And, I know a FT'er that regularly invoked that rule whenever his UPG didn't clear. Seriously, though, I've never had to deal with redeposit fees as EXP, but on a paid ticket, I did recently have the trifecta of changes: schedule, equipment and flight number. AA waived rebooking fee and used it for a different ticket from a different origin and destination, so used like a voucher without the messy paperwork. Can't hurt to ask.