<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">Originally posted by smoothtakeoffbumpylanding:
but the way i see it .. for $100 more I can get 5000 frequent flyer miles .. that's like flying from ewr to lax for $100 .. which of course isn't the case .. but miles is miles~ </font>
But 5,000 miles will only get you 20% of the way from EWR to LAX (and back), whereas $100 will likely get you somewhat closer. The $100 is also a) less subject to sudden devaluation, b) earns interest and c) is fungible across many forms of activity and d) is not subject to spending controls (i.e. award capacity controls).
Think of it this way: you are considering whether to BUY 5,000 non-status miles for $100, or $0.02/mile. If this is worth it to you, go for it.