100% agree about everything that was written above.

I’d add one data point about age. I know a few people who got close to PFL but dropped the ball because their travel patterns seemed to have changed forever (different job, kids, etc).

For decades I heard them express regrets every time they boarded an AFKL flight in cattle class. Now freed from work and family commitments, they travel more and regret it even more.

Is it a gamble? For sure it is. As stated above, you have 0 guarantee the program will stay the same in the long run.
But the pay-off can be huge, and if you are young enough, that’s exactly when the risk/reward ratio is at its best.

Heck, it doesn’t even have to be wasted money with a dry investment, like buying your XP through credit cards or SAF extras.
5 years is just 1500 XP… go on « useless » XP runs 2-3x per year for the next 5 years and you are almost there. Plus, you’ll get to visit some EU capitals you might not have gone to otherwise.