Originally Posted by
MrPink
AA sold these already last year in that cash deal with Citi. Not saying a devaluation isn't possible, but these miles were spoken for a while ago
My guess is Citi is getting desperate seeing how well the BA, UA and SPG promos are doing for their respective issuers.
The miles may have been "spoken for" on Citi's side, but AA's accepting them for travel is all in the very changeable future. Will AA miles be tougher to use at today's redemption levels down the road? Basic economic concepts of supply and demand, the history of FF programs (see currently Delta) and common sense, all say yes. None of the airlines are going to go buy additional Airbuses to make it easier for people to redeem awards. It's really off-topic for this thread, but a very interesting topic for another one. My guess is that status will play a much, much bigger role in the ability to redeem awards, especially for the airlines whose miles are being given away for almost nothing (BA, AA, etc.). If I'm right, it'll bad news for many, especially when I see the low number of FF posts of many posting here since that may indicate folks w/o status.
I agree that Citi may be getting somewhat desperate, and I was expecting something from them, though I thought it would be rewarding use by existing cardholders rather than piling onto the new card giveaway.