Originally Posted by
bldr1k
The effect it is having (with people like me) is that if I know my trip is not going to change, I buy the cheapest ticket instead of a refundable.
I always buy the cheapest domestic fare, even if my dates might change. I have found that paying the change fees and re-faring almost always works-out to be cheaper in the long run. Although, on occasion, I have had to use awards to fill gaps, like with one trip to CPR, where the cheapest o/w fare 3 days out was $969-, but which was available as a "Saver" award at 12.5K miles.