--- title: This Woman Got a $10,000 Travel Voucher from United. Here’s How She Did It description: This passenger got a $10,000 travel credit from United Airlines after she was bumped. Here's how she did it. authors: - name: Allana Akhtar url: https://money.com/author/allana-akhtar/ at_money_since: 2017 articles: 101 covers: - Lifestyle - Business - Career Advice - Economy and Politics - Education - Identity Theft - Loans - Personal Finance - Retirement - Shopping - Technology former_staff: true published: '2018-03-23T17:06:45.000Z' modified: '2024-05-16T13:04:36.000Z' section: Lifestyle tags: - overbooked flight - overbooked flights - united airlines word_count: 241 canonical: https://money.com/united-10000-travel-voucher-bumped/ type: Article source: structured-blocks --- > **Disclosure:** We research all brands listed and may earn a fee from our partners. Research and financial considerations may influence how brands are displayed. Not all brands are included. [Learn more](https://money.com/page/disclaimer/). ![Denver International Airport](https://img.money.com/2018/03/180323-united-airlines-seat-10000.jpg) *Airline passengers eat in a terminal cafe as a United Airlines passenger plane is parked at a gate at Denver International Airport in Denver, Colorado.* Nothing is more frustrating than getting bumped off a flight—but a massive travel voucher may ease the pain. United Airlines gave passenger Allison Preiss a $10,000 travel credit after removing her from an overbooked flight on Thursday, representatives confirmed to *Money*. United couldn’t board her because a seat broke on the plane, according to Preiss, and no one volunteered to give up a seat. Preiss said the airline chose to remove her because she paid the lowest fare. Washington Dulles International gate agents originally offered her $1,000 in travel credits, but bumped her voucher up to $10,000 when she asked for cash, Priess told *[NBC](https://www.nbcwashington.com/news/local/United-Gives-DC-Woman-10K-Voucher-to-Give-Up-Her-Seat-477701753.html?_osource=SocialFlowTwt_DCBrand)*. *Money* reached out to Preiss for additional comment. Preiss may not be the only recipient of a lofty travel voucher from United. The airline changed its policy last year to allow customers up to $10,000 in travel vouchers if they volunteer to give up their seat on an overbooked flight. The policy change came after a video of airline officials [dragging a passenger off a plane](https://time.com/4733552/united-airlines-chicago-passenger-removed-just-kill-me/) circulated on social media. Despite her hefty compensation, Preiss’ circumstance is not unusual. When a passenger is bumped, airlines are by law [required to rebook and compensate passengers](https://money.com/know-your-rights-heres-what-an-airline-owes-you-when-you-get-bumped/) who involuntarily give up their seat. The company must also offer a check if the passenger does not want a travel voucher. United is the second-most likely airline to bump passengers for overbooked flights, according to data from MileCards.com. ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "@id": "https://money.com/united-10000-travel-voucher-bumped/#breadcrumb", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://money.com" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Lifestyle", "item": "https://money.com/lifestyle/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Travel", "item": "https://money.com/travel/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "This Woman Got a $10,000 Travel Voucher from United. 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