Not sure where to post this, but...

Would it be fair to say that status programs are really equivalent, economically, legally, to bulk discount offerings?

Like, if you buy 50 flights, get one free.

Or if you buy 50 flights, get a few cheap J/F seats.

etc..

I realize various programs have differences, however, it appears there is one commonality: Buy more, get more stuff/discounts.

If there's an existing post/thread on this, I apologize in advance for any proliferation that I'm causing... feel free to merge, rescind, delete, etc...