re: How many airline miles you got?

85k points on SW

I'm 2.5 million with American

275k Delta
55k SWA

For whatever reason, I rarely use the miles and pay cash for flights as it is much easier. I’m hoarding them for unknown reasons. Maybe a big trip one day? Some free small trips? But every time i look to use free ones, the miles cost seems ridiculously high.

Airline miles can be devalued by the airline at their whim. Delta (which unfortunately is my main carrier) is the worst. They are worth what they say they are worth. Long gone are the days of a 25,000 r/t flight in the continental US. Now point redemptions are pegged to a dollar value. I recently redeemed 180,000 miles for tickets that would have cost my family $2,400ish.

I try not to carry more than 150,000 miles at a time unless I know I have a trip to book. I’m quick to book flights with the family to redeem miles. I use my Amex or CapOne Venture X for everyday because the ability to transfer points to another program (especially with transfer bonuses) is worth way more than accumulating more SkyPesos.

It is a very lucrative game if you leverage card signup bonuses and have the spend to do so. I have Hilton Diamond, Marriott Gold, and two rental car top statuses just for credit cards. Lots of blogs out there to help you maximize these for free.