I somehow have this need to sum it all up and hear the wise words of others in this forum.

Say it's 2005 or 2006... or 2026 and frequent flier programs as we know it are gone--or if they are not gone, you have decided to cash in what you have now and are kinda done with them yourself by then anyway for whatever reason (less on the mind, perhaps?)...

Not that I've ever been good at small writings, but how, in like 1-2 short statements or paragraphs, would you describe to someone else who is NOT "in the know" what they were to you ...back in the day?

For starters;

"Well, lemme tell ya son, frequent flier programs meant this or did this for me/others:...

MM