italdesign
Level 2 Member
It was exactly one year ago when I set foot on my first premium flight. The year that followed was a busy (and beyond amazing) one: over 120k miles flown, mostly premium, to many destinations, staying in several exotic hotels. All on CC sign up bonus pts.
What's interesting: probably half of those amazing travel experiences would not have happened if not for devaluation. That first trip was an around-the-world one driven by the Great UA Devaluation (TM). It was "fly LH and TG F now or never". Since then I've used mostly AA miles, based on the anticipated at-some-point post-merger devaluation, booking F as often as possible on the assumption that it will be harder in the future.
Indeed, devaluation, either announced or anticipated, makes it all about NOW. I have some points, which are constantly devaluating (mostly true), so I'm going to make the best use of it NOW. Damned if I can't fly that great F or stay in that awesome hotel at this great destination because I waited. That mentality can complicate your life (too many damn devaluations = never-ending planning), but it makes you act now rather than later. It makes you travel (well, book travel, to be exact) to the fullest NOW. And that's a good thing.
What's interesting: probably half of those amazing travel experiences would not have happened if not for devaluation. That first trip was an around-the-world one driven by the Great UA Devaluation (TM). It was "fly LH and TG F now or never". Since then I've used mostly AA miles, based on the anticipated at-some-point post-merger devaluation, booking F as often as possible on the assumption that it will be harder in the future.
Indeed, devaluation, either announced or anticipated, makes it all about NOW. I have some points, which are constantly devaluating (mostly true), so I'm going to make the best use of it NOW. Damned if I can't fly that great F or stay in that awesome hotel at this great destination because I waited. That mentality can complicate your life (too many damn devaluations = never-ending planning), but it makes you act now rather than later. It makes you travel (well, book travel, to be exact) to the fullest NOW. And that's a good thing.
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