Sorry for this rather uninformed and open-ended question...but I wanted to benefit from the collective wisdom here...and I've been out of the mileage-maven scene for several years.

Any opinions where the most cluck for the buck is obtained when transferring miles from AMEX into a specific FF program? Now that most of the airlines programs don't have expiry dates the choice is a little less strategic, but nevertheless...

When I left corporate employment 5 years ago, and the AMEX card that went along with it, I had c. 75,000 miles in my AMEX travel account. Before I left they assured me that even though I would no longer be a card holder that my miles would remain viable "indefinitely." Eighteen months ago I called to test this, and the revalidated the general facts.

Again, I don't travel that much anymore, and as a result have not been staying as current on the ongoing changes in the different programs, and think I'm at some risk of seeing my banked miles diluted, lost or at least of missing some opportunites. Current balances are approximately (UA-150K; AS-350K; DL-160K; US-80K; AA-40K; also have lesser but significant points in Hilton, Starwood/Westin and Hyatt programs). Sorry to be asking for generic Mileage Makeover, but with your broad overview of the programs above, do you think I *should* go ahead and stick my AMEX balance in a specific rewards program...and which one?

I don't have any specific travel plans for the coming year, but when I do cash in miles it will probably be for biz or first class travel to South America or Asia.

Thanks for not savaging an old mileage junkie who's now asking rookie questions.