The MOST invested for the LEAST return?
Sep 23, 2011 | 5:00 pm
#76
Join Date: Oct 2003
Location: PDX/AUS
Programs: AA-UA-AS IHG-SPG-Carlson
Posts: 4,562
I suppose it would have been e-rewards,
except I could see that coming, and never persevered.
Clearly the lowest return for effort in recent memory
for me has been reading and keeping up with
the AA Shopping Mall/Cartera/Verizon train wreck.
Endless and useless moralizing.
except I could see that coming, and never persevered.
Clearly the lowest return for effort in recent memory
for me has been reading and keeping up with
the AA Shopping Mall/Cartera/Verizon train wreck.
Endless and useless moralizing.
Sep 23, 2011 | 7:00 pm
#77
Join Date: Sep 2008
Posts: 704
The miles shopping portals are low an the list where my automatic posting percentage is below half.
Sep 23, 2011 | 7:11 pm
#78
Senior Moderator
Join Date: Oct 2001
Location: San Francisco, CA
Programs: UA Plat/2MM [23-yr. 1K, now emeritus] clawing way back to WN-A List; MR LT Titanium; HY Whateverist.
Posts: 12,459
Please follow as this thread moves to the MilesBuzz forum, as it concerns mileage acquisition, rather than travel as per the FlyerTalk definitions. Thanks, Ocn Vw 1K, Moderator.
Sep 23, 2011 | 7:17 pm
#79
Join Date: May 2009
Location: SEA
Programs: AA EXP (2.5MM), Hilton Gold, Marriott Titanium
Posts: 4,857
Sure looks like its already covered in http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/miles...st-return.html
Sep 23, 2011 | 7:24 pm
#80
Join Date: Feb 2008
Location: Kobe, Japan
Programs: Bonvoy Titanium, IHG Diamond., Hyatt Disc., Choice Plat., UA Silver/KE/AK/DL
Posts: 1,981
Spent 15 minutes on the phone with ANA trying to find out which domestic fare was worth how many miles.
In the end I ALMOST paid $20 for 100 extra miles, but caught myself and said I would pay online. Then I cancelled that and rebooked to take savings over the mileage.
In the end I ALMOST paid $20 for 100 extra miles, but caught myself and said I would pay online. Then I cancelled that and rebooked to take savings over the mileage.
Sep 23, 2011 | 8:06 pm
#81
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Join Date: Jan 2010
Location: Calgary, Alberta
Programs: Hyatt Diamond, Fairmont Platinum, Aeroplan Diamond, HHonors Gold, SPG Gold
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I am just about the fall into that trap now. The only (that I could find) credit card that earns Emirates miles available in my country of residence (not the UAE) is offered by Emirates National Bank of Dubai.
It requires one to maintain a fixed-deposit account at the bank first of all, with a minimum balance of AED 150,000 (about $40K) for the Platinum level and AED 250,000 for the Infinity card. The interest rate on this account is about 0.5%, maybe not horrible by U.S. standards these days, but two points less than I could otherwise get in this part of the world. These funds are locked for a year at a time -- one can withdraw the funds any time, but one forfeits the interest; no big deal I guess given the rate.
Then you have to maintain in a normal savings account at the bank with a balance equal to or greater than the card limit, to cover in case of default. That is on top of the fee for the card, which is AED 700 per year for Platinum and AED 1,500 for Infinity, and non-trivial bank charges to wire the money internationally to set up the fixed account and to transfer the funds into the savings account to pay the balance each month.
At least the earnings rate is pretty good -- 1.5 miles per $1 spent on the Platinum card or 2 miles per $1 spent for the Infinity card.
So I calculate that if I spend $7,000 per month on the Platinum card, it would cost me about 1c per mile (Infinity would cost more), given the cost of the card and the foregone interest. This does not take into account the opportunity cost, besides the foregone interest, of the illiquidity of this fixed-deposit account, nor the small risk of having money stuck in UAE for who-knows-what-reason. More importantly, it assumes no other charges, especially interest, which would quickly make this a bad deal. Obviously it would be a lot more attractive with a spend like $20,000 per month.
Let's hope I can put these Emirates miles to good use! First-class A380 or SFO-DXB here I come!
It requires one to maintain a fixed-deposit account at the bank first of all, with a minimum balance of AED 150,000 (about $40K) for the Platinum level and AED 250,000 for the Infinity card. The interest rate on this account is about 0.5%, maybe not horrible by U.S. standards these days, but two points less than I could otherwise get in this part of the world. These funds are locked for a year at a time -- one can withdraw the funds any time, but one forfeits the interest; no big deal I guess given the rate.
Then you have to maintain in a normal savings account at the bank with a balance equal to or greater than the card limit, to cover in case of default. That is on top of the fee for the card, which is AED 700 per year for Platinum and AED 1,500 for Infinity, and non-trivial bank charges to wire the money internationally to set up the fixed account and to transfer the funds into the savings account to pay the balance each month.
At least the earnings rate is pretty good -- 1.5 miles per $1 spent on the Platinum card or 2 miles per $1 spent for the Infinity card.
So I calculate that if I spend $7,000 per month on the Platinum card, it would cost me about 1c per mile (Infinity would cost more), given the cost of the card and the foregone interest. This does not take into account the opportunity cost, besides the foregone interest, of the illiquidity of this fixed-deposit account, nor the small risk of having money stuck in UAE for who-knows-what-reason. More importantly, it assumes no other charges, especially interest, which would quickly make this a bad deal. Obviously it would be a lot more attractive with a spend like $20,000 per month.
Let's hope I can put these Emirates miles to good use! First-class A380 or SFO-DXB here I come!
Sep 24, 2011 | 7:27 am
#82
Original Poster
Join Date: May 2006
Location: BOS and ...
Programs: UA 2MM; AA 1.5MM; DL .5MM; Hyatt GP 1M; HH Gold; CP/Rad. Gold; Miracle Fruit-su Club
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Marathon Man nails the purpose of this thread as well as can be in about 10 ways @58. ^
Who hasn't felt one of them? To paraphrase the end of The Thornbirds where the narrator tells how Thornbirds got their name. At some point, the flock throws itself against thornbushes and dies. "...and still we do it... still we do it..."
Who hasn't felt one of them? To paraphrase the end of The Thornbirds where the narrator tells how Thornbirds got their name. At some point, the flock throws itself against thornbushes and dies. "...and still we do it... still we do it..."
Sep 24, 2011 | 8:16 am
#83
Original Poster
Join Date: May 2006
Location: BOS and ...
Programs: UA 2MM; AA 1.5MM; DL .5MM; Hyatt GP 1M; HH Gold; CP/Rad. Gold; Miracle Fruit-su Club
Posts: 9,961
mecabq's case reminds me of an early business class breakeven point problem. In mecabq's story the left hand giveth, and the right hand taketh away in a larger context. Maybe even to the point of, "The further I go, the behinder I get". Makes one wonder how many people get caught up in this one. "Great for earning miles!"
And it raises the question, when do some of the programs, promos and practices discussed in this thread become rackets? The answer to that level of question usually depends on who's practicing as much as "running the numbers" (whatever definition). Also on whether the abused collectively have the wherewithal to press the question: When does it go beyond leaving it to the marketplace? The court's answer is, it depends on whether one can walk away.
Those questions may be too much for this thread, and FlyerTalk, but thanks to mecabq for this broader view and real world example of what some jokingly term "the mileage rackets".
And it raises the question, when do some of the programs, promos and practices discussed in this thread become rackets? The answer to that level of question usually depends on who's practicing as much as "running the numbers" (whatever definition). Also on whether the abused collectively have the wherewithal to press the question: When does it go beyond leaving it to the marketplace? The court's answer is, it depends on whether one can walk away.
Those questions may be too much for this thread, and FlyerTalk, but thanks to mecabq for this broader view and real world example of what some jokingly term "the mileage rackets".
Sep 24, 2011 | 11:12 am
#84
Join Date: Mar 2007
Programs: SPG Gold, AA PM
Posts: 287
Login to Chase Ultimate Rewards (or click thru from your CC account), click on "See Rewards Activity", then "Ultimate Rewards Mall & Travel earnings". You should see all your activity there. If not I'm guessing you'd need to click on the "Contact Us" link at the bottom of the page after 8 weeks. All my activity has shown up except stamps.com. I suspect they may have nixed that offer after it got blogged about - stamps.com no longer appears on the UR site.
http://thepointsguy.com/2011/09/stam...wards-muck-up/
Sep 24, 2011 | 12:56 pm
#85
Suspended
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Location: Calgary, Alberta
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Posts: 18,686
Looks like the stamps.com deal was a mistake which will hopefully be honored (lots of these lately!). Here's a recent post from thepointsguy:
http://thepointsguy.com/2011/09/stam...wards-muck-up/
http://thepointsguy.com/2011/09/stam...wards-muck-up/
but some websites are shady, and going after them isn't really worth the time neither..
Sep 24, 2011 | 4:03 pm
#86
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jul 2003
Location: Florida
Posts: 30,343
Stamp.com must have seen a ton of such activities from Chase UR and decided it would not be taken this way...
Last I read the thread at Credit Card forum, at least one person has reported his 2500 were reversed.
Sep 24, 2011 | 10:26 pm
#87
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Location: Calgary, Alberta
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I doubt anybody has ever paid a penny - it was a first month free trial order with a $5 worth label to go with it to boot. I bet everyone and his brother/sister has full intention to cancel before the trial period is up. The OP of the thread has long canceled his trial and even posted a step by step guide on how to do it.
Stamp.com must have seen a ton of such activities from Chase UR and decided it would not be taken this way...
Last I read the thread at Credit Card forum, at least one person has reported his 2500 were reversed.
Stamp.com must have seen a ton of such activities from Chase UR and decided it would not be taken this way...
Last I read the thread at Credit Card forum, at least one person has reported his 2500 were reversed.
Seems too good to be true..
I'm wondering what the purpose of this website's existence is?
Sep 25, 2011 | 3:42 am
#88
Join Date: Jul 2008
Programs: Greyhound Vermillion Mithril
Posts: 693
Then I found out that the minimum charge was $10, so I was like forget about it...
Sep 27, 2011 | 8:15 am
#90
Join Date: Oct 2005
Location: United Arab Emirates & Arizona, USA
Programs: UA MM/1P, EK Ag, Marriott Life Ti, Hilton Dia, IC Dia, Hyatt Glob, Accor Pt
Posts: 4,723
mecabq's case reminds me of an early business class breakeven point problem. In mecabq's story the left hand giveth, and the right hand taketh away in a larger context. Maybe even to the point of, "The further I go, the behinder I get". Makes one wonder how many people get caught up in this one. "Great for earning miles!"
And it raises the question, when do some of the programs, promos and practices discussed in this thread become rackets? The answer to that level of question usually depends on who's practicing as much as "running the numbers" (whatever definition). Also on whether the abused collectively have the wherewithal to press the question: When does it go beyond leaving it to the marketplace? The court's answer is, it depends on whether one can walk away.
Those questions may be too much for this thread, and FlyerTalk, but thanks to mecabq for this broader view and real world example of what some jokingly term "the mileage rackets".
And it raises the question, when do some of the programs, promos and practices discussed in this thread become rackets? The answer to that level of question usually depends on who's practicing as much as "running the numbers" (whatever definition). Also on whether the abused collectively have the wherewithal to press the question: When does it go beyond leaving it to the marketplace? The court's answer is, it depends on whether one can walk away.
Those questions may be too much for this thread, and FlyerTalk, but thanks to mecabq for this broader view and real world example of what some jokingly term "the mileage rackets".
Still worth it if I am paying 1c, of course, but there are also broader opportunity costs that one should value as well.