First, make sure to cncl before midnight of the date of departure, or your NR ticket will become valueless.

2nd For your own speed records, keep your receipts with ticket numbers in a file somewhere. Etkts are retrievable by numerous methods, but when they become "aged" (I think the time is around a year, but I could be off by a significant amount) they become much more difficult to retrieve.

Third include your mileage plus number on your reservations before ticketing, as this is the easiest and quickest way to retrieve any/all outstanding etkts under your name.

Last, when you call and cncl, they don't take the $100.00 at that time. Your ticket still remains the exact same, and when you want to exchange it, they will apply whatever penalty is associated with the rules of your original ticket. Currently it is $100.00, but it has been $75, and $50 over the past decade.

As a rule of thumb, I advise exchanging all of your old tickets for your next purchase, or as many as it takes to cover the airfare. You aren't earning any interest by letting UA hold onto your $$$, in much the same way you shouldn't underdeclare deductions on your federal tax to get a refund later, the IRS doesnt pay interest either. If you stop flying UA, or it ever declares chap 7, the $$ you left with UA will be harder for you to retrieve.


By the way, your PNR dies a few days after your last segment is flown/past. The ETKT is stored in a linked file that doesn't delete, so knowing your record locator for your PNR 3 months later won't get you any closer to retrieving your unused guaranteed airfare.