I am looking for a nice way to explain to a Kettle why "I can't just use miles to go to LAS"

How can they understand that:

1) Spending $300 for AUS-DFW-LAS (3,000 EQM) is a bad use of $$$ I
would use on MR.

2) I won't use MR funds until AA offers fare sales and DBLEQM to bounce
back after an FA Strike.

3) I will not use 25,000 miles for a $300 tkt, because:
a) I won't sit in coach and its not worth 50k for FC
b) Chances are milesaver is not available and I won't pay double
c) I only use miles on a 3-1 cost if I have no other choice- . ie: AUS- PTY $500 tkt (ow) = 15k miles
d) I need 100,000 BIS EQM miles to requalify EXP.
e) If I burn miles I prefer 10:1 spend, such as 100k miles for $10,000
J or F ticket.

3) You (mr / ms Kettle) telling me how to use miles is like me telling Donald Trump how to renegotiate a real estate loan.

PS- and I want to say it NICELY!!!

Thank You

Explain to Mr/Mrs Kettle that miles actually have monetary value so wasting miles is the same as wasting money (if no milesaver availability). I'm sure they'll understand that wasting money is bad

It sounds more like trying to come up with reasons for not going to Las Vegas since you say that you won't pay for the ticket either. Seems a reasonable question about using miles if you have said that the $300 fare is too expensive.

Wouldn't this same general line of reasoning be applicable to any airline with a frequent flier program and not just AA?

Cheers.

You'd rather spend 100K miles on a $10,000 ticket than one fourth as many miles on a ticket that's a one thirtieth of the cost. Twenty times value seems pretty simple to me.

I don't have a problem flying in coach to Europe OR Vegas, but I completely concur about redemptions- use it for things that are particularly valuable.

That being said, I mostly don't MR per se (the only MR I did was in December of last year, SEA-BOS-SEA same day turn), so I might well spend $300 to go to Vegas (though it's a bit pricey on the tickets- I like it closer to $200). AS doesn't do DEQM or offer quite the EQM deals AA does, though...

I hope I don't sound this conceited when I converse with the lowly peasents....

DW's sister, a Kettle, spent 50K miles to fly from DEN-DFW-SHV RT and then bragged to me about how shrewd she was.

I just shook my head.

I'm sorry, did you say something?

Calling someone kettle is usually not a good starter for a discussion, no?

Touche.

In the end it sounds like you can't justify the opportunity cost to go to LAS. So just say a LAS trip is not a priority or it is just not that important to you. No need for lengthly discussion that a $300 for a ticket is a lot to fork over or you'd rather use your miles for a bigger trip your planning.

I've never felt the need to justify my travel habits to anyone, including whether to use a revenue ticket or award.

I'd also suggest that any explanation involving nine talking points (such as you've outlined) would be lost on someone who doesn't travel much.

I'm OP

If I really wanted to go to LAS, I would buy tkt. When I said something along lines of; "Its NOT worth the $$$ to go" then the "why not use miles" statement was made.

We have all been there. We have a different monetary value on miles then the Kettles.

Just looking for nice, maybe even cute way of explaining.

I've always felt that telling the truth was the best policy. Try this:

"It's worth the $$$ to go, but not with you".

What is a "peasent"?

Is it something sent by a pea?