Originally Posted by
kevmo314
So for those who do MRs, you find the benefits outside of using RDMs worth the couple thousand dollars per year? Is the average mileage runner a person who flies regularly for business so that attaining that additional status isn't starting from complete or near scratch?
While I'd personally love to be able to attain elite status, not to mention be able to fly trips to random destinations, being a late undergraduate means that I can't do mileage runs unless I can justify the cost (via saving the equivalent cost or more on RDMs). Hopefully I can change that in the future...
"YMMV" definitely applies to MRing, since the considerations may be very different for different people. Some of us, for example, are motivated to continue only because we can see from where we currently are the prospect of 1M lifetime miles and with it "permanent" Gold status on *A. If you don't have many lifetime miles, then you don't have that incentive. If you can do productive work while on a plane, then the "cost" is less to you. And if you can sleep sitting up, then its easier. Etc.
And you should know that the "game" has become less rewarding over time.