United is unusual among big airlines because it openly sells a way to hold a fare for up to two weeks. That makes people wonder whether they need us at all. Sometimes they don't, and we'll show you when FareLock is the better buy. For most visa files, though, the numbers and the timing point to a plain reservation. Everything below is taken from united.com, the US federal regulation that governs airline holds, and official visa guidance. Sources are listed at the end.
United reservation: key facts
| Question | United's or the official answer |
|---|---|
| Where do I find the trip? | My trips, "Find a trip": Confirmation number and Last name. United describes the code as six letters and numbers.[1] |
| FareLock | Hold a flight for 3, 7 or 14 days at a set price. Select flights only; United and United Express operated; charge per ticket; nonrefundable.[2] |
| 24-hour booking policy | Cancel within 24 hours of buying for a full refund, if you booked at least one week before departure.[3] |
| Federal rule | 14 CFR 259.5(b)(4) requires a 24-hour unpaid hold or penalty-free cancellation for bookings a week or more out.[4] |
| US visitor visa | The State Department says to wait for the visa before buying tickets.[5] |
| Alliance | Star Alliance.[8] |
What is United FareLock, and is it good for a visa?
FareLock is United's paid hold. Its product page sums it up: "Use FareLock℠ to hold a seat on your flight for a set price." You choose a hold of 3, 7 or 14 days. During that time the price won't go up and the flight won't sell out, and you can set up auto pay so your card is charged when the hold ends.[2]
The terms and conditions on the same page are where the visa question gets answered:
- FareLock is "only available on select flights", and only on flights operated by United and United Express.
- The charge is per ticket, and FareLock is nonrefundable.
- What you pay for FareLock isn't applied toward the price of the ticket.
- Leave the ticket unpaid past the end of the hold and United cancels the booking. An email reminder arrives 24 hours before that happens.[2]
So FareLock is genuinely useful if you've decided to fly United and want a week to sort out the money. For a visa, two things count against it. The fee is lost if the visa doesn't come through, and if auto pay is switched on, the full fare is charged when the hold runs out, whatever the consulate has decided. Fourteen days is also shorter than many visa queues. United shows the FareLock price only during booking, so we can't quote one here. Compare it with our fixed price before you choose.
How does United's 24-hour booking policy work?
It's a refund window on a ticket you've already bought. United's flexible booking page says you can cancel your reservation within 24 hours of buying your ticket for a full refund without a fee, provided you follow its rules.[3]
- You must have booked the flight at least one week in advance.
- You must cancel within 24 hours of making the reservation.
- You must cancel every flight for every passenger on the booking; partial cancellations don't qualify.
- Basic Economy and Money + Miles bookings can't be changed, but they can be cancelled for a full refund within the window.
The policy covers tickets bought on United's website and app, at its city ticket offices, at airport ticket counters, or through its Customer Contact Center.[3] Bookings made through other agencies follow that agency's rules.
Where does the 24-hour rule come from? 14 CFR 259.5
From Part 259 of Title 14, the US Department of Transportation's rules on enhanced protections for airline passengers. Section 259.5 makes every covered airline write a customer service plan and follow it, and paragraph (b)(4) deals with holds. Taking its wording in pieces: the plan has to let a booking stay "held at the quoted fare", with nothing paid, or else be "cancelled without penalty". That protection runs "for at least twenty-four hours" from booking. There is one condition, too: you must book "one week or more prior" to departure.[4]
Who counts as covered? Section 259.3 sweeps in US airlines and foreign airlines serving US airports alike, as long as they fly scheduled or public charter services with an aircraft of 30-plus seats.[4] United's published policy is the cancel-for-refund kind, and it uses the same one-week condition as the regulation. Our Delta guide quotes paragraph (b)(4) in full and compares Delta's version.
| Option | You pay | Lasts | Sensible for |
|---|---|---|---|
| United FareLock | Nonrefundable charge per ticket, not credited to the fare[2] | 3, 7 or 14 days | Buyers who need time to pay |
| United 24-hour booking policy | Full fare, refunded if cancelled in time[3] | 24 hours; booked a week or more ahead | Undoing a mistake |
| Reservation from us | $9 / ₹699 / £7 per passenger | Up to 2 weeks; United sets the exact period | Visa applications |
| Refundable United fare | Full fare | Until travel | Paid-ticket checklists and border onward checks |
Need United flights for a visa file?
A United reservation in your name, searchable on united.com, from $9 or ₹699 per passenger.
How do you find a United reservation on united.com?
United's page is called My trips, and the box you want is "Find a trip". It has just two fields.[1]
- Go to united.com and open My trips. Signing in to MileagePlus is optional.
- Under Find a trip, type the confirmation number.
- Type the last name of a traveller on the booking.
- Press Next and check the flight numbers, times and spelling.
United's FAQ on that page explains that bookings made through a third party come with a six-character code of letters and numbers, which you need to open the trip. It also says that to view a reservation "you must have the United confirmation number".[1] Always use the United code from your PDF, not any other reference. If it won't open, the surname spelling is the first thing to compare. The full routine is in verifying your reservation before you submit.
How should the name be entered?
Like the passport, with the surname as the last name. United flights to and from the US fall under the TSA's Secure Flight programme, which wants the full name as it appears on the government ID you travel with; airline guidance on the programme says small differences like a middle initial shouldn't cause trouble at the airport.[9] A visa officer is less forgiving of a reservation that doesn't match the passport, so get it exactly right.
Practical cases: if your passport lists "KUMAR" as surname and "RAVI SHANKAR" as given names, that's how the booking should read. If there's no surname at all, tell us and we'll handle the format. See the name format guide.
Which visa applications use a United reservation?
Mostly three, in our experience at the desk.
US visitor visas from abroad. United flies to the US from many countries, so it's a common choice for a planned B1/B2 trip. The State Department's advice is to wait until you have the visa before buying tickets.[5] A reservation lets you give concrete dates without that risk. Read our US visa guide first.
Schengen visas for US residents. If you're in Newark, Chicago or San Francisco on a work or student visa and need a Schengen visa, a United return to Europe is a natural itinerary. Schengen consulates take applications from six months to 15 days before travel, and usually decide in 15 days.[6] See Indians living in the US.
Latin America from the US. Like the Houston to Panama City sample below. Here be careful: some countries in the region check onward travel at the border. Costa Rica, for example, asks visitors for proof of a pre-purchased exit ticket.[7] A reservation won't meet a "pre-purchased" rule, so buy a refundable onward fare. Our Costa Rica onward ticket guide has the detail.
When you open a United reservation, look past the route. The sample shows flight UA 1916 leaving Houston Intercontinental from Terminal E on 30 September at 10:03 and reaching Panama City's Tocumen airport, Terminal 2, at 14:14. Those are the details a careful officer may compare with your cover letter: the date, of course, but also whether the arrival time makes your first hotel night believable. If you say you'll check in to a hotel in Panama City on the 29th, the itinerary contradicts you. Small mismatches like that are easy to avoid and annoying to explain.
FareLock or a reservation: a worked example
Say you live in Chicago, your Schengen appointment at the consulate is on 12 November, and you'd fly Chicago–Frankfurt on 6 December.
With FareLock, you'd lock the fare a few days before the appointment, probably for 14 days. The hold then runs out around 22 to 24 November. The EU's standard 15-day decision time, counted from 12 November, already lands after that, so you'd either let the hold lapse and lose the fee, or pay the full fare before knowing the result.
With a reservation from us, you'd order around 9 or 10 November. It stays valid for up to 2 weeks and United decides the exact period, which covers the appointment itself. That's all a consulate needs: proof of your planned route when it receives the file. When the visa comes back, you buy whatever United fare suits you then.
When FareLock wins: you already hold the visa, or don't need one, and just want to freeze a good price for a week. Then it's the right tool and we'd tell you so.
Once the visa is decided
With the visa in hand, book the United flights you'll really take, inside the visa's validity. Check the dates on the visa itself, since they can differ from the dates you requested. The reservation we sent needs nothing more.
After a refusal, there's no United fare to claim back, because nobody bought one. Deal with the reasons given, and order a new reservation close to your next appointment. Our page on applying again after a refusal can help.
Five-minute check before you submit
- Find a trip on united.com opens the booking with your confirmation number and surname.
- Given names and surname agree with the passport page.
- The dates fit your hotel, insurance and employer letter.
- If you're crossing a land border later, your file explains how.
- FareLock with auto pay switched on while a visa is still pending.
- A reservation ordered weeks before the appointment.
- Relying on a reservation where a country demands a pre-purchased exit ticket.
How much is a United reservation with us?
The same flat price as any airline. Per passenger, one-way or round trip:
Itineraries with several stops cost one price per pair of legs; the pricing explainer shows how.
- Enter your cities and dates on our booking form and select United.
- Copy every name from the passport, letter by letter.
- Pay securely through Razorpay by card, UPI or netbanking.
- Within about 10 minutes the PDF is in your inbox; order tracking is there if you want to follow it.
- Search the confirmation number on united.com, then print.
A reservation supports an application; it can't decide one. That's always the consulate's job. For background, see flight reservations for visa applications or visit our home page.
Flying United after your visa?
Show the route now with a $9 reservation, and buy the fare once you're approved.
United Airlines dummy ticket FAQ
How do I look up a United reservation without signing in?
Open My trips on united.com and use the Find a trip box. Enter the confirmation number from your document and a traveller's last name, then select Next. United says its confirmation code is six letters and numbers. You don't need a MileagePlus account to view the booking.
Is United FareLock refundable?
No. United's terms say FareLock is nonrefundable and that its cost isn't applied toward the ticket price. It holds the fare and the seat for 3, 7 or 14 days on select United-operated flights. If you don't pay before the hold ends, United cancels the booking.
Can I use FareLock instead of a reservation for my visa?
You can, but think about timing and cost. Fourteen days is often shorter than a consulate's decision time, the fee is lost if you don't buy, and auto pay would charge the full fare when the hold ends. FareLock suits people who already know they'll fly.
What are the conditions of United's 24-hour booking policy?
Book at least a week before departure, cancel within 24 hours of making the reservation, and cancel all flights for all passengers. You then get a full refund with no fee. Basic Economy can't be changed but can be cancelled for a refund within that window.
Which regulation creates the 24-hour rule for US flights?
14 CFR 259.5(b)(4), part of the US DOT's passenger protection rules. Airlines it covers must give you 24 hours or more either to keep a booking unpaid at its quoted price or to cancel it free, for bookings made a week or more before the flight. That includes foreign airlines that serve the US.
Will a United reservation work as proof of onward travel?
For a visa file, usually yes. At a border or check-in desk, it depends on the rule: where a country requires a paid or pre-purchased onward ticket, as Costa Rica does, a reservation won't meet it. Buy a refundable ticket for those trips and keep the receipt handy.
Can I fly on a United reservation from you?
No. There's no payment behind it, so United won't check you in. It is for showing a consulate your planned route and dates. Once the visa is approved, buy your United ticket directly or through an agent, choosing dates inside the visa's validity.
Sources
All sources last checked: October 2026.
- United Airlines, My trips: Find a trip (fields and FAQs).
- United Airlines, FareLock (benefits, terms and conditions).
- United Airlines, Flexible booking options: 24-hour booking policy.
- Electronic Code of Federal Regulations, 14 CFR 259.5: Customer Service Plan, paragraph (b)(4), and 14 CFR 259.3: Definitions.
- U.S. Department of State, travel.state.gov, Visitor Visa.
- European Commission, Migration and Home Affairs, Applying for a Schengen visa.
- Costa Rica Tourism Board (ICT), Entry requirements.
- Star Alliance, Member airlines.
- Delta Professional (travel agency policy library), Secure Flight Passenger Data Program FAQs (explains the TSA programme's name requirements).
Also useful: Air France reservations · American Airlines reservations · countries that check onward travel · onward tickets.