Originally Posted by
Often1
There may be some general conditions, e.g. that BE tickets are non-refundable and do not generate a credit if cancelled and cannot be changed. But, when it comes to comparing to a discounted standard non-refundable ticket or a refundable or flexible ticket, there are no general rules.
+1
Anecdote is no substitute for reviewing the actual fare rules.
Note also that if one flies a particular route frequently, one will be exposed to one set of fare rules. I can tell you, for example, that UA's flexible fare rules on routes where they compete with WN tend to be more favorable to the pax than an routes where they do not.