What you have stated has crossed my mind as well referencing the hoarding and loss of elite status. I am hoping that I would fly enough to become the low or hopefully the mid tier elite. Then use the miles for u/grades by having a flexible travel schedule and the rest of my retirement travel each year would hopefully be award tix either up front or in Y.
<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">Originally posted by ranles:
Another reason for considering using rather than "hoarding" miles.
Just a note about saving miles for retirement. Note that in most cases you will cease being an elite level in airlines when your using miles rather than money. This loss, further depreciates your miles and the experience that you will have when you cash them in. Been there, avoided most of that. AS miles, while a good value, are just not the same when your are no longer elite.</font>