I agree that the NEA card is an excellent value and one of the best for certain types of travel. However, it's important to note that it requires 21 day advance purchase and a sturday night stay over. This may be easy to achieve if you just want your son to be able to fly home for holidays. For me, one of the most valuable features of free tickets is to be able to use them for spontaneous last minute travel when purchased ticket prices are often obscene, so I've never taken this card, though I'm aware of the value it represents. But I'm thinking about getting one for my wife, who has a much easier time figuring out when and where she'll travel, doesn't mind being locked into a schedule, and often goes on short hop trips. I find the feeling of being locked in just way too oppressive, and must end up eating at least half the no refund tickets I've ever bought, and paying ridiculous fees to convert the credit on others to flights I can use.