Originally Posted by
SkiAdcock
Shrug.
EVERY airline, hotel & car rental program says terms can change w/o notice. That doesn't mean they do on a regular basis. With a merger it would be silly to think that terms would stay the same, but it also doesn't mean they'll tank in every respect.
The earn & burn quickly I'm not necessarily in agreement w/. If folk earn a lot & can redeem awards quickly - that meets their travel requirements - then great. To just burn to try & prevent a possible devaluation is silly IMO. But a lot of folk who earn points aren't earning big #s, so to tell them to burn quickly does them a disservice (again IMO).
Cheers.
Absolutely, if you have a goal in mind that calls for big points, then go for it and save up. But don't be too surprised if that goal keeps moving in higher points required or it going away and having to choose something new. Several have been burned by properties being deflagged or bumped in category or just simple point creep for a category. And let's not forget about other issues that can spoil a trip, weather, war, travel restrictions...
Sitting on a bunch of points "to use someday"... Not so wise IMHO. Everyone needs to assess their risk tolerance and decide what they want to do. Personally, a bunch of small rewards feels better than one big one, but that's me.