View Poll Results: Which describes you?
I "hoard" my miles and points for later day use.
149
70.62%
I "use" my miles and points for instant gratification.
62
29.38%
Voters: 211. You may not vote on this poll
Poll: Are you a hoarder or a user?
#31
Join Date: Aug 2004
Location: NJ
Programs: AA Plat, CO Gold, US, Delta, Hilton Diamond, Marriott Silver, Hyatt
Posts: 253
Hoard and then use in spurts
I tend to hoard for long periods of time because (a) most of my travel is for business, and (b) I'll buy tickets for leisure travel if they are relatively cheap. I generally try to achieve at least 1.5 cents per mile on my reward tickets, which means that I'll use miles for a domestic ticket (25,000) only if the ticket price is $375 or higher. Most of the time, even for transcons, I can find tickets cheaper than that. Of course, sometimes when the fare is very high, there is no availability for FF reward tickets.
However, when I do use up my FF miles, I tend to do so in clumps of 100K+ because I'll get tickets for the whole family for a vacation trip. I recall back in the late 1980s or early 1990s, when Continental changed its reward mileage thresholds (from 20K to 25K for a domestic ticket), my wife and I cashed out almost all our miles. I think I'm back over 200K for Continental and close to 500K for American, with smaller amounts in US Air, Delta and United. Time to cash in again!
However, when I do use up my FF miles, I tend to do so in clumps of 100K+ because I'll get tickets for the whole family for a vacation trip. I recall back in the late 1980s or early 1990s, when Continental changed its reward mileage thresholds (from 20K to 25K for a domestic ticket), my wife and I cashed out almost all our miles. I think I'm back over 200K for Continental and close to 500K for American, with smaller amounts in US Air, Delta and United. Time to cash in again!
#32
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Apr 2003
Location: PHL (and sometimes BKK)
Programs: aa/ua gold; mar titanium. SPG till I die.
Posts: 15,648
hoarder.
I've only been playing the FFM game for about 2 years but i got ~160k in AS, 23k in CO (which is earmarked for a trip to BOG/CCS from TIJuana, Mex) and ~50k in NW with about another ~70k to go this year alone.
not sure what i'm going to do with them except I have a few of them
I've only been playing the FFM game for about 2 years but i got ~160k in AS, 23k in CO (which is earmarked for a trip to BOG/CCS from TIJuana, Mex) and ~50k in NW with about another ~70k to go this year alone.
not sure what i'm going to do with them except I have a few of them
#37
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: May 2002
Location: Pittsburgh
Programs: MR/SPG LT Titanium, AA LT PLT, UA SLV, Avis PreferredPlus
Posts: 30,959
I was a hoarder until I got to about 1.5M on US, another million on other airlines, 400K in Marriott and a few hundred thousand elsewhere.
Then over the last 2 years I have switched - down to about 700K on US and burned about 300K at Marriott (although it's up to 400K again).
Then over the last 2 years I have switched - down to about 700K on US and burned about 300K at Marriott (although it's up to 400K again).
#38
Join Date: May 2005
Location: Buffalo, NY
Programs: NW World Perks (Silver) 250K, Delta SkyMiles 50K, USAir Dividend Miles 40K
Posts: 362
Mostly a hoarder. I have only used mileage twice.
I have about 275K lifetime on NW, used for 2 flights.
March 02: Used BUF-STL so I could go to a conference there, lowest fares were upper $300's, which seemed ridiculous off season, over that short of a distance. Glad I went cause got to know my now wife at that conference.
June 04: We spent 200K of NW mileage on BUF-FCO for our honeymoon! So mostly hoarder, but spender when well worth it!!!
I have around 40K on Delta, I think 28K on US Airways, a few segments here and there on AirTran, JetBlue, and Southwest that I don't have a good handle on.
I was getting close on Vanguard Airlines before they went broke. A couple of flights BUF-MDW and BUF-MCI. They were great for keeping Midwest flights low here, I miss them.
I have about 275K lifetime on NW, used for 2 flights.
March 02: Used BUF-STL so I could go to a conference there, lowest fares were upper $300's, which seemed ridiculous off season, over that short of a distance. Glad I went cause got to know my now wife at that conference.
June 04: We spent 200K of NW mileage on BUF-FCO for our honeymoon! So mostly hoarder, but spender when well worth it!!!
I have around 40K on Delta, I think 28K on US Airways, a few segments here and there on AirTran, JetBlue, and Southwest that I don't have a good handle on.
I was getting close on Vanguard Airlines before they went broke. A couple of flights BUF-MDW and BUF-MCI. They were great for keeping Midwest flights low here, I miss them.
#41
Join Date: May 2001
Location: Alexandria, Va. USA
Programs: AA Executive Platinum, DL Silver, UA Gold, *A Gold, OW Emerald
Posts: 1,492
Becoming less of a hoarder
I was strictly a hoarder of miles until about eight months ago when I began treating myself to air travel I could never afford to purchase with real money.
#44
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Nov 2000
Location: Atlanta, GA, USA
Programs: Frontier Gold, DL estranged 1MMer, Spirit VIP, CO/NW/UA/AA once gold/plat/comped gold now dust.
Posts: 37,910
Definitely a user. About 1.6 million miles earned lifetime, and about 140K miles total still in all the accounts.
Every single mile was spent on free travel in coach, and some were used in memorable mileage sales (40K to BKK on DL, 25K to HKG on CO, 20K to DUS on CO, etc.).
Every single mile was spent on free travel in coach, and some were used in memorable mileage sales (40K to BKK on DL, 25K to HKG on CO, 20K to DUS on CO, etc.).