Originally Posted by Smirnoff

Has anyone else got really excited about getting status, and then wondered what on earth they needed it for in the first place.

I can't imagine being without my 3 most treasured possessions - Mrs Smirnie, my shiny Gold card and my shiny Black card. In fact, once I lost my Gold card and I didn't sleep for 3 days until AY staff in Moscow reunited me with it.

This year I became the proud owner of an SK Gold Eurobonus card (thanks to FTers). And in the past week, I have become an ever prouder owner of a BD Gold Diamond Club card (thanks for FTers). How exciting. Not only that, but I am spending an irrational number of nights in Marriotts to keep my Gold Marriott Rewards card.

But I don't even know why I need these bits of plastic. My 4 flights on SK convinced me that this is possibly the worst airline in Europe, and I would sooner fly Monarch than give this wretched airline any more business. My BD card is so new and so shiny, but I can't see any routes I would fly other than to DME, in business, so I would have lounge access anyway. And as for Marriotts, there's something so trashy about them, even the expensive ones.

Nevertheless the thought of losing one of these bits of plastic fills me with dread. Does anyone else suffer from this ailment, and is there a cure?