RN = Really Nearly Moribund?
 

I noticed that there was a Rewards Network post today, breaking an almost 2.5 month hiatus between posts. Not much excitement in the RN world: more action than the “Discontinued Partners/Programs” forums, but deader than most anything else.

I miss the “pre-taking-private” vibrancy and bonuses, and my six-figure hauls, but of course RN isn’t running their business for us: the fixated and fanatical.

But, hey, I’ve dropped some weight and saved some money, so it’s all good!

I think I came up with a better one:

RN = Routinely Nothing

Truth is the absolute defense against libel.

What a poor year 2013 has become. My favorite place left RN and now I only earn miles to maintain my VIP status. My RN miles won't even get me to NJ from NYC.

RN has been treating me well so far this year, although I still miss the old days of the 10 AAdvantage Miles default return (with 20 miles/$ for the bonus offers).
Not much to discuss unfortunately.

I miss the good old days with idine! We have less than 10 restaurants in a comfortable driving distance. No worth while bonuses. Still try to use the program. They need to do some serious recruiting in my area.

I have a couple of dines left for requalification in a couple of programs, so I'll follow through with those. However ... next year, I'm not going at all out of my way to dine with them absent promotions. They're on life support with me.

If I make VIP this year, when does the VIP status expire? I am a few dines short but I am not sure if it's worth the effort... Thanks!

VIP status lasts through the end of the following year. So VIP status earned now would last through the end of 2014.

Thanks! I guess I will go for it then.

A nearly defunct enterprise...
 

I joined the programs along with my husband back in 1988. We went thru several name changes of the sad Rewards Network, since the Chasens, original founders, ran the place. A fine couple that ran the business literally as a mom and pop operation. Their two daughters were also part of the outfit, and everyone got along prospering together as a big family. We suffered through the drastic changes in their operations and rewards' rates; from the cash rewards as well as other related offers. company name changed twice(?) Transmedia, Idine, and now Rewards Network. We had several plans, including the fiasco of their "Upromise" program. Unknowingly, both of our separate accounts was billed each year for annual fees. By that time, retired, we detected the billing in old account statements, and decided to call them, hoping to recover all or part of the over $300 billed over the years, even when we had to stop dining out in 1994 due to health and age, only to be told by some illogical and idiotic Mr. Hannon and some stupid rep named Brandis, that we would only be refunded just "part" of the the last fee billed. Very insulting. They were desperate by then. That was around 2008. When we read the company's grief over the very well known "California Litigation" when they were heftily fined by the court after several local restaurants folded under the company's illicit practices. We fear by today, that their days may be numbered... Their programs made sense originally, but now they are unsustainable. They may as well close shop and open up a restaurant; Mr. Blake will be their Chef Internacionale flipping burgers in the kitchen...

As thread “den-mother” let me be the first to welcome you to FlyerTalk and thank you for an interesting history lesson, I really had no idea of the genesis of Idine.

I think that the lower interest rates as well as the proliferation of OpenTable and Groupon certainly have something to do with RN's misfortunes, although only as a contributing factor. Access to working capital is a lot cheaper than it used to be, so RN can't possibly be making as much return on their deals. That leaves less miles to buy, which makes the program less interesting to new entrants because it's not really going to boost business.

Thus, a little death spiral tendency tossed into the general malaise of the program.

These days, when I'm in a mid-sized city alone for work and want dinner out, I tend to look to OpenTable first, and RN second. The OpenTable restaurants are generally pretty good if you dodge the hotel restaurants and pay a little attention to the ratings. While $1 won't make me rich, I get a nice lunch at my favorite place once a year from the program - and I would only make about 50-60 AA miles per visit anyway.

Just stumbled on this thread. Interesting because in my area, the trend appears 180 degrees opposite: few are leaving the program and plenty are joining, including restaurants I regularly went to before joining the program and some that I discovered through the program that have become regular go-tos for me. In fact, I went to a fairly new restaurant last night for the first time that I had passed in my travels and had a great meal. That's the other good thing: there's a great variety of styles and price points with some low-priced options but also some places that are excellent. Finally, lots of options close by: keeping in mind that I live in a residential area, an even dozen restaurants within a mile radius from my house plus a number more within a mile radius from my office.

Given my eating habits (I haven't run a load in my dishwasher since Memorial Day), I'm very lucky that RN is apparently very alive and well in my little corner of Virginia. And that's helped me keep status in AA, UA, US, IHG, and WN while eating no more than probably a third of my meals in RN locations.

RN = Really Nearly Moribund?
 

I agree with most of the posts so far since most of the restaurants in my area that regularly participated are no longer in the program. Every once in a while I get a nice surprise when a restaurant on my travels that I happen to eat at surprises me with points since they are in the program. (Just happened in FL when a nice Italian place we stopped in for lunch at Sawgrass Mills Outlet participated.) As a frequent traveller, I still find some decent places in larger cities I go to frequently like NYC and Chicago. I'm sure we will see how many points people have accrued when the annual points recap thread is started (maybe I will do that after this post.)