With yesterday’s low United fares we shared on our Twitter page, the number one concern for many, was needing a little bit of time to determine whether or not they were able to travel during the available dates. Not all of us have the freedom to book a flight and go at any given time, regardless of price, due to prior commitments such as work or kids. However, we also can’t afford to pass up on such low fares.
In our previous post “24 Hour Cancellations“, we discuss how you can book a flight in the U.S and cancel it within 24 hours without a fee. This is a great way to book a great deal when you see it, while still giving you some time to sort things out. Even then, some people need additional time. Sometimes we want to lock in our itinerary and price, but need additional time to get that vacation time approved by our employer or to make babysitting arrangements. Sometimes we just need additional time to see if the lodging arrangements fall within our budgets as well. Whatever the case may be, the main concern is locking in that low fare that is in front of us. United Airlines takes care of that concern by offering travelers their “FareLock” option.
FareLock lets you hold your reserved fare and complete the purchase of your itinerary at a later time. It ensures passengers that the price of their itinerary won’t go up and that the flight won’t sell out while they take time to purchase. This option is only available on united.com, so if you want to take advantage of it you’ll have to do so directly from their page. Itineraries can be held with FareLock for your choice of either 72 hours or seven days (price ranges from $5-$20). The price of your itinerary is guaranteed during the hold period, until you decide to complete your purchase.
To use the FareLock option on your next reservation, during the booking process on united.com, look for the FareLock logo next to fares when you choose flights. After selecting flights, you can buy FareLock, if available, in the “Purchase Options” section on the Review Trip Itinerary page. For full details click HERE.
Please keep in mind Farelock locks in your itinerary and price for the amount of time you purchase, it does NOT allow you to hold flights and then go in and change the passenger names/information for them. Once you type up the passenger information in the initial process, there is no changing it.
Have you used FareLock before? Will you be trying it? We personally think it’s a great feature. We gave it a try yesterday, so we will keep you updated in our own experience. Let us know your own personal experience using it!