Originally Posted by
tennster
Perhaps the service you were paying for in the first place? Miles are not free. Part of what you pay every single provider who takes credit cards goes to their cost of doing "reward" business.
You must be quite jaded with "the man".
So you never use credit cards? In 99% of the places you pay for things, whether you use credit or cash the price is the same. So since you are already being charged the CC fees as part of the cost of your purchase you may as well get something back for it and not "throw away" rewards you can get by using cash instead. To your exact point, you're already paying for it. Whether it is cash back or reward points/miles, to each their own, right?
I guess I'm confused with what point you are trying to argue here. Are you suggesting the systematic abolishment of credit such that merchant fees can be removed from the price of products and therefore we cannot get "free" champagne and caviar? That may be something bigger than we can hash out here.
Not to mention for those who frequently travel, a large amount of the points/miles do not come from credit cards but from the actual flights or hotel rooms purchased and various bonuses and other offers. As a relatively light frequent flyer (by FT standards) over 70% of my miles come directly from my flown tickets and bonus miles. That's about as free as it gets. Sure, I'm sure there is some cost rolled into the price of your ticket/room to account for that too. You're paying it either way though just like the merchant fees. If you don't like that you can fly with a LCC who has no such program.
I echo the opinions most others have shared. I can afford Dom or caviar or a F ticket, but I'd feel totally stupid and guilty for spending money in that way. Knowing how to use the system to get all this stuff for "free" (see above), that's what many of us on FT think is really cool. And it isn't just about the Dom and caviar, but the whole experience.
These points/miles are really like a giant "sale" sign. Yes, I could turn my points into gift cards and probably eventually squeeze some Dom and caviar from it to eat at home (or maybe in a restaurant). But it would be a totally different experience. Part of the allure is the flight (or fancy hotel suite) and everything that comes with it, and also part of it is getting that $10,000 ticket for 90%+ off. It just tastes better when you know you got such a deal.