Originally Posted by sydunipete

If you know a face-to-face travel agent most of them will provide you with an itinerary with booking reference (often without even asking for it which I find incredibly frustrating) and it will be held for several days until you pay. If you don't pay, the booking just vanishes. No harm, no foul. It won't have a ticket number but it will have a booking PNR and is a valid reservation.