Originally Posted by
MikeFromTokyo
Totally agree here. All of my flights longer than a few hours are already ticketed in J or F, so status benefits make virtually no difference. When I choose to fly Y on short flights, I can pay for preferred seating. Lounge access is usually free through Amex and other credit cards, or available for purchase.
It would make sense to me if I could hit top tier, but I do not fly enough on a single airline or alliance for that to happen.
I think for me on flights, it is top tier that does make an appreciable difference in flight - for me, not on board, but in ground support when there is a problem. And also, the ability to actually use accumulated points.
On hotel programs, my answer is similar to MFT's on air - for that kind of stuff, I have access to those experiences in other ways that I don't need to access them through SPG or similar.