Although I wouldn't bite at these redemption levels, I agree that this is a good move on UA's part to try to get people to cash in unredeemed miles to help their balance sheet.

FTers are a pretty savvy bunch when it comes to valuing travel services, but the a lot of average travelers might use their miles to get free car rentals and rooms. How else to explain people using 25K awards on trips that they can buy (if they can afford it) for $200 bucks?