How to Use Miles or Credit in United Name Change: 2026 Guide

protoursntravel
Mar 9
5 min read

Finding a name error in your booking detail isn't a new issue for passengers anymore. Any airline can make this mistake in a hurry or when a passenger had a legal name change recently. You can use MileagePlus miles for reissue to offset fees in legal name correction or full name change.

This blog will provide you with the required detailed information on how you can update your MileagePlus account after a name change, use miles to save reissue costs, documents required in name corrections, and more.

Struggling to upgrade your United MileagePlus account name? Call Tours N Travel Pro at +1-866-679-5070 for a quick and personalised assistance.

What is United Airlines Name Change Criteria?

United Airlines allows name corrections for most minor changes like typos or misspellings, inverting first/last name, small spelling errors for free, usually 24-72 hours before the scheduled flight departure. Apply travel credit United name change for legal corrections (like court order, marriage, or divorce) that require a new booking. You can call the customer service and provide legal documentation, such as a court document, a marriage license, or an affidavit, as proof for verification.

Types of Name Corrections accepted in United

United Airlines allows several minor and legal name corrections for free, provided a valid proof is submitted to the airline. Most minor corrections requested 24+ hours before the flight departure don't change any fee, but a legal change may incur documentation and fees. Here are the types of name changes accepted by United Airlines:

United permits legal name changes due to legal reasons like court orders, marriage, or divorce after proper document verification of supporting documents (like divorce papers, marriage certificate, or court order).
Small name errors, misspellings, or typos like 'Jonh' instead of 'John', are acceptable by the airline for free.
United allows its customers to change an informal or nickname to a legal name to match the government ID.
Passengers can redeem miles to pay reissue fees during the full name change of a MileagePlus account to buy a new award ticket.
Correcting special characters from passengers' names mistyped by the booking system is a change by the airline at no cost.
Airlines accept the mistakes of the inverted name of the traveller and correct the order of first and last names, or allow adding/removing in the middle name.

Note: United Airlines doesn't accept name changes or the individual passenger to a different person in the name correction process since the ticket is non-transferable, even for your award tickets.

What are the required Documents for United Name Change?

You can update your name from your United Airlines MileagePlus account or booking details by submitting the required supporting legal documentation to the airline. You can utilize their miles or travel credit to offset reissue costs United Airlines on a new ticket purchased due to the name correction of an award ticket after submitting legal papers. Here are the required documents that the United Airlines passengers must submit for a name change:

Court order or similar document for legal changes.
Marriage License/Certificate for name change due to marriage.
Government-issued IDs & photo showing both old and new names.
Divorce Decree to confirm the original or previous name of the passenger.
Notarized Name Change Affidavit (in case you lack any of the above documents).

How to update MileagePlus United name?

You can update your MileagePlus account after the United name change to ease the verification process during boarding at the airport:

Sign In	Log in yo your MileagePlus United Account
Navigate Profile	Go to the ‘Profile’ section of Mileage account and click on the ‘About Me’ option.
Update	Press on the ‘Edit Personal Information’ section to make the changes.
Submit documents	Upload required proof of change for verification and approval.
Confirm Changes	Confirm changes and wait at least two weeks for the details to appear.

How to use miles or Credit for United Name Change?

Here's a quick process for using miles for United ticket correction of name on Award tickets:

Sign in to your Award ticket account and follow the steps shared above to edit your personal information.
Submit the required legal documents for verification (like court order, marriage license, divorce decree) or government-issued ID to support the request.
Verify and confirm the changes to finalize the name correction process of your award ticket booked with miles or travel credit.
Now, click on the Travel Credits option during the payment process of booking a new flight during a legal name correction (if it requires reissuing).
Use miles to book a new award ticket with your MileagePlus account if the name change requires rebooking a new ticket.

Conclusion

United Name corrections on MileagePlus account or any award tickets are made easy, where passengers can redeem miles to pay reissue fees. Name corrections for the United Airlines customers are generally free of charge, even 2 hours prior to the scheduled flight time, but a legal fee may apply sometimes. Read the full blog to learn a smart strategy on how you can use your miles or travel credit values during the name correction process and offset the ticket fee. If you still struggle to use your MileagePlus account with minor errors or update your legal name, call Tours N Travel Pro at +1-866-679-5070 for personalised guidance.

FAQs

Can you transfer United travel credit to another person?
No, you can not transfer your United Airlines future flight credits (FFC) directly to another person since they are non-transferable and restrictive. However, the original Ravel credit owner can utilize their travel credit value to book a new flight for another person by calling United customer service.
What can I use my United MileagePlus miles for?
You can utilize your United Airlines MileagePlus miles for booking award flights on United and over 40+ airline partners. Passengers can also use it for hotel stays, seat upgrades, rental cars, United Club memberships, TSA PreCheck fees, and merchandise.
How much does United charge for a name change?
United Airlines generally doesn't charge a fee for the minor or major (legal) name changes requested up to 24 hours before the scheduled flight take off.
How do I change my name on MileagePlus?
You can update your name from the MileagePlus by signing in to your account, going to the Profile, and clicking on the 'Edit Personal Information' to change your name and uploading legal documents if required.
Can I use my United miles to purchase a ticket for someone else?
Yes, you are eligible to use your United Airlines miles to purchase an award flight or any United ticket for someone else by accessing your Mileage account and entering the respective passenger's name while booking.