An useful elite level on one FFP per alliance is my aim. I have lately 'put to sleep' my redundant Air France, Continental, and JAL accounts:

- AF: free ticket redeemed, about 4,000 miles expired.

- CO: rounded up with car rental and Amex MR miles, then transferred to Hilton. Less than 200 miles left to expire.

- JL: redeemed for a hotel night, about 4,000 miles expired.


Probably wasted about 50K miles all programs combined in the past 15 years, mostly because I did not have time to use them.

The only dormant FFP's (AA, DL, UA) I keep are ones which only need partner activity every 3 years. I tend to round them up with hotel and car miles, and redeem at low levels in the offseason.