Originally Posted by channa
One can argue with all the partnerships these days, miles have actually increased in value. Aside from slight nuances in rules and odd partners of a single airline here or there, the big boys in the U.S. have essentially merged into three different currencies: Oneworld (AA), Star (UA/US), and SkyTeam (CO/NW/DL).
I see many posts on this board of people who have been "unable" to use their miles, only to find a reasonably convenient alternative on a partner (or mix/match of partners) that is indeed available if they 1) think of it, and 2) ask for it.
Absolultely. In recent years, I have obtained four Virgin Atlantic Upper Class awards using Delta miles and an F class award on Air NZ using United miles. Also, I have used hundreds of thousand of miles for United upgrades (all the while, without any status on any airline).
I'm hardly a sucker, tossing my money into a scheme that will never pay dividends. Like most FTers, I'm an expert at playing this complex game to my considerable advantage.