4 ms·

Yup, and unfortunately with covid, it's very very difficult to use miles :)

by sersi 5y ago

coolspot 5y ago
You can stop mile inflation by redeeming them for dollar-denominated delta gift cards. They never expire.
- choeger 5y ago
  Airberlin issued Amazon gift cards back in the day. They were essentially as good as cash. In an unrelated story, airberlin went bankrupt shortly afterwards...
- nostromo 5y ago
  The dollar is losing 8% a year of purchasing power at the moment.
  - reaperducer 5y ago
    I wonder what the percentage loss was from previous points devaluation. If dollar purchasing power is down 8%, but the points devaluation is 50%, then turning the points into coupons makes a lot of sense.
  - kube-system 5y ago
    It already has devalued 8% (well, 7.5%). There aren't official numbers for what it is doing currently; it's an observation of history, technically speaking. Most economists believe this was the peak and that 2022 will bring significant declines closer to the Fed's target. And if not, the expectation is that the Fed will take action.
    - dragonwriter 5y ago
      > Most economists believe this was the peak and that 2022 will bring significant declines closer to the Fed's target. And if not, the expectation is that the Fed will take action. The Fed already started taking action to reel in QE, and is pretty universally expected to hike rates in mid-March (right about the time QE stops on the current schedule.) The disagreements now seem to be about whether it is most likely to be a quarter- or half-percentage-point hike. Even if the drivers of inflation policy exogenous to monetary policy remain at the same level, this should cut inflation.
- deleted 5y ago
  [deleted]
- Rebelgecko 5y ago
  FWIW, I've typically gotten the best mileage redemptions by redeeming for a partner airline's flight. They usually have their own award charts that don't devalue at the same rate.
- DesiLurker 5y ago
  yes but they control the conversion ratio to dollar gift cards. what do you think happens when significant percent of holders start demanding the giftcards? miles are a losing game for consumer.
- supernova87a 5y ago
  Usually though, that conversion rate is a pretty bad deal, at least compared to redeeming it for premium class air tickets.

Yup, and unfortunately with covid, it's very very difficult to use miles :)

by sersi 5y ago

Yup, and unfortunately with covid, it's very very difficult to use miles :)

coolspot 5y ago

You can stop mile inflation by redeeming them for dollar-denominated delta gift cards. They never expire.

choeger 5y ago
Airberlin issued Amazon gift cards back in the day. They were essentially as good as cash. In an unrelated story, airberlin went bankrupt shortly afterwards...
nostromo 5y ago
The dollar is losing 8% a year of purchasing power at the moment.
- reaperducer 5y ago
  I wonder what the percentage loss was from previous points devaluation. If dollar purchasing power is down 8%, but the points devaluation is 50%, then turning the points into coupons makes a lot of sense.
- kube-system 5y ago
  It already has devalued 8% (well, 7.5%). There aren't official numbers for what it is doing currently; it's an observation of history, technically speaking. Most economists believe this was the peak and that 2022 will bring significant declines closer to the Fed's target. And if not, the expectation is that the Fed will take action.
  - dragonwriter 5y ago
    > Most economists believe this was the peak and that 2022 will bring significant declines closer to the Fed's target. And if not, the expectation is that the Fed will take action. The Fed already started taking action to reel in QE, and is pretty universally expected to hike rates in mid-March (right about the time QE stops on the current schedule.) The disagreements now seem to be about whether it is most likely to be a quarter- or half-percentage-point hike. Even if the drivers of inflation policy exogenous to monetary policy remain at the same level, this should cut inflation.
deleted 5y ago
[deleted]
Rebelgecko 5y ago
FWIW, I've typically gotten the best mileage redemptions by redeeming for a partner airline's flight. They usually have their own award charts that don't devalue at the same rate.
DesiLurker 5y ago
yes but they control the conversion ratio to dollar gift cards. what do you think happens when significant percent of holders start demanding the giftcards? miles are a losing game for consumer.
supernova87a 5y ago
Usually though, that conversion rate is a pretty bad deal, at least compared to redeeming it for premium class air tickets.