I disagree the sooner you use them the more value they have. As been mentioned before, use them for high cost trips or J/F for the best value with the consideration of what elite status you want from purchased tickets. I have 3 mil lifetime miles earned with 700,000 left in the account. I'm comfortable with this usage and strategy even in the face of upcoming events.

Now, LatinPass million miles were completely different. I used and transferred ASAP with those!