Clarification: in my vernacular Uselsess=USAirways.

As for $ for award flights, I have not set any kind of per-mile rate or anything like that. It's just sort of a negotiable thing. For example, if all that is available is a $1800 full fare coach ticket and the lowest fare available is, say $400, I'll split the difference and get $1000 for using personal miles for the flight. It saves my company money and I never feel like I'm getting a bad deal. As I say, it doesn't happen often, though.

Recently, however, my company decided that while my ailine miles were mine no matter who paid for them, my corporate AMEX points were actually theirs, and now my AMEX points go into a company pool for use by our president to travel on award flights. Amazingly, since this happened, I've found that fewer and fewer establishments will accept AMEX and I have to use my personal First Card and have my company reimburse me! (proving the maxim: for every law, there is a loophole!)

As for the certs, they cost $250 for a book of 8-500 mile upgrades for elites, $400 for non-elites (who can only use them to upgrade from full-fare coach). So what's that come out to, 6 cents per upgraded mile (assuming you get maximum mileage out of them)? One is supposed to receive a book of 4-500 mile certs for every 10,000 miles flown, but they are ususally sent out between 1 and six months AFTER the 10,000 miles are flown...and folks wonder why there are so many UA postings!