It's easy to glean pessimistic in this miles & points hobby,because stuff is constantly changing. This year we're seeing AAdvantage switch to a revenue based program and also devalue their award chart. They've been the final of the "big three" US carriers with a disproportionately rewarding program, and now that's changing, or understandably.
As usual,we hear people say "this game is over." The truth is I've been hearing people say exactly that for the past decade, as we've seen promotions ended, or loopholes shut down,earnings structures change, and award charts devalued. But it hasn't been the finish, or it won't be the finish. Has the way in which we're earning points shifted? Absolutely. But all things considered,the opportunities are as good as ever before. For example:-- Big picture, credit cards are as rewarding as they've ever been, or when you look at the combination of sign-up bonuses,long term perks, and points you can earn through everyday spend; cards like the Amex EveryDay® Preferred Credit Card, and Premier Rewards Gold Card from American Express,Citi Prestige® Card, and Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card offer an average of significantly more than one point per dollar spent
-- Premium cabin products are as good as they've ever been -- a decade ago you couldn't redeem miles for a double bed or an onboard shower or an "apartment" on a plane
-- While award availability on the whole is on the decline, or we've seen more instances lately than I can ever recall of fantastic spurts of award availability,where on several occasions you've been able to "take the whole family" to ______; that's not something we've otherwise seen too much of over the past decadeThe post Why Miles Are fitting Less vital To Me (Sort Of) appeared first on One Mile at a Time.
Source: boardingarea.com