Originally Posted by SteveinA2
It was not to long ago - in the 90's when a RT business ticket to Europe was 60,000 miles on most carriers and now they are typically 90 - 100,000.
I use to hoard miles, but in light of how easy to are obtain, devaluation will continue. NWA's rule buster awards now don't even give you open availability.
I keep 200,000 in NW as a minumin, so I can always do a RT to Europe at no notice, but have used over 1,000,000 miles in the last 12 months giving to family, friends and using them.
Still have 800,000 AA orphan miles...waiting for the day I can use on BA to LHR from DTW
This is spot on. Devaluation is an incredible problem with the frequent flyer world. I'd use the miles. Plus, as a NW elite, you're still earning a nice 50% bonus on all your paid flights, so the bank does keep building even when burning, so long as you're not flying only on award tickets.