Originally Posted by
sbm12
I agree that what they call a one-way reward has a pretty low value relative to the other rewards they offer. What I don't understand is why you are getting so worked up about it.
No, it doesn't have a pretty low value, it has no value, no marginal value, that is, vis-a-vis the standard roundtrip reward.
I'm getting worked up about it because it's patently ridiculous.
Why would I fork over the same amount of miles for half the reward? There is no reason, since I can just acquire a roundtrip reward and either chuck the return or rebook my return for a later date.
If I go into a hotel and I'm offered the option of two nights for 10,000 Starwood points or one night for 10,000 Starwood points, which one do you think I will pick?
Anybody, in their right mind, given that option would first laugh it off as inane and insulting and then pick the two-night reward.
Where is there any value in a one-way reward at the same price as a roundtrip reward? Even if it were as much as 90% of the rt, there would be a little value (10%), but here there is zero marginal value.
It's just a semantic fallacy.
In the end, you're right, it's nothing, really. But what upsets more than anything else is that there are actually people at Smith Street cooking up this kind of nonsense and passing it off as programmatic value. And I'm also a little upset that someone as profoundly intelligent and knowledgeable as you even contemplates sticking up for such nonsense.
REVISED:
On second thought, the one-way award has not only no value, it actually has less value. Why? Again, since it is, for all intents and purposes, nothing more than a roundtrip award that only allows you to book one-way, this is a case where the company actually expects the customer to forfeit half their value for no reason whatsoever, since, for the same miles they can book a full roundtrip reward. If the customer decides not to fly the return leg, that's their choice. But with the one-way reward this is not even an option. This is a case where the company expects the customer to willingly forfeit their miles for no benefit in return.
I ask you again, who would do that and why? As you think about your answer, we can agree that someone who doesn't know better (aka a dupe) would do this, but I'm interested in who else would opt for this.