divemistressofthedark

Yeah, but if you *do* aim to cash in for hotel stays/travel, MR's flexibility is a boon.

I live fairly close to ATL and can transfer points 1:1 to DL, so I do that a lot. I can't remember the last time I paid to fly anywhere on that carrier (except tickets that cost under $150 or so and weren't worth the points cashout)...the only bummer here is that award flights don't count toward Medallion status, so I'm still a lowly frequent flier, rather than some fancy designation.

I'm not sure the OP's point was that s/he redeems MR points for gift cards. IMO, OP appears to be trying to say that one can buy gift cards using Bonus Points Mall - thus gaining 4% on your transaction, and for vendors that are unrepresented by other CC rewards programs - and then use the bonus cards in a brick/mortar store. I'll agree there are other cards that do have better returns - I've seen 5% for gas/groceries myself - but you won't generally get 4% back for the wide selection of vendors you see on Bonus Points Mall.

I also use that 4x BPM thing like it's going out of style during the holidays, mostly for Apple Store, REI and Old Navy, all of which I shop at A LOT (another favorite scheme: GiftCertificates.com is an AAdvantage Eshop member, so you can buy cards there for 2 points on the dollar, then get points again when you redeem them at AAdvantageEshopping.com....since you don't have to pay with a specific credit card there.)

That said, I may be following your advice on the 5% back issue on drugstore and grocery. I'm not quite as crazy about the Hilton Amex I have - which does grant 5 points to the dollar for drugstore, grocery, and post office - since *wood seems to gain rewards much faster (but then, OTOH there are many fewer *wood properties than Hilton, and it's nice to have the option to choose either)....

I'm really too disorganized to use gift cards to their best advantage, so I simply wait to buy large purchases at Target.com, REI.com or Apple.com on the Bonus Point Mall directly...for most of the year PLAT gets 3x points...which isn't too shabby. Granted, I don't get the discount on a $12 pair of socks I bought at the brick and mortar store near my house, but I have an REI Visa I use for that (to get the full 10% member rebate on sale items, for one thing.)