umguy - irrespective of your providing them with your credit card info, irrespective of their system failure, you have knowledge the ticket has not been issued. Your PNR may very well be documented that you called in on such and such date and were told the ticket had not been issued.

Please don't throw a tantrum when you check in at the counter or gate and they tell you they can't give you a boarding card because the electronic ticket has not been issued. If you are lucky, they will charge your credit card with the 14 day advance purchase fare at that time. If you are unlucky, they will charge you the current full fare, IF there are seats available for sale on the flight.

Although the background/history may be totally different, while I was waiting for my UA flight Friday night, two passengers came up to the gate to check in. The flight was oversold, everyone had checked in and been given boarding cards. The agent acknowledged to these two passengers yes, there was a reservation under their confirmation number/PNR, but that no e-ticket or paper ticket had been issued. There were no further seats to sell, and they did NOT get on the flight.

I make all my reservations on-line and always make certain that when the e-ticket receipt prints, it shows a ticket number. A record locator is simply a record locator confirming a reservation was made at some point; without the ticket number, I have no guarantee there'll be a seat for me.

Only with the ticket number do I feel reasonably secure I will be issued a boarding pass and get on the plane.