Originally Posted by
ClimbGuy
This is key to best/worst use of miles. Basing the use on $.01 +/- per mile doesn't make sense. I used miles to travel to Argentina in J a couple years ago, I think it worked out to $0.025 per mile. Would I ever pay cash for a J or F ticket, never. How much extra is the premium service, well I guess it depends on who I am with, how long the flight ect.
The last minute 50k domestic coach award to see a dieing family member is a far better value then the 120k J ticket to China. I am planning a cross country Amtrak trip in a deluxe private room for next summer (don't laugh) It will work about to about $.125 per mile. But would I ever shell out the cash for such a trip, no.
You can only make the case that your miles are worth $X if you would have paid $$$ to book the ticket if you wouldn't have used miles.
Exactly my thoughts. A dollar value for the miles makes sense only if one was otherwise going to spend that money on the ticket/upgrade/item purchased using miles. Otherwise the dollar value only serves the purpose of giving bragging rights.
Though in general I think the miles are almost invaluable in the sense that they let you experience things which otherwise are out of your reach.
I recently used my miles for a US$18K ticket for a 15.5c/mile value (this is the bragging part :-). But to me those miles were invaluable as I would have never spent that kind of money on a single ticket (hopefully someday I will be able to), but it gave me a chance to experience the best in commercial flights today which I can only dream of.
But I digress since this thread is about the worst use of miles. I would say the worst use would be, irrespective of the dollar value obtained, when after using the miles you feel they were wasted. Fortunately this hasn't happened with me yet.