So... What's left?
Jan 8, 2016, 1:54 pm
#31
Join Date: Oct 2015
Posts: 22
MS shutting down is after all not a bad thing. DOn't have to worry about signing up for so many cards, so many accounts. The greed becomes uncontrollable and is akin to addiction. Then there is, if you have to move out, buy house apply for mortgage etc, it could pose so challenges. While the tap is on, it is difficult to resist.
Jan 8, 2016, 2:01 pm
#32
Join Date: May 2011
Location: Bay Area, CA
Programs: SPG, Hyatt Diamond Member, Club Calrson Silver, AA, Hilton Gold, BA
Posts: 476
honestly this is great. I can now close my 23 bluebirds that I have and enjoy the miles I have built up over the years. Greed was getting the best of me and was really not enjoying going to walmart all the time. This is a nice way for me to get my life back on track.
Jan 8, 2016, 2:03 pm
#33
Join Date: Sep 2009
Location: MSN
Programs: AA Plat 1MM, HH GLD, Hyatt Diamond, SPG GLD
Posts: 325
It means that people will have to start earning miles and points the old fashion way, by actually putting their butt in a seat flying and staying at hotels.
It was nice while it lasted, but the days people doing $100-150K of spend and the accumulating 300-400K of points/miles through MS are over/numbered.
It was nice while it lasted, but the days people doing $100-150K of spend and the accumulating 300-400K of points/miles through MS are over/numbered.
Jan 8, 2016, 2:08 pm
#35
Join Date: Jul 2014
Posts: 3,688
Jan 8, 2016, 2:15 pm
#36
Join Date: Jan 2014
Programs: Hilton Diamond, Hyatt Diamond, SW Companion
Posts: 94
Jan 8, 2016, 2:39 pm
#38
Original Member
Join Date: May 1998
Posts: 1,139
It means that people will have to start earning miles and points the old fashion way, by actually putting their butt in a seat flying and staying at hotels.
It was nice while it lasted, but the days people doing $100-150K of spend and the accumulating 300-400K of points/miles through MS are over/numbered.
It was nice while it lasted, but the days people doing $100-150K of spend and the accumulating 300-400K of points/miles through MS are over/numbered.
Perhaps Flyertalk members should prepare a summary of how this all happened and how it has now ended to try to encourage them to rollback the increases to reward redemptions. Those redemption increases were based on the assumption that a very large number of new miles/points would be issued every year. And these many declines in manufactured spending opportunities will alter those expectations of issuances.
Speaking of manufactured spending and rollbacks (WalMart), I was stunned that the term "manufactured spend" actually appeared in a legal document (the terms and conditions of Bluebird that was used to close accounts). I remember reading one of the more likeable blogs in which the blogger joked that he had invented that term. And now something no one had heard of a few years ago has become a real term in an actual legal document.
Jan 8, 2016, 2:51 pm
#39
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Mar 2000
Posts: 17,423
It means that people will have to start earning miles and points the old fashion way, by actually putting their butt in a seat flying and staying at hotels.
It was nice while it lasted, but the days people doing $100-150K of spend and the accumulating 300-400K of points/miles through MS are over/numbered.
It was nice while it lasted, but the days people doing $100-150K of spend and the accumulating 300-400K of points/miles through MS are over/numbered.
It is also annoying to read the comments here by people who would wish everyone shut up about the remaining MS options. That's greed, folks. Of course, I do sympathize with their concerns, since there's really no alternative that can handle the zillions of dollars of MS that are no longer available through BB/Serve.
Jan 8, 2016, 2:55 pm
#41
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Apr 2002
Location: Madison, WI, USA
Posts: 14,162
Jan 8, 2016, 3:00 pm
#42
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Aug 2007
Location: SEA, but up and down the coast a lot
Programs: Oceanic Airlines Gold Elite
Posts: 20,392
A problem is that the manufactured spending (and credit card churning) helped create the massive levels of seat and room redemptions, as well as the massive level of currently unredeemed miles and points, that likely contributed to the devaluation of these miles/points as a result of the airlines & hotels raising the redemption levels. So paid flights and hotel stays will not mean much in terms of future accumulations, since those future accumulations will only "buy" a fraction of what they once did.
Perhaps Flyertalk members should prepare a summary of how this all happened and how it has now ended to try to encourage them to rollback the increases to reward redemptions. Those redemption increases were based on the assumption that a very large number of new miles/points would be issued every year. And these many declines in manufactured spending opportunities will alter those expectations of issuances.
Perhaps Flyertalk members should prepare a summary of how this all happened and how it has now ended to try to encourage them to rollback the increases to reward redemptions. Those redemption increases were based on the assumption that a very large number of new miles/points would be issued every year. And these many declines in manufactured spending opportunities will alter those expectations of issuances.
It's not just there's more currency chasing open seats, there's less open seats.
Jan 8, 2016, 3:02 pm
#43
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Apr 2002
Location: Madison, WI, USA
Posts: 14,162
A problem is that the manufactured spending (and credit card churning) helped create the massive levels of seat and room redemptions, as well as the massive level of currently unredeemed miles and points, that likely contributed to the devaluation of these miles/points as a result of the airlines & hotels raising the redemption levels. So paid flights and hotel stays will not mean much in terms of future accumulations, since those future accumulations will only "buy" a fraction of what they once did.
Perhaps Flyertalk members should prepare a summary of how this all happened and how it has now ended to try to encourage them to rollback the increases to reward redemptions. Those redemption increases were based on the assumption that a very large number of new miles/points would be issued every year. And these many declines in manufactured spending opportunities will alter those expectations of issuances.
Speaking of manufactured spending and rollbacks (WalMart), I was stunned that the term "manufactured spend" actually appeared in a legal document (the terms and conditions of Bluebird that was used to close accounts). I remember reading one of the more likeable blogs in which the blogger joked that he had invented that term. And now something no one had heard of a few years ago has become a real term in an actual legal document.
Perhaps Flyertalk members should prepare a summary of how this all happened and how it has now ended to try to encourage them to rollback the increases to reward redemptions. Those redemption increases were based on the assumption that a very large number of new miles/points would be issued every year. And these many declines in manufactured spending opportunities will alter those expectations of issuances.
Speaking of manufactured spending and rollbacks (WalMart), I was stunned that the term "manufactured spend" actually appeared in a legal document (the terms and conditions of Bluebird that was used to close accounts). I remember reading one of the more likeable blogs in which the blogger joked that he had invented that term. And now something no one had heard of a few years ago has become a real term in an actual legal document.
By the way, devaluation has occurred for many years, long before most of the MS opportunities became available.
Jan 8, 2016, 3:03 pm
#44
Join Date: Apr 2014
Posts: 1,273
MS shutting down is after all not a bad thing. DOn't have to worry about signing up for so many cards, so many accounts. The greed becomes uncontrollable and is akin to addiction. Then there is, if you have to move out, buy house apply for mortgage etc, it could pose so challenges. While the tap is on, it is difficult to resist.
Jan 8, 2016, 3:04 pm
#45
Join Date: Jul 2010
Location: DCA
Programs: US CP, DL GM, AA Plat
Posts: 729
I don't know about you but MS represents like 95% of how I earn miles.