Last updated: 31 October 2026.
United's ticket rules are in its Contract of Carriage. The points below cover what travellers ask most.
24 hoursfull refund of booking charges when booked a week or more ahead and bought directly
7 business dayscredit-card refund time
2 yearsage at which a child needs their own seat
90 daysto request a refund of a service fee
Ticket basics
- A child below 12 must have a parent, guardian or adult companion on the same flight and in the same cabin. A child who turns two before the trip ends needs a ticket and a seat for the whole itinerary.
- A baby under two may ride on a lap with no ticket on domestic flights, but trips abroad and to or from Canada need an infant ticket, sometimes discounted and sometimes with fees. Extra infants need an adult-fare seat of their own.
- Babies under a week old are not accepted, nor are infants in incubators except where permitted.
- A child who cannot sit upright belted needs an approved child seat, which may not go in an exit row.
- Booking service charges can be refunded in full within 24 hours when the trip is a week or more away and the ticket was bought from United; see the Refunds page.
- Most flights carry no change fee, and you can cancel for a travel credit, according to the airline's pregnancy page.
Questions travellers ask us
Does my baby need a ticket?
Not on domestic flights if under two on your lap; yes on international flights.
Is there a change fee?
Most flights have none.
Baggage Allowance is an independent information site and is not part of United Airlines. Check the airline's own pages before you travel.
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