If you are a Gold Medallion or better with Delta, you know how to work around the annoying award calendar to find Medallion award inventory, and you have a bit of flexibility and are looking to fly wholly within the 48 contiguous states, the ~50K miles you'll have after spending the minimum can get you two tickets that are worth *much* more than $450, especially if you snag the free upgrades. If you are PM+, you can book just days out, and even cancel/change if you don't get your upgrades. It's not a feasible strategy for everyone, but I'm just pointing out that upper elites on Delta who know how to use their miles efficiently can get a heck of a lot more than $450 worth out of the miles.