Yeah, that's kinda where I'm going with this question.

- I'm committed to American. I'm very close to Million Mile status, for one thing.

- I'm pretty sure that I'll continue to travel enough domestically to make an annual membership in AC worth my while.

- I'm young enough that I could potentially get a lot of use out of the lifetime membership.

The only variable for me is whether there will be ACs for me to go to. So, if I'm banking on making it pay off, I'd want to get the investment returned as soon as possible.

If I die first, I don't care about the wasted money. If AA dies before I do...well...I might be willing to take the plunge if it pays for itself in 7 years. I might not take that risk if it's going to be 18 years.

Gawd. Reading that, it sounds like I've married an airline, doesn't it?