Here's one flier who feels he's liberated because he isn't bound by any FF program.

Well I wont say outright he's an idiot.
But if you read article hes not much of a frequent flyer anyway. ( says he's never redeemed a FF ticket, only has 200k in toto Amex points about the same my scared of flying grandmother has) so what is he liberating himself from?

Notice the subtle request for readers response. Could be an underhand request for FF advice.
mike

A quote from the article--"Guys like Mike don�t like to face up to the reality that they belong in M.A., Mileage Anonymous, a 12-step program somebody should start to minister to the lunacies of mileage collector."

I'm wondering if there's a branch of MA in Seattle?

I have changed one thing - I've switched to the AmEx cashback card instead of a credit card that earns miles (All my other freq. flyer points/miles earning tactics are in place though - ie: flying, hotels, points for financial accts, phone, etc...)

The reason? Well, I personally value a mile as $.015/mile (yes, slightly less than the others valuation of $0.02/mile because I always redeem for coach class awards and not first/business awards, and I think $0.02/mile is on the high side).

So, if I charge $25,000 on a mileage card, I would get a free ticket in the USA (or for $50,000 a free ticket to Europe). Whereas, with my new CashBack card, if I charge $25,000, I get $325 cashback (I've averaged about 1.3% cashback since I've gotten the card). And, if I charge $50,000, I get $650 back.

I don't think that I have ever spent more than $300 for a US Domestic trip, and I have never spent more than $600 to go to Europe - so, therefore, the cash deal is much better as cash can be used for anything!

But, some will argue, there are some trips where miles are better. For example, I just flew BOS-ANC and back for only 25,000 miles this summer. Yes, that would of been much more than $300, but in this case, I still earn enough miles from non-credit card transactions to use my miles in this instance.

I just figured I didn't need the 'kicker' of a mileage credit card, and that a cashback card is a much better choice in my case. Perhaps this will help some others who situation is similiar.

My liberation is being top tier in all the alliances (well now 2nd tier in one of them) therefore I get miles pretty much on everything I fly anytime anywhere and do not need to worry too much about it.

Actually, he does fly and he could have received many more miles than 200K - but he chooses not to. For example, "I don�t track miles ... Never have. Hope never to ... I have accumulated memberships in many frequent flyer programs but I never use the numbers."

There's a difference between 1)someone who doesn't fly and 2)someone who flies but doesn't get the miles credited to his account.

steve100:
just an observation of your change as I've helped others who seemed to follow the same idea behind a cash-back card. I think the item that some who make the change you did miss is that frequent flyer programs are really not about total card spend with a credit card. There are part of the coalition of partners involved in your lifestyle of frequent flyer programs. Typically speaking, of the 25,000 mile award you refer to, only about 8,000 miles of that would have come from a frequent flyer credit card (again, yours and others percentages may change and often do from that average). This is a more real way of comparing cards to value received. In the scenario you mention of the $25,000 spent, that really would have earned you enough miles (based on other coalition program partner activity) to have a business class ticket to Europe - value let's say $5,000, thus you receive back a 20% rebate from that card use - $5,000 rather than $650. Granted, this is extreme, but certainly worth noting and even coming back off that by 50% is still a difficult argument to challenge. Another factor which isn't mentioned is that unlike cashback cards who are constant in the cash back, frequent flyer credit cards often promote and offer double miles promotions which when used correctly double the value of the return even without the coalition value of the programs themselves. For instance, Here for the month of November, the Delta American Express card is offering double miles for all purchases. I've already spent $31,000 (by re-allocating which card I use and for what purposes) on this card earning me over 60,000 miles. That is right now, two tickets to Hawaii (their award until 2004 is still 30k per coach ticket). From Colorado, that coach ticket currently is costing me $700 (the dread of not living on the West coast....) so for my $31,000 spend, I have in hand value of $1,400. In your cash back decision, I would only have value of $403. With coalition partner activity, my value would even increase. The point being that there really is a different strategy for every single person - some are the same, most are different, but comparing card to card with equal spend is really not apples to apples. And yes, cash can be used for anything, but I've yet to find it any fun. The main difference is that the value of cash remains the same, whereas the value of miles change with each and every way you may choose to use them (ala, the city you fly to, the time of year you go, upgrade vs. coach, biz vs. coach, off-peak award, special award sale, etc.

What i like is that you did take the time to analyze the differences and make a great choice for you. Unfortunately, many don't. And steve100, thanks for your support of FlyerTalk.

Another dramatic example of this was the NWA Visa promo that gave up to 15 miles per dollar spent on NWA tickets.

If you were going to buy tickets anyway, the promo provided up to 75K free miles - enough to compensate for many years of annual credit card fees.

From the article:

"Maybe I am the Village Idiot but I am bound by no airline�s rewards program."

Yes, Robert, you are an idiot.

I'll bet he refuses to buy things on sale either, because he "feels more satisfied" after paying full price for an item.

The world needs chumps like him to offset shrewd buyers like us.

Boy, talk about a guy who only sees a small part of the picture and thinks he sees it all

I'm basically with you. Maybe with a little less vigor, but on the same page.
Look, for some people FF miles and programs are a pain, other like 'em. We like 'em.

There are alot of ways to save $ in the world. For some people it's worth it, others could care less. I personally think many mile schemes are a great way to stuff for pretty much little effort other than basic organizational skills and a bit of investigation. FT makes those two components even easier. For me, it's just stupid not to do it.

PS - Robert enjoy your 500 mile drive to Bryce Canyon and the best western. I'll be flying to Hawaii and staying at top notch resorts for a few weeks in March. This was done with FF miles courtesy of no flights, my $85 yearly CC fee and a bit common sense enchanced by this website.

It's tough being a slave in paradise.

Aloha.

sorry folks - dupe

[This message has been edited by chobby100 (edited 11-07-2003).]

[QUOTE]Originally posted by Randy Petersen:
[For instance, Here for the month of November, the Delta American Express card is offering double miles for all purchases.].

Randy: What's this about? I can't believe I missed this. Is sign-up required? I have both Amx DL Plat Skymiles card & Amx Dl Biz Plat. Skymiles card, is this for both?
Thanks for your reply
Bob

I think that the writer is missing a very important point. Even if he chooses the cheapest carrier, he is essentially throwing away free goods. It may take longer, but he will still earn free flights. Many of us choose to track FF miles and don't try to take multiple stop routes to destinations. This doesn't make us stupid, it makes us smart consumers.

I also had to laugh at his assertion "I am not sure how to redeem them, don�t know that there�s anything I want to get anyway, and so the points add up, month after month." So, he's spending $75 a year and has no idea how to redeem these pionts? Puh-lease! He might want to look a the catalog they send every few months.

After reading the article again I must say I was wrong, he is an idiot.
Why is he writing about being free from something he doesnt have a clue about?

Kinda like me writing an article celebrating my independence from the demon cigarettes yet I never smoked.
mike

[This message has been edited by MIKESILV (edited 11-07-2003).]