Originally Posted by
stencil
Sure, in your case, but I am wondering about those who spend and travel just to reach plateaus, surpass them, and bank for next year when they didn't need to a) take that trip or b) order that thing on their AMEX. I admit to being caught hook, line, and sinker into the spending spree, which is exactly what DL and AMEX want us to do.
This isn't a criticism, just an observation of what I've seen FTers do this time of year (including me).
I know a FT'er who has done a huge MR this year and that basically puts him in the driver's seat for 1) status with all the benefits and 2) enough banked miles to take all the trips he wants/needs in the coming year, with the average cost of each trip (based on his MR's) about 1/3 of the going price.
Partly it depends on flying patterns, cost of the MR flights, use of the RDM's and more. There is no set answer.