Originally Posted by FlyByMike
It's great that you got $31,500 worth of travel, however, would you have ever spent that much to go on your trip? How much would you have spent out of your own pocket?
Good point. I likely would be travelling in coach, and likely on Korean Air. Out of pocket cost would have been under $4,000.
Would you have even made the trip without the miles?
Another good point. And this comes down to spousal negotiation - I'm sure other FTers can relate. Miles have considerably less value to my wife than actual cash does. Even spending $4,000 for the trip would have required serious convincing. But "blowing" 420K miles didn't even phase her.
I know you are calling yourself not a fool, but if it were my miles it would have been a foolish thing for me to do. Especially since you said you had to burn all your miles. What are you going to do for the next trip?
Next trip I'll likely use United miles. Hoping that they still have their Star Alliance relationship with SQ when I get around to it. I'm a mere 75K short of having enough for 3 business class tickets on *Alliance. There are dangers to that, too, of course: bankruptcy, end of *Alliance, increase in mileage requirements for awards, etc.
After that? Well, then it's probably back to spending dollars and
earning miles on those trips for a while rather than buring them.