Originally Posted by
mooper
1) Fair point, but I'd qualify it by pointing out that AA/US domestic networks are more limited. I'm not necessarily saying Delta stands above the rest in terms of 48-state award inventory; I'm just trying to debunk the claim that Skymiles are far less valuable in that arena. They're in the mix.
You're really going to stake your argument on how 'limited' the domestic route networks of American Airlines and US Airways are? Sure, if you frequently want to go places that only Delta flies when redeeming your awards and you fly enough to be a Delta top tier elite then you should fly Delta and credit your flight miles to Skymiles. What cities are those, adn is htat actually your redemption pattern?
I've long said that someone who lives in a Delta hub city and flies enough to earn a good tier of elite status should probably fly Delta and credit to Skymiles, because upgrades matter.
And that person might even use a Delta credit card for the spending contribution towards status, and the Reserve card's bump in upgrade priority.
But that's different from saying that they should make that choice because of Skymiles redemption ability.
And if they don't need the credit card to boost status, then even in your relatively limited case of someone who only wants to redeem within the 48 contiguous United States (and that is a VERY limiting case, and even there your quote above concedes you aren't saying Delta is best) I'd argue such a person should probably use a cash back card and use the cash to buy those domestic tickets if they wish. If the tickets are for themselves, as a Dimaond they'll be upgraded most of the time. And regardless of who they're for they won't have to fight for inventory at the low level.
As for promos I will gladly take 4750 US Airways miles over even twice as many Delta miles on a car rental, but that's because I think of my miles as more than a minor cashback currency to be used to take me in coach to Florida at the holidays. I leverage the miles and points for the sorts of aspirational awards that I couldn't or wouldn't pay cash for. For the kinds of things that have really enriched my life, seeing places and things I wouldn't otherwise have seen and experiencing cultures I wasn't already familiar with -- and doing it all in a modicum of comfort otherwise-unsupported by my modest income.