Originally Posted by
spankytoes
Points.com is essentially a pawn shop for airline miles. They take something that you have no use for, offer you a fraction of the market value and flip it for profit. I’ve used their services twice for accounts that had <2,000 miles that I knew would go to waste. I never had a problem with my transactions and got something tangible in return.
If people want to “pawn” 25,000 miles for $100.00, that’s on them. IMO, that’s no different than electing for immediate gratification instead of taking the time to sell your item on Craigslist or eBay where you will get a fairer market value.
Believe it or not, not everyone that earns frequent flier miles aspires to turn them into a reward.
I have to agree with this. Dealing with Points.com is analogous to selling/buying at a pawn shop. Except maybe, with nobody behind the counter to answer questions. I imagine there are some decent pawn shops---but every time I window shop at one I roll my eyes at what ripoff prices pawn shops are asking for outdated, and used merchandise. You can often buy newer model, latest edition, etc., merchandise on sale at a retailer for less than what a pawn shop is hawking. You get some people who don't care about a decent return for a product and others who, for whatever reason, decide to buy it at an inflated price. Yes, that's an excellent analogy.