If they didn't take the miles cback off you when you refunded most of the readers of this board would now be living in an F lounge somewhere

Seriously, though, if you need to top up your balance for an award (particularly if you've got an Amex 2-for-1 that's going to expire and you don't have the miles for your dream trip) then buying and redeeming progressively cheaper flexible tickets until you pay off the balance is a possibility.