Oops, that was suppose to be SJC.

It is true that airlines sell one mile for about $0.02. However, even if one can buy miles at that rate, miles would be all one is buying. One is buying essentially the equivalent of a free ticket, upgrade, etc, without getting the additional benefits of miles. In the case of this thread, we are discussing buying something of value, be it a trip, books, software, etc, and getting additional value (miles). Therefore, we are comparing/using two very different evaluation schemes.

2.2 cents per mile should be considered fairly cheap, but I am sure someone will come up with an even lower figure!