Ha, you're very right- I could definitely use the cash back to fund future travel. Somehow the cash going into my bank account feels practical, even if I then took it out for trips later. The illusion of miles-funded trips being "free" makes it more appealing, I suppose, than having saved cash to use. Since I can't really predict the value of money vs. points for a hypothetical trip, looks like I'll just have to make a decision!