It irks me when a friend, relative or acquaintance nonchalantly says to me, “Why don’t you use your miles to fly here?”

I then politely inform them that I earned those miles while doing such things as waiting through a five-hour delay at an airport on my own time, circling another airport for an hour before landing on my own time, as well as recounting other hassles for which I do not get compensated — even though it really is none of their business. I do not even discuss the actual flight itself, where I actually earn the miles.

I also politely recount why I will not use 25,000 miles for a US$200.00 domestic flight — even though it really is none of their business. I get far greater value for my miles when I fly internationally, where airfares tend to me more expensive.

The miles are for my leisure travel, and I have the right to determine for which destination I would like to use those miles. To me, they are a form of currency that has value, similar to (but not exactly the same as) cash.

Finally, I agree that banked miles do not equal a “free” flight. I earned those miles. Plus, the flight is not actually free of charge anyway when one still has to pay taxes, fees, etc. on a “free” flight.