Originally Posted by particlemn

As I understand it the point is that its better to spend 4.95 each month buy purchasing a gift card if you have a bonus offer like spend 500 each month for three months, that way you will not actually lose track and spend 600 one month, that extra 100 could be better spent on a different more valuable card. so the moral of the story is its better to spend an extra $15 to gain an extra 100 miles in a better account.
one minor flaw is the reduced purchase protection when purchasing with a visa gift card rather than a regular visa card and the spending the extra $15.