Updated August 2026
You find a United flight at a price you can live with, but you are not quite ready to buy it. Maybe you are waiting for someone else to confirm the trip, checking vacation dates, or trying to coordinate a hotel.
United’s FareLock lets you pay a fee to hold both the flight and the quoted ticket price before purchasing the ticket.
As of August 2026, United offers FareLock holds of 3, 7 or 14 days, depending on what is offered for your itinerary. United lists the three-day option as starting at $5.99. The FareLock fee is nonrefundable and is not credited toward the price of the ticket.
That can be a useful deal. It can also be money thrown away for something you could accomplish with United’s normal 24-hour cancellation policy.
Quick answer: FareLock makes the most sense when you have found a fare you genuinely want but need several days before you can commit. If you only need a few hours to think about the purchase, buying the ticket and using United’s 24-hour cancellation policy may be the better choice.
United FareLock at a Glance
| Question | Answer |
|---|---|
| How long can FareLock hold a United fare? | 3, 7 or 14 days, when offered |
| How much does United FareLock cost? | United currently lists prices starting at $5.99 for a three-day hold; the actual price varies |
| Is the FareLock fee refundable? | No |
| Does the FareLock fee count toward the ticket? | No |
| Does FareLock keep the ticket price from increasing? | Yes, during the selected hold period |
| Can the held flight sell out? | United says your place is protected during the hold period |
| Do you have to buy the ticket? | No |
| Can you have United buy it automatically at expiration? | United offers an optional AutoPay feature |
What Is United FareLock?
FareLock is United’s paid fare-hold service.
Instead of purchasing the airline ticket immediately, you pay a smaller fee to reserve the itinerary and fare for a defined period.
United currently offers hold periods of:
- 3 days
- 7 days
- 14 days
Not every option necessarily appears for every itinerary. The choices available to you are displayed while booking.
During the hold, United says the ticket price will not increase and the flight will not sell out from underneath your FareLock reservation.
You can then purchase the ticket before the hold expires—or walk away and lose only the FareLock fee.
How Much Does United FareLock Cost?
There is no single FareLock price.
United currently lists FareLock as starting at $5.99 for a three-day hold. The price you actually see depends on the itinerary and hold period United offers during booking.
That means the useful question is not “What does FareLock always cost?” It is:
“Is the fee United is offering me worth paying to protect this particular fare for this many days?”
For example, paying a modest fee to hold an expensive international ticket while four people coordinate vacation dates could be very reasonable.
Paying the same fee because you want another hour to decide whether to take a weekend trip probably is not.
Is the FareLock Fee Applied to Your Ticket?
No.
This is easy to misunderstand.
The FareLock fee buys the hold. If you later purchase the airline ticket, you still pay the held ticket price. United does not subtract the FareLock fee from the airfare.
The fee is also nonrefundable.
So if you pay $10 for FareLock and ultimately buy the ticket, your total cost is the ticket price plus $10.
If you decide not to buy the ticket, you lose the $10.
How Long Does United FareLock Last?
United now advertises three possible hold periods:
- 3 days
- 7 days
- 14 days
This is an important update from older descriptions of FareLock, which often referred only to three- and seven-day holds.
The options actually offered can depend on the itinerary.
If your search only shows a three-day FareLock, you cannot assume that selecting another flight will necessarily produce a seven- or 14-day option.
How Do You Buy FareLock?
You purchase FareLock as part of the United booking process.
- Search for your flights on United.com or in the United app.
- Select the itinerary you want.
- Continue to the Traveler Info portion of the booking process.
- If FareLock is available, select it instead of immediately purchasing the ticket.
- Choose from the hold periods United offers for that itinerary.
- Pay the FareLock fee.
You now have a held reservation rather than a purchased airline ticket.
If you decide to take the trip, return to your reservation before the FareLock deadline and finish purchasing the ticket.
What Happens When United FareLock Expires?
If you do nothing and have not arranged for the reservation to be purchased automatically, the hold expires and you no longer have the protected fare.
At that point, if you still want to travel, you have to search again at whatever fares and inventory are then available.
That can be painless if the ticket got cheaper.
It can be expensive if the ticket jumped dramatically while you were deciding.
Set your own calendar reminder. I would not rely solely on an airline email to tell me that an important FareLock is about to expire.
United FareLock AutoPay
United also lets you set up AutoPay when purchasing FareLock.
With AutoPay, United automatically purchases the held ticket at the end of the hold period rather than allowing the reservation to expire.
That makes sense if your default decision is:
“Buy this ticket unless I decide otherwise.”
If your default is the opposite—”I am probably not traveling unless something gets confirmed”—I would rather leave AutoPay off and explicitly purchase the ticket when I am ready.
FareLock vs. United’s 24-Hour Cancellation Policy
This is the most important comparison in deciding whether FareLock is worth the money.
Under federal rules, when an airline ticket is purchased at least seven days before departure, the airline must generally provide either a 24-hour free hold or allow the customer to cancel within 24 hours for a full refund. United provides a 24-hour refund option for qualifying bookings.
You can read the Department of Transportation’s explanation of the 24-hour rule.
So if you only need until tonight or tomorrow morning to make a decision, you may not need FareLock at all.
| Buy and Use 24-Hour Cancellation | FareLock | |
|---|---|---|
| Pay full ticket price now? | Yes | No |
| Extra fee? | No for qualifying cancellation | Yes |
| Time to decide | Up to 24 hours | 3, 7 or 14 days when offered |
| Money committed | Full fare temporarily | Only FareLock fee |
| Fare protected? | You already purchased it | Yes during hold |
| Good for several days of uncertainty? | No | Yes |
When I Think FareLock Is Worth It
You are coordinating several travelers
One person finds the flight, but three other people need to confirm work schedules, school calendars or family plans.
A multi-day FareLock can be cheap insurance against the fare changing while everyone answers their messages.
You are waiting for vacation approval
If you need two or three days for your employer to approve time off, buying the ticket immediately creates unnecessary risk.
FareLock lets you reserve the price while you wait.
The fare looks unusually good
There is no guarantee that a cheap fare will disappear. There is also no guarantee it will still be there tomorrow.
If I found an unusually attractive fare for an expensive trip but had one unresolved issue, paying a modest amount to preserve it could make sense.
You need to coordinate another reservation
Perhaps the flight works only if you can find a hotel, cruise cabin or other part of the trip.
FareLock can give you several days to assemble the rest of the trip without immediately committing to the airfare.
When I Would Skip FareLock
You are almost certain you are traveling
If the answer is effectively yes already, I would usually buy the ticket.
FareLock merely adds another fee to a purchase I was going to make anyway.
You only need a few hours
If your flight qualifies for United’s normal 24-hour cancellation policy, simply purchasing the ticket can give you enough time to reconsider without paying FareLock.
You are hoping FareLock will make the fare cheaper
It won’t.
FareLock protects the price you have now. It is not a discount.
You think fares are likely to fall
FareLock protects you against a price increase, but the fee itself is sunk.
If a much cheaper ticket appears tomorrow, you can choose not to purchase the held fare and instead buy the cheaper one, but you do not get your FareLock fee back.
What If the Fare Drops While You Have FareLock?
Your FareLock protects the price you originally held. It does not force you to buy that ticket.
If the market price falls substantially, compare the new ticket with your held one.
You can simply let the FareLock go and purchase the cheaper fare instead.
The FareLock fee is still lost, but that may be a small price compared with the savings on the new fare.
Does FareLock Guarantee a Seat?
United describes FareLock as providing both a price guarantee and a flight guarantee during the hold period: the held price will not increase and the flight will not sell out while your reservation is being held.
That second feature can matter just as much as the price.
For a flight with limited availability—holiday travel, a popular nonstop, or several people traveling together—the risk may be that the itinerary disappears rather than merely becomes more expensive.
A FareLock Credit-Card Benefit You May Already Have
There is one wrinkle worth checking if you have a United co-branded credit card.
Some current United business-card products include annual statement credits for FareLock purchases. The exact benefit depends on the card.
If your card reimburses the FareLock fee, the calculation obviously becomes much more favorable.
Check the benefits on your specific card rather than assuming your United card includes it.
Is United FareLock Worth It in 2026?
Yes, in a fairly narrow set of circumstances.
I would use FareLock when all three of these are true:
- I have found a flight and fare I genuinely want.
- I cannot commit to buying it yet.
- I need longer than the normal 24-hour cancellation window to resolve the uncertainty.
If those conditions are met, a relatively small fee can protect you from watching a fare jump while you wait.
If you are ready to travel, just buy the ticket. If you only need until tomorrow to decide, the 24-hour cancellation policy may already solve the problem.
FareLock is most useful in the middle: when the ticket is good enough that you do not want to lose it, but your plans are not firm enough to buy it yet.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much is United FareLock?
United currently lists FareLock as starting at $5.99 for a three-day hold. The actual fee varies depending on the itinerary and hold period offered.
How long is United FareLock good for?
United currently offers FareLock periods of 3, 7 or 14 days, depending on availability for the itinerary.
Does United FareLock lock the price?
Yes. United says the ticket price will not increase during the FareLock hold period.
Can the United flight sell out while I have FareLock?
United says the flight will not sell out during the FareLock hold period for your held reservation.
Is the United FareLock fee refundable?
No. United states that the FareLock fee is nonrefundable.
Does the FareLock fee go toward the ticket price?
No. The FareLock fee is separate and is not credited toward the eventual price of your airline ticket.
What happens if I don’t buy a FareLock ticket?
If you do not purchase the ticket before the hold expires, you lose the held reservation and the nonrefundable FareLock fee. You can search for another ticket at the fares then available.
Can United automatically buy my FareLock ticket?
Yes. United offers an AutoPay option that can purchase the ticket automatically at the end of the FareLock period.
Is FareLock better than the 24-hour cancellation rule?
It depends on how long you need to decide. If you need less than 24 hours and your purchase qualifies for the free cancellation rule, paying for FareLock may be unnecessary. FareLock becomes more useful when you need several days to make the decision.
