There's been some ancillary questions about how people value their miles, as well as the points that they trade for US Airways miles. I've always used
Lucky's thread as an estimate, but I'm curious about a couple of things and thought that this would be a good forum to discuss the true value of hits, particularly when we have to transfer five-figures worth of hotel points for a few lousy miles.
I'm kind of anal about how I value my points. For reference, when transferring hotel, etc. points to US Airways miles for a hit, I determine the value of the points that I transferred and subtract the value of the US miles that I receive, with the balance being the cost of the hit. If I dine or stay at a hotel and get US points, I also figure out the difference between the points that I gave up and the US miles that I earned.
Question 1: This year, I am going to buy my wife flowers from one of the online vendors rather than the pricey local florist (whose flowers are far superior). I am doing this with her full consent and encouragement, btw. I'll be saving money by using the online florist. Can I
subtract the money saved from my total cost? Neither of us considers there to be much inherent value in the difference of the quality of flowers, for purpose of the promo.
Question 2: I have some promos where it is unlikely that I will ever use my points, or I don't value them highly. For instance, I have a few hundred thousand HHonors points, but my wife is at 1.5 million and earning them faster than we can count. We
will never use all those points, so my points are largely irrelevant. Should I apply a discount to those points, or do I still have to assess them at full value because I technically could use them some day?
Mike