United flight delay compensation on a US flight is not a fixed cash payout. What you get depends on the cause and the length: a meal voucher once a delay United caused passes 3 hours, a hotel and a ride if United strands you overnight, free rebooking on United or a partner airline, and an automatic refund if you decide not to fly after a delay of 3 hours or more (domestic) or 6 hours or more (international). Flights that leave from an EU or UK airport are different: there, United owes fixed cash of €300 to €600, or £260 to £520, when you land 3 hours or more late for a reason within its control.
Every amount and deadline below links to the official page it comes from, checked October 14, 2026.
On this page
- At a glance
- Is United required to compensate you?
- Controllable delays: meals, hotels, rebooking
- Weather and air traffic control delays
- The 3-hour and 6-hour refund rule
- Flights from Europe or the UK
- How to claim, step by step
- Worked examples
- FAQ
What United owes you for a delay, at a glance
Find your row, then read the matching section for the detail.
| Your situation | What you can get | Where it comes from |
|---|---|---|
| US flight, delay of 3+ hours, cause within United's control (crew, maintenance, cleaning, fueling, baggage) | Meal voucher; rebooking on United or a partner airline at no cost; hotel and ground transport if overnight | DOT dashboard (United's commitments) |
| US flight, delay caused by weather, air traffic control or security | Rebooking on the next United flight with space. No meal, hotel or cash commitment | Same dashboard |
| Any United flight, you choose not to travel after a delay of 3+ hours (domestic) or 6+ hours (international) | Automatic refund of fare and fees to your original payment method | DOT refund rules |
| Held on the aircraft at a US airport | Chance to get off before 3 hours (domestic) or 4 hours (international); snack and water by 2 hours | DOT tarmac delay rule |
| Departing an EU airport, arriving 3+ hours late, cause within United's control | €250, €400 or €600 by distance; €300 on a flight over 3,500 km landing 3 to 4 hours late | EU Regulation 261/2004 |
| Departing a UK airport, arriving 3+ hours late, cause within United's control | £220, £350 or £520 by distance; £260 on a flight over 3,500 km landing 3 to 4 hours late | UK Civil Aviation Authority |
A delay of under 3 hours on a US flight earns you rebooking and nothing else, whatever the cause. And United flights into the EU or UK from the US are not covered by the European rules, because United is not an EU or UK airline.
Is United required to compensate you for a delayed flight?
For a flight in the US, no law sets a cash amount for a delay. The Department of Transportation says each airline has its own policies for delayed passengers. What binds United is its own customer service plan: the DOT states that airlines are required to adhere to the promises they make in that plan, and that it will hold them accountable if they fail to. Those promises are what the dashboard records, airline by airline.
The word that matters is controllable. The DOT defines a controllable delay as one caused by the airline, with maintenance or crew problems, cabin cleaning, baggage loading and fueling as examples. Weather, air traffic control and security are not on that list, so the meal and hotel commitments do not apply to them. The refund right, covered below, is the one entitlement that applies regardless of the reason.
United's controllable delay commitments: meals, hotels and rebooking
United's row on the DOT dashboard for controllable delays:
| Commitment | United |
|---|---|
| Rebook on United at no extra cost | Yes, for significant delays |
| Rebook on a partner airline at no extra cost | Yes, for significant delays |
| Meal or meal voucher when the delay means a wait of 3 hours or more | Yes |
| Hotel for an overnight delay | Yes |
| Ground transport to and from the hotel | Yes |
| Cash compensation for a delay of 3 hours or more | No |
| Frequent flyer miles for a delay of 3 hours or more | No |
| Travel credit or voucher for a delay of 3 hours or more | No |
Read the last three rows carefully. United has not committed to cash, miles or a travel credit for a delay, however long; on the dashboard no US airline commits to cash. Miles or a travel certificate after a long controllable delay are goodwill, at United's discretion. You can ask, and a polite written request after the trip often works, but you cannot insist on a figure.
What you can insist on is the meal once a controllable delay passes 3 hours, the hotel and ride if it runs overnight, and a partner airline seat where no United flight works. Ask at the gate, in those words. The full text is on United's Customer Commitment page. Keep every receipt: if United cannot find a hotel room and you book your own, the receipt is your claim. If you decline a room United offered and arrange your own, expect United to refuse the bill.
Weather, air traffic control and other delays United did not cause
For a delay caused by weather, air traffic control, security or airport problems, United's commitment is rebooking on the next flight with space in your cabin. No meal, no hotel, no transport. This is the same at every major US airline, because the dashboard commitments are limited to controllable events.
Three things still help. Rebook yourself in the United app as soon as the delay posts. Check if the card you paid with carries trip delay insurance; its guide to benefits states the hours and the cap. And if the delay crosses the 3-hour or 6-hour line and you would rather not go, take the refund below. One rule does apply whatever the cause: under the DOT tarmac delay rule, if you are held on the aircraft at a US airport, United must start moving the plane to let you off before 3 hours (domestic) or 4 hours (international), and must offer a snack and water by 2 hours. If your flight is canceled rather than delayed, our guide to a canceled flight: refund, new flight and compensation covers the wider options.
When a delay turns into a refund: the 3-hour and 6-hour rule
Under the DOT refund rules, a delay becomes a "significant change" when your flight departs 3 hours or more earlier, or arrives 3 hours or more later, than scheduled on a domestic itinerary, or 6 hours or more on an international one. A changed airport, an added connection or a cabin downgrade also counts.
When that happens and you reject the alternative United offers, or do not respond to it, the refund must be issued automatically, without a request. It covers the fare and fees, goes back to your original payment method, and the timing is set: within 7 business days on a credit card, within 20 calendar days for other payment methods. A non-refundable ticket is still refundable here, and you do not have to accept a voucher.
Two related refunds are easy to miss. A checked bag fee is refundable if the bag is not delivered within 12 hours of a domestic flight landing (15 hours on most international flights, 30 hours when the flight is longer than 12 hours), once you file a mishandled baggage report; see our guide to lost, delayed or damaged luggage. Any extra you paid for and did not get, such as Wi-Fi or a seat assignment, is refundable too.
If the refund does not arrive in time, write to United first and then file a complaint with the DOT. Airlines must acknowledge a written complaint within 30 days and answer it within 60.
United flights from Europe or the UK: when a delay pays cash
If your United flight departs from an airport in the EU, European rules apply even though United is a US airline. Under Regulation 261/2004, you are owed fixed compensation when you reach your final destination 3 hours or more late and the cause was within the airline's control:
| Flight distance | Arrival delay | Compensation per passenger |
|---|---|---|
| 1,500 km or less | 3 hours or more | €250 |
| 1,500 to 3,500 km | 3 hours or more | €400 |
| Over 3,500 km (every US route) | 3 to under 4 hours | €300 |
| Over 3,500 km (every US route) | 4 hours or more | €600 |
Every United flight from Europe to the US is over 3,500 km, so the last two rows are the ones that matter. Care comes earlier: on that distance you are owed meals once the departure delay reaches 4 hours, plus a hotel if the new departure is the next day, and at 5 hours you can give up the flight and take a refund.
Flights from the UK follow the same structure. The Civil Aviation Authority lists £220 under 1,500 km, £350 for 1,500 to 3,500 km, and over 3,500 km, £260 for 3 to 4 hours late and £520 beyond 4 hours.
The airline escapes the cash only for "extraordinary circumstances," such as severe weather or air traffic control restrictions. Direction matters too: Newark to Frankfurt on United is not covered, because flights into the EU are covered only on EU airlines. For the letter to send and how to escalate, see our guide to flight delay compensation of 3 hours or more.
How to claim United flight delay compensation, step by step
- Screenshot the delay in the app: scheduled time, new time, and the stated reason. The reason decides if the controllable commitments apply.
- Rebook yourself in the app or at a kiosk. If no United flight works, ask an agent for a partner airline seat.
- At 3 hours, ask for the meal voucher. Say the words "controllable delay" and "customer commitment." If the delay runs past the last flight of the day, ask for the hotel and the transport voucher before you leave the gate area.
- Keep receipts for anything you pay yourself: food, hotel, ground transport, a replacement ticket.
- Decide on the refund if you cross 3 hours domestic or 6 hours international and no longer want to travel. Decline the rebooking; the refund then has to be automatic.
- After the trip, write to United through its Customer Care form. Keep it to the facts, attach receipts, and ask for a specific outcome. A template is below.
- Escalate if United does not answer in 60 days or refuses what it committed to: file with the DOT. For an EU or UK departure, claim from United in writing first, then go to the national enforcement body of the country you flew from, or the UK CAA.
A message for step 6:
Subject: Controllable delay, flight UA[number] on [date], confirmation [code]
My flight UA[number] from [origin] to [destination] on [date] was delayed [X hours Y minutes]. The reason given at the gate was [crew / maintenance / other], a controllable delay under United's Customer Commitment. I was not offered [a meal voucher / a hotel / ground transport]. I paid [amount] for [item], receipts attached, and ask for reimbursement of [amount] to my original payment method.
Please reply in writing within the 60 days required for airline complaint responses. Thank you.
The same US rules, with American's own commitments, are in our post on American Airlines flight delay compensation.
Two worked examples
These are examples, not real cases.
Example 1: Chicago to Denver, crew delay of 4 hours 20 minutes. Controllable and over 3 hours, so you are owed a meal voucher and rebooking. Cash: none. If you choose not to fly, the delay is over the 3-hour domestic line, so the refund is automatic once you decline the rebooking: a $284 fare plus a $35 seat fee comes back as $319 to your card within 7 business days. If you fly and pay $18 for dinner because nobody offered a voucher, send the receipt through Customer Care and expect $18 back.
Example 2: Frankfurt to Newark, aircraft fault, arrives 3 hours 40 minutes late. The flight departs the EU, so Regulation 261/2004 applies to United. Frankfurt to Newark is about 6,200 km, in the over-3,500 km band. Arrival between 3 and 4 hours late means €300 per passenger; at 4 hours 10 minutes it would be €600. For a family of four that is €1,200 against €2,400, a reason to note the exact arrival time at the gate. The cash is on top of your ticket, not instead of it.
Claims like this come down to the right words, in the right order, with the receipts attached. Custom AI: Get Your Money Back is set up for exactly this, so you paste the facts and it writes the message.
FAQ
Does United give compensation for a 3 hour delay?
On a US flight, not cash. United commits to a meal voucher once a delay it caused reaches 3 hours, free rebooking including on partner airlines, and a hotel with transport if the delay runs overnight. Cash, miles and travel credits are not in its commitment. If the flight departed the EU or UK and lands 3 hours or more late, fixed cash applies instead.
How much does United pay for a delayed flight?
For US flights there is no set amount; any miles or voucher after a long delay is goodwill at United's discretion. For a flight departing the EU that lands 3 to 4 hours late, United owes €300 per passenger; from 4 hours it is €600. From the UK the figures are £260 and £520. Those amounts apply only when the cause was within United's control, not for weather or air traffic control.
Does United pay for a hotel if my flight is delayed overnight?
Yes, when the delay is within United's control, such as a crew or maintenance problem. United's commitment on the DOT dashboard covers a hotel for an overnight controllable delay and ground transport to and from it. For weather or air traffic control delays there is no hotel commitment, so check if your card's trip delay insurance covers the night instead.
Can I get a refund if my United flight is delayed?
Yes, if the delay is significant and you choose not to travel. DOT rules define significant as 3 hours or more on a domestic itinerary and 6 hours or more on an international one, measured at departure or arrival. Decline the rebooking and the refund must be issued automatically to your original payment method, including on a non-refundable fare.
How long does United take to refund a delayed flight?
DOT rules set the deadline: within 7 business days if you paid by credit card, and within 20 calendar days for other payment methods, counted from when you reject the alternative flight United offered. If the money has not arrived by then, write to United through Customer Care and, failing that, file a complaint with the DOT.
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