I have been GM for the last three years, and have about 250,000 miles (travel + Amex DL Plat). I have a recurring discussion/argument with my wife (SM) about how to use the accrued miles. Her view is: save the money, use the miles for travel (generally JFK-SEA). My view is that if I use the miles for travel, I don't earn miles, and I'm risking my GM status which gets me priority check-in, security and boarding and a reasonably good chance of upgrades. I'm more likely to use the miles for upgrades on intl flights. What do other people who maintain Medallion status use their miles for?