I want to ask some other leisure travelers-are you taking advantage of the great rates??

I have to say, the UseAAMiles.com website is top on my list for continuing to stay loyal to American.

It is wonderful to make a 4-night trip to New York City in the summer and get 5 nights at a nice hotel in midtown for under 35,000 miles with the EXP discount. No other airline offers this. One other major thing I have noticed is that the close-in mileage is most of the time less than advanced booking!

Whether it was Maya Leibman or someone else at AA responsible for the increase in marketing for the use of miles for hotels & car rentals, and the loyalty discounts that they provide along with much better CPM than competitors---this was good thinking on their part and I hope we have this benefit for a long time. Being able to get a decent hotel at 5,300 miles for a one-night MR, while most of the time the RDM earned from the trip offsets it, for example, as opposed to shelling out $60+tax on priceline, is very rewarding.

This benefit can also help nudge budget-conscious FF's to spend a few extra dollars on MRs as well.