Originally Posted by suitcasejockey

What an issue this is. They tell you they're worthless and have no monetary value. Then they offer to sell them to you. So it's cool for them to do it but not for you to do it. They offer shopping opportunities where you can redeem them for other goods and services. This means that they acknowledge the economic value of this currency.

My personal opinions are a dichotomy.

The miles are earned and paid for. You don't magically find them like mushrooms in Mario Brothers. They do in fact have a monetary value, whether the airlines like it or not. A good lawyer should be able to tapdance into court and win this. Not only are they a currency, they are in fact one of the largest forms of currency on the planet. There are more FF miles issued than almost all small nations' units of currency. So if they are proven in a court of law to be a valid currency, why then cannot they be traded or moved?

On the other hand, I have a REALLY high mileage balance in my account. So you won't see me playing games with them, for fear of losing all my goodies.

But I will tell you this - if they did take my status or miles away, I would have them in court begging for mercy. It doesn't seem hard to prove a jury of my peers that they stole tens of thousands of dollars from me, and juries love to punish big evil companies.