Hi everyone,

Sorry for the delay in following up on the story.

After my original email to e-rewards customer service, I received an immediate auto-generated email acknowledging receipt of my message. However, I have not received another communication from e-rewards regarding this issue since then. While this is an 'n of 1' anecdote, I encourage the e-rewards apologists in this thread to reconsider their positive opinions because this has not been my experience.

Regarding my rationale for carrying such a high dollar amount, it's a combination of two factors. First, I was Silver Elite on Delta and Northwest before the merger. I decided to switch from Delta to American this calendar year because of a bad Delta customer service experience. Neither Delta nor American participate in e-rewards, so I max out my quarterly redemptions through Hertz and into American. Second, I design surveys, so I know how to answer them to pass the screens and have a high rate of survey completion.

If anyone has more detailed information about the researchers who have investigated 'bait and reject' survey practices to collect data cheaply, please PM me with any details.

I hope this information helps.