Points Millionaire - Status Peasant
Feb 12, 2016, 11:32 am
#46
Join Date: Dec 2007
Location: Body in Downtown YYZ, heart and mind elsewhere
Programs: UA 50K, refugee from AC E50K, Marriott Lifetime Plat
Posts: 5,132
Isn't it still possible to buy a flight pass (for $10K per month for 3 or 6 months) that effectively gives status in the form of a few thousand AQM per month?
Feb 12, 2016, 12:05 pm
#47
Join Date: Nov 2014
Location: YYG
Programs: Aeroplan 50K, Club Accor Gold
Posts: 441
1. At $10K/month for 3 months I would think your spend would definitely be over the $20K required for SE100K.
2. All unlimited flex passes give you 10K AQM/month; latitude, 15K/month, and business 20K/month. In addition, all 6 month latitude passes give you instant E50K; business SE100K.
Feb 12, 2016, 1:18 pm
#48
Join Date: Jan 2014
Programs: SPG Gold, Aeroplan Distinction
Posts: 66
I think there are a lot of people in the same boat as the original poster. Due do credit card spending I get more Aeroplan points than I can burn through. But the only travelling I do is for pleasure so I never earn any status miles because they are all reward booking. I just try and use my redemptions for Canadian business class seats.
Feb 12, 2016, 8:29 pm
#51
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Oct 2011
Location: Anywhere I need to be.
Programs: OW Emerald, *A Gold, NEXUS, GE, ABTC/APEC, South Korea SES, eIACS, PP, Hyatt Diamond
Posts: 16,046
Feb 13, 2016, 12:13 am
#52
Join Date: Apr 2015
Location: YVR
Programs: UA Premier Platinum
Posts: 3,759
Feb 13, 2016, 12:33 am
#53
A FlyerTalk Posting Legend
Join Date: Sep 2012
Location: SFO
Programs: AC SE MM, BA Gold, SQ Silver, Bonvoy Tit LTG, Hyatt Glob, HH Diamond
Posts: 44,331
For "low spend" users, I absolutely recommend cards like the Citi Double Cash card. There's no point collecting miles if it will take you five years to get an economy-class round trip within North America.
But if you're earning enough to sell them, you should just fly F somewhere.
And do it again a few months later.
And again.
Nothing burns through miles quicker than flying F to Asia with a friend
Feb 13, 2016, 1:08 am
#54
Join Date: Apr 2015
Location: YVR
Programs: UA Premier Platinum
Posts: 3,759
Either they don't know how to redeem miles in a high-CPM fashion, or they just prefer $2,000 cash to a $10,000 F ticket to Asia.
For example, I try to visit the far North every summer. I get a $3000-4000 ticket for 25,000 miles. It's great value, IF you want to visit Nunavut. But I meet people who have tons of miles and just want to go to Palm Springs or Florida or whatever on their preferred dates. 25k miles for a flight that would be $300 in Tango (and might not have any availability on your preferred dates) is actually a worse value than cashback if those miles were accumulated from CC spend.
You see a mini-RTW in J/F and think "wow, great value" but lots of people think "Thailand? Do they have Tim Horton's there?"
For example, I try to visit the far North every summer. I get a $3000-4000 ticket for 25,000 miles. It's great value, IF you want to visit Nunavut. But I meet people who have tons of miles and just want to go to Palm Springs or Florida or whatever on their preferred dates. 25k miles for a flight that would be $300 in Tango (and might not have any availability on your preferred dates) is actually a worse value than cashback if those miles were accumulated from CC spend.
You see a mini-RTW in J/F and think "wow, great value" but lots of people think "Thailand? Do they have Tim Horton's there?"
Feb 13, 2016, 2:08 am
#55
A FlyerTalk Posting Legend
Join Date: Sep 2012
Location: SFO
Programs: AC SE MM, BA Gold, SQ Silver, Bonvoy Tit LTG, Hyatt Glob, HH Diamond
Posts: 44,331
Either they don't know how to redeem miles in a high-CPM fashion, or they just prefer $2,000 cash to a $10,000 F ticket to Asia.
For example, I try to visit the far North every summer. I get a $3000-4000 ticket for 25,000 miles. It's great value, IF you want to visit Nunavut. But I meet people who have tons of miles and just want to go to Palm Springs or Florida or whatever on their preferred dates. 25k miles for a flight that would be $300 in Tango (and might not have any availability on your preferred dates) is actually a worse value than cashback if those miles were accumulated from CC spend.
You see a mini-RTW in J/F and think "wow, great value" but lots of people think "Thailand? Do they have Tim Horton's there?"
For example, I try to visit the far North every summer. I get a $3000-4000 ticket for 25,000 miles. It's great value, IF you want to visit Nunavut. But I meet people who have tons of miles and just want to go to Palm Springs or Florida or whatever on their preferred dates. 25k miles for a flight that would be $300 in Tango (and might not have any availability on your preferred dates) is actually a worse value than cashback if those miles were accumulated from CC spend.
You see a mini-RTW in J/F and think "wow, great value" but lots of people think "Thailand? Do they have Tim Horton's there?"
I love my sausage biscuit!
Feb 13, 2016, 10:25 am
#56
Join Date: Jan 2016
Location: YYZ
Programs: Only J via Peasant Points, 777HDPeasant or The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance and Narcissism.
Posts: 5,953
No, they should learn how to use Aeroplan miles
For "low spend" users, I absolutely recommend cards like the Citi Double Cash card. There's no point collecting miles if it will take you five years to get an economy-class round trip within North America.
But if you're earning enough to sell them, you should just fly F somewhere.
And do it again a few months later.
And again.
Nothing burns through miles quicker than flying F to Asia with a friend
For "low spend" users, I absolutely recommend cards like the Citi Double Cash card. There's no point collecting miles if it will take you five years to get an economy-class round trip within North America.
But if you're earning enough to sell them, you should just fly F somewhere.
And do it again a few months later.
And again.
Nothing burns through miles quicker than flying F to Asia with a friend
Either they don't know how to redeem miles in a high-CPM fashion, or they just prefer $2,000 cash to a $10,000 F ticket to Asia.
For example, I try to visit the far North every summer. I get a $3000-4000 ticket for 25,000 miles. It's great value, IF you want to visit Nunavut. But I meet people who have tons of miles and just want to go to Palm Springs or Florida or whatever on their preferred dates. 25k miles for a flight that would be $300 in Tango (and might not have any availability on your preferred dates) is actually a worse value than cashback if those miles were accumulated from CC spend.
You see a mini-RTW in J/F and think "wow, great value" but lots of people think "Thailand? Do they have Tim Horton's there?"
For example, I try to visit the far North every summer. I get a $3000-4000 ticket for 25,000 miles. It's great value, IF you want to visit Nunavut. But I meet people who have tons of miles and just want to go to Palm Springs or Florida or whatever on their preferred dates. 25k miles for a flight that would be $300 in Tango (and might not have any availability on your preferred dates) is actually a worse value than cashback if those miles were accumulated from CC spend.
You see a mini-RTW in J/F and think "wow, great value" but lots of people think "Thailand? Do they have Tim Horton's there?"
on another note
I have been use the bmo cash back and costco cash back card. 1.75% not bad
start to look at the possibility of moving to aeroplan points, but my biggest fear is miles devaluation
Last edited by Jumper Jack; Feb 13, 2016 at 10:34 am
Feb 13, 2016, 11:55 am
#57
Join Date: Apr 2013
Location: YVR
Programs: Ice Cream Club, AC SE MM, Bonvoy Life Plat
Posts: 2,803
Feb 13, 2016, 12:42 pm
#60
Join Date: May 2004
Location: yyz
Programs: AC*SE 1MM. a bunch of hotel programs.
Posts: 1,592
Hey all.
Long time FT lurker.
I am a frequent flyer, putting enough butt-in-seat time to likely qualify me for Elite or Super Elite. Thing is, I only pay for about 10 segments per year (one flight pass I have). I generate a huge volume of Aeroplan points through business spending on credit cards and use these points to pay for my constant travel.
Last year, an SE friend gifted me Elite 50k as one of her 100k privileges. This year, she didn't make it and I'm left with a lowly orange Aeroplan card - I don't think I even made 25k.
Status definitely helps given how much I travel, for lounge access, standby priority, checked bags, etc...
What's a guy to do?
Long time FT lurker.
I am a frequent flyer, putting enough butt-in-seat time to likely qualify me for Elite or Super Elite. Thing is, I only pay for about 10 segments per year (one flight pass I have). I generate a huge volume of Aeroplan points through business spending on credit cards and use these points to pay for my constant travel.
Last year, an SE friend gifted me Elite 50k as one of her 100k privileges. This year, she didn't make it and I'm left with a lowly orange Aeroplan card - I don't think I even made 25k.
Status definitely helps given how much I travel, for lounge access, standby priority, checked bags, etc...
What's a guy to do?
2. i've met people who loiter outside lounges, and ask people to help them get in. you may want to assess yr pride/self esteem/thickness of skin and then decide on this.
3. as already mentioned, spend some money and get one of those CC's that get you lounge access and some priority stuff.