Need some advice on my trip
So, I am in a bit of a pickle, and I figured I'd ask around online and see if others can give me some insight.
I purchase a ticket on United about 2-3 weeks ago for a flight from my home airport (Newark) up to Toronto's Pearson International. My dates are for my birthday weekend (Aug 1-5th) which are about 4 weeks out, to the date.
However, a plethora of things have occurred in the past week alone that have put my trip in jeopardy. My mother is sick as can be, so I have had to take much more care of her at home. Add to that that my job laid me off, and I have an appeals call for my unemployment benefits slated for August 2nd, and this trip seems to be done for.
I looked around Uniteds website, and I saw they offered travel insurance, but the qualifying reasons for getting covered don't really fall into any of my categories, per se. I did note that you can send a refund request to them AFTER canceling the trip, and basically cross your fingers and hope they accept it (minus a $50 processing fee.)
I am not sure which direction to take. Should I wait it out and hope things get better in the coming weeks so I can carry out my plans, or should I cancel now and hope that United accepts my refund request. It seems the earlier you cancel and send the request, the higher the probability of them accepting it.
On a side note, I am a Premier Silver flyer with them, which may help me a bit as I 9/10 times fly them on any trip I take, and I fly about a half dozen times a year, give or take. Just last year alone, I flew them to Korea, to SFO, and to Lima, Peru.
Anyone care to give me a helping hand in choosing? Or maybe have any other ideas? I'd greatly appreciate it!