates, the pundit’s mantra.

For many in this hobby, using travel credits is often a tough task. Over the last few months, we’ve seen many blogs report how United’s Travel Bank can be an option to use up your airline free credit. However, you’ll need to keep the terms and condition in mind before you load up your United TravelBank account with funds.

Over the last few months, many data points have indicated that this has worked successfully for many people in different denominations, right from a $50 load to a $250 load across different card products and issuers. However, unlike United’s MileagePlus miles which no longer expire, United’s Travel Bank funds do expire .

You’ll need to remember two sets of rules here. Firstly, the T & C’s that determine when your individual travel fund loads will expire. As soon as you load an amount to the Travel Bank, you can use that amount for five years on any United operated flight. The flight must be on United metal. However, you can use your travel bank funds to book flights for someone else.

Members can choose from six purchase amount options and once purchased the value remains valid for five years from the date it is deposited in your TravelBank account. Purchases are not refundable and are limited to $5,000 per day per MileagePlus account. This purchase is also subject to all of the  TravelBank terms and conditions .

These funds expire in batches, on a rolling basis every five years. Here’s a snapshot of how it looks in my account.

Secondly, there are T & Cs that also determine travel fund expiration due to inactivity.

As a general rule (and unless stated otherwise by United under the terms of a particular offer or the terms of certain qualifying activity as determined by United from time to time) all accrued TravelBank Cash in an Account is subject to expiration and/or forfeiture for any Member who fails at any time to engage in Account Activity (as defined above) for a period of eighteen (18) consecutive months. United may, but shall have no obligation to, send a Member a notification of TravelBank Cash nearing or subject to expiration.

While United TravelBank is a great option to use your credits, you’ll need to keep a couple of things in mind. Firstly, the funds you load will expire every 5 years, but in batches. Secondly, if your TravelBank account has no activity for 18 months, you may lose all the funds in your account. Moreover, United may or may not send you any notification about expiring funds well in advance.

I hope this post was able to shed light on the complexities of travel bank fund expiration. While this option is great, the last thing you’d want is to load thousands of dollars into it and lose all the funds due to lack of activity for 18 months.

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

The American Express Gold Card is currently offering a welcome bonus of 60,000 Membership Rewards points. You’ll earn a welcome bonus of 60,000 Membership Rewards points after you spend $4,000 in the first 6 months after you’re approved for the card.

Moreover, the card offers lucrative bonus earning categories, benefits and credits.

• 4x points on dining (including takeout and delivery) and grocery spend
• 3x points on flights
• $120 dining credit annually
• $120 Uber Eats/Uber credit annually
• $100 airline credit (ends on December 31, 2021)
• No foreign transaction fees

Never miss out on the deals, analysis, news and travel industry trends. Like us on  Facebook , follow us on  Instagram  and  Twitter   and get the latest content!

Disclosure:  The Points Pundit receives NO compensation from credit card affiliate partnerships. Support the blog by applying for a card through my personal referral links . This article is meant for information purposes only and doesn’t constitute personal finance, health or investment advice. Please consult a licensed professional for advice pertaining to your situation.

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed .

Does the 18 month account activity requirement still apply? I can’t find the clause in the terms and conditions.

I’m almost at 18 months no activity, so am worried about expiration

i tried to book with my travelbank, leaving ~$1 to pay with my united credit card so i could get a free checked bag. it didn’t go through. anyone had success with this?

[…] Your United TravelBank funds may expire a … – TravelUpdate […]

Here are my TB purchases: 01/04/2021 $100.00

01/04/2021 $100.00

01/02/2021 $50.00

10/18/2020 $50.00

10/18/2020 $100.00

So does that mean my earliest TB deposit on 10/18/20 will expire on 4/18/22? I heard the 18 month thing was phased out, but the verbage is still there on the T&C. If I buy another $50 TB on 4/17/22, then do ALL of my TB then reset to expire 18 months from that purchase date? (e.g. 18 mos from 4/17/22)?

Or Can I just book a fully refundable ticket for $400 (my total TB amount) and then refund it after a couple days?

[…] 资金过期规则一直有点迷惑，根据 TravelUpdate […]

Sign Up for Our Newsletters

Previous post.

• Credit Cards

Review: Bank of America Premium Rewards Card

• Loyalty Programs

Enjoy Up to 60% Hotel Savings with a Complimentary Club 1 Hotels Membership!

More posts by: the points pundit.

Hilton card offers are back, earn 175,000 points & 1 free night!

5 free nights on offer, here’s how to check if you qualify…

Earn 110,000 miles with limited time Delta card offers!

185,000 points bonus, here’s how to check if you qualify…

90,000 bonus points: 7 reasons to get the Chase Ink Business Unlimited Card

• Credit cards
• View all credit cards
• Banking guide
• Loans guide
• Insurance guide
• Personal finance
• View all personal finance
• Small business
• Small business guide
• View all taxes

You’re our first priority. Every time.

We believe everyone should be able to make financial decisions with confidence. And while our site doesn’t feature every company or financial product available on the market, we’re proud that the guidance we offer, the information we provide and the tools we create are objective, independent, straightforward — and free.

So how do we make money? Our partners compensate us. This may influence which products we review and write about (and where those products appear on the site), but it in no way affects our recommendations or advice, which are grounded in thousands of hours of research. Our partners cannot pay us to guarantee favorable reviews of their products or services. Here is a list of our partners .

How to Get a United Airlines Refund

Many or all of the products on this page are from partners who compensate us when you click to or take an action on their website, but this does not influence our evaluations or ratings. Our opinions are our own.

Table of Contents

United Airlines refund policy

If you want a refund because united chose to cancel your flight, how to claim a united refund or flight credits, what if united airlines won’t refund you, how to know if you purchased refundable united airlines tickets or not, are united flights refundable yes, in certain circumstances.

So you had to cancel your United Airlines flight , and it’s time for the next step — getting a refund. The United Airlines refund policy varies depending on the airfare you booked.

But even if you’re not entitled to a full refund, you might be able to get a future flight credit, so you can apply that money to another flight on United. Just know that travel credits typically expire one year after the date they were issued.

If you are entitled to a refund, United has a simple online refund request form . Here’s how to know whether you’re entitled to a refund on United, and how to actually get it.

Are United flights refundable? In some circumstances, yes. Your ability to get a refund with United hinges on a few factors, including when you choose to cancel it, the airfare type you purchased and whether United chose to cancel your flight or you chose to cancel it.

If you decide to cancel your United flight within 24 hours of booking

All United tickets — even the lowest-cost, basic economy seats — can be canceled for a full cash refund if your ticket was purchased within 24 hours and the purchase is at least a week before departure.

That’s helpful if you spot an airfare deal. With that kind of power, you might impulsively book, then take the day to mull over whether you’ll actually go through with the trip. Just make that cancellation before the 24 hour mark if you opt not to.

If you purchased a United basic economy ticket

Outside of the 24 hour cancellation window, United basic economy airfares are not entitled to either a refund or a future flight credit.

Though, there is a hack of sorts that might be able to get you some money back for a canceled flight, and that’s by adding United economy benefits to a basic economy ticket .

If your airfare is eligible for an upgrade, head to the “Trip details” page on United’s website or navigate to “Reservation details” in the United mobile app. From there, you’ll be able to upgrade your basic economy airfare to a standard economy fare — though you’ll owe United money to do so, and the fee varies per flight.

Do your own calculations based on your initial airfare cost to determine if the cost to upgrade is worth retaining the value of the initial basic economy ticket.

If you opt to convert your basic economy to a standard economy fare, you’ll be eligible to cancel your flight and receive future flight credits. This is a wise move if you know you’ll fly United in the future and the cost to upgrade is less than the value of the original ticket. You’ll still have sunk some money by booking the basic economy fare at the beginning, but you’ll at least be able to recoup some in the form of United travel funds .

If you purchased most other United airfares

With most other airfares, you won’t be able to cancel your United flight for a cash refund, but you can get a future flight credit.

In 2020, United permanently dropped its change fees for most economy and premium cabin tickets for certain routes including:

Flights within the U.S.

Flights between the U.S. and Mexico or the Caribbean.

International travel originating in the U.S.

You don’t have to commit to a new flight to change your original one to another immediately either. If you cancel your flight and don’t choose a new one right away, you’ll get a flight credit that you can use up to one year from your original ticket issue date.

If you do select a different flight immediately upon canceling the initial one, you will owe the fare difference if the new flight is more expensive. Happily, you’ll typically receive the difference in the form of a future flight credit if your new flight costs less.

If you purchased a refundable United airfare

When there’s a chance you’ll cancel your flight and you want the cash back rather than a future flight credit, you have another option: United sells fully refundable versions of its economy fares for an additional fee.

The cost of fully refundable economy fares vary by flight, and — though they tend to run about $30 more each way than the standard economy fares — they’re sometimes more (or less) than that.

Given that United future flight credits must be used within a year, paying the extra $30 or so for a fully refundable airfare might be worth it if you’re not confident you’ll travel with United anytime soon.

What does “fully refundable” mean on United Airlines? This means that the ticket purchased is entitled to a cash refund after canceling the flight. You can buy a refundable ticket in almost any fare class except N, which is always basic economy.

If United Airlines cancels your flight, it doesn’t matter which airfare you bought. You’re entitled to a full refund.

According to the U.S. Department of Transportation, travelers are entitled to a full refund if the airline calls off your flight, regardless of the reason, and you choose not to travel on another flight paid for by United. Airlines are required to make refunds promptly within seven business days for purchases by credit card, or within 20 days if paid by cash or check.

Other special circumstances

There are a few situations where you might still be able to get a refund from United, even if you booked a basic economy airfare (or you have another airfare but you’d prefer cash back over flight credits).

United refunds tickets and any associated change fees in certain cases that are determined based on the individual situation. This can include death of the traveler or a family member, getting called to jury duty and some types of illnesses.

You’ll need to provide documentation, such as a death certificate, copy of the jury summons or a letter (on letterhead) from a licensed physician confirming that travel was not recommended within the validity of the ticket (one year of ticket's issued date) due to illness.

If you’re eligible for a refund, the easiest way to claim it is via the United refunds webpage . Be prepared to enter your confirmation or ticket number, plus your name.

Credit card refunds will be processed within seven business days of you filling out that form, and all other refunds will be processed within 20 business days. The value will be returned back to your original form of payment.

Using United travel credits

To view any account credits, visit the United travel credits webpage . Again, you’ll have to enter the original flight’s confirmation number and your name to access that information. You can also contact United’s reservations phone number at 1-800-864-8331 for help finding it.

When booking a flight using those credits, you must be logged in to your United MileagePlus account that’s affiliated with the credits. From there, shop for flights as you normally would, but select “Travel Credits” as a payment option.

In most cases, these credits are non-transferrable and therefore must be used by the same traveler they were issued to. The credits can be used to buy tickets on United, United Express and partner-operated flights purchased directly through United.

If your ticket isn’t eligible for a refund — say, you purchased a basic economy airfare — then there might be another route for you to get your money back: Travel insurance .

Travel insurance is usually purchased from separate travel insurance companies, or sometimes through your travel agent. And while cost and coverage can vary by provider, it typically amounts to between 5% and 10% of your total trip cost according to insurance comparison site Squaremouth. Sometimes you don’t even need to pay for trip insurance , as many credit cards offer travel insurance as a built-in benefit to customers who pay for their trip on that card. See the best travel rewards cards that provide travel insurance here .

Of course, not even trip insurance is a surefire guarantee of a refund. Unless you’ve purchased a Cancel For Any Reason policy , which is usually more expensive, you’re only entitled to a refund if you cancel for a covered reason, which can vary by insurer. Typically, covered reasons include situations like severe weather or illness, injury or death — largely similar to the reasons why United might grant you a refund as well. And just as United demands proof of your reason to cancel, travel insurance companies typically require that proof too.

You can confirm the type of ticket you purchased by:

Viewing fine print on your original booking confirmation email.

Calling United Airlines Reservations.

Logging into your United MileagePlus account to see your booking details.

Depending on the type of airfare you booked, United refund requests can work out in your favor.

There are refundable and nonrefundable fares in every class except basic economy (first, Polaris, business, premium economy, Premium Plus, Economy Plus, etc). Consider booking nonrefundable United Airlines flights only if you have high confidence in your trip and won’t need the cash equivalent on hand.

How to maximize your rewards

You want a travel credit card that prioritizes what’s important to you. Here are some of the best travel credit cards of 2024 :

Flexibility, point transfers and a large bonus: Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card

No annual fee: Wells Fargo Autograph℠ Card

Flat-rate travel rewards: Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card

Bonus travel rewards and high-end perks: Chase Sapphire Reserve®

Luxury perks: The Platinum Card® from American Express

Business travelers: Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card

on Chase's website

1x-2x Earn 2 miles per $1 spent on dining, hotel stays and United® purchases. 1 mile per $1 spent on all other purchases

50,000 Earn 50,000 bonus miles after you spend $3,000 on purchases in the first 3 months your account is open.

1x-2x Earn 2 miles per $1 spent on United® purchases, dining, at gas stations, office supply stores and on local transit and commuting. Earn 1 mile per $1 spent on all other purchases.

75,000 Earn 75,000 bonus miles after you spend $5,000 on purchases in the first 3 months your account is open.

1x-3x 3 miles per $1 spent on United® purchases. 2 miles per $1 spent on dining, select streaming services & all other travel. 1 mile per $1 spent on all other purchases. Plus, each year, receive up to a $125 United® purchase credit and up to 10,000 miles in award flight credits (terms apply) and earn up to 6,000 Premier qualifying points.

60,000 Earn 60,000 bonus miles and 500 Premier qualifying points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months your account is open.

Tourist information and maps

You can either buy a street map from one of the many newsstands and shops in the train stations, print out a street map of Yekaterinburg, or pick up a free detailed street map from the Ekaterinburg Tourist Information Service [ dead link ] at 8 Marta St. #21, office #2, in the city centre.

Embankment of the City Pond

Navigation menu