Originally Posted by
abhilife2001
I look at it this way.. do I want to have 1 trip fully paid for but in J or two fully paid trips in Y.. I tend towards Y but it maybe just me.
And this may also be because, thanks to my company policy, I anyway's don't travel in J so have not used to that comfort anyway (other than sundry op-ups) !
30 years ago I would have made the same choice. But I think there are several factors that go into the decision including your age (and relative ability to handle cramped seats), length of flights, how you earn miles (i.e. through actual flying, by credit card bonus, or by CC spend) and financial situation, as well as your personal EQM requirements for status. For me it's a holistic approach - my preference is to save miles and use them for a J TATL flight (65-70k one-way on UA) but I am loathe to pay $$$ to fly during peak season.
Originally Posted by
kapooncha
Interesting how so many here have used the phrase "the sky is not falling." And that has me curious as to what you all think would constitute "the sky is falling?" Would the banks have to completely eliminate rewards for you to think the sky is falling?
No - as noted above there are two critical factors:
(1) Conversion to a fixed value (a la WN or B6) would completely eliminate any incentive to use a card that earns miles (as the earn is usually less than you'd receive with a cash back card), or
(2) Elimination of TATL and TPAC saver award seat inventory for peak travel, i.e. summer (it's pretty challenging now, but not impossible).