I'm still lost as to how this thread has nothing to do with milesbuzz..."Discussion of the latest frequent flyer buzz..." since there seems to be pretty good buzz around this topic...


Anyway, I've been screwed by corporate america plenty. I've had to do major surgeory to my credit rating after a credit card company mistook me for my brother. I've had my share of injustices and slights. At the same time, I've never worked directly for a for-profit corporation since I worked grocery check out in college.

But my perspective on this is simple: I view the frequent travel game as just that: a game. Like a friendly game of poker. So while I am not laying any claim whatsoever to being a particularly moral or even upstanding person, I just dont think it's cricket to 'cheat'.

Play the game to my advantage, yes. Demand everything that has been promised and try to work in a little more, yes. Even count cards if I can! But put an ace up my sleeve or deal from the bottom of the deck, no.

And my motivation is more selfish then altruistic. I feel like a get a darn good deal out of the frequent travel game. I dont want to be cheated out of what I consider to be a good thing, so I'm not going to cheat first.

And yes, 'cheating' is a matter of moral relativism. Some might blanche at some of my common practices.

IMHO, a lot of it goes to intent. If people are actively LOOKING for what they KNOW are mistakes, then how can you get mad when those mistakes are caught and corrected. If one innocently stumbles upon a mistake and simply takes it as a great deal then there is less culpability...

JMHO...