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Originally Posted by
B747forever
According to the supervisor the LAX-BOS fare rules don't allow any residual value if changed to a cheaper fare.
Originally Posted by
fumje
The fare rules are often written with a no-residual clause, but it's been overridden by a waiver for a couple years now.
This. That's why I asked if the ticket was purchased from UA. UA has apparently been telling travel agents to enforce this rule, but has been waiving it for purchases made with them directly. They've left some wiggle room in their policy -- "If your new flight costs less, you may receive a future flight credit for the fare difference if the fare rules allow" -- but (a) they've been consistent in their application of allowing residual credit for all non-BE flights booked through UA, and (b) they explicitly told you that you'd be eligible for residual credit, so this is an absolute no-brainer.
In the future, I recommend cancelling out a reservation and then using the resulting FFC, rather than doing a change. It does have a minor downside -- if you run into a situation later where you're due a refund, the refund becomes FFC -- but, IMO, the upside of having a clean PNR is worth it.