Originally Posted by
TommyC80
My best bang-for-the-buck on milage redemptions has been on BF upgrades, hands down.
I scored one last year where my "value per mile" was about $0.25/ea.
As has been said in this thread and many times in the past, YMMV.
Unless you'd actually pay for the business class, that's a false economy. Still, 25 cpm, wow.
Originally Posted by
iahphx
Something like the way the Amtrak Guest Rewards program divides the country into zones wouldn't be a bad idea (note that some border cities could be in 2 zones).
Or you could just x-fer to Amtrak. 100k miles last year at about 3.5 - 4 cpm. A r/t transpac earns enough miles for 3 r/t coach trips (easily $500+) in the Northeast, and that's far from the best cpm option, but they represent a real savings (as I would otherwise pay $ for the tickets).
Long distance sleeper trains are a great deal. They're worth trying, if only once for the experience. 30,000 pts for two people one-way in a en-suite bedroom with [mediocre] meals from Chicago to SEA, LAX, etc. is pretty nice. These things normally sell for $1500+ or so (two people in a bedroom one way).
The Amtrak transfer has kept me from considering leaving CO. (Tells self to shut up, not to tell people.)
