Points/Miles: Can you have "too many?"

[Hanoi IG]

The ones you redeemed for are exceptional value and I agree entirely. The fact that you're holding 500K in excess of what you need for you current travel plans exposes you to devaluation. Miles are a promissory note for future travel, but with no guarantee you can use them.

• Avianca could devalue several times between now and then, making your valuation 1/4 of what you thought.
• Avianca could leave Star Alliance, and force you to use them only on Avianca metal.
• Etc

You've got nothing but a liability until you redeem them for travel.



Park Hyatts are nice, I have to say that the ones I've stayed in at Milan, Tokyo, Buenos Aires have been solid. Other properties are decent enough in a pinch if you are fancy.



I gamed a casino loyalty program, so they give me free things. It isn't something that is really replicable unless you know a ton about gambling, are willing to lose money, etc. Free MS means that I can now withdraw from $3K upwards per day on the cruise and it charges as Travel, earning 4.5 cents on the Altitude card, or 3x on the TYP card.

That is nice! My gambling days are pretty much over. Used to go often to play BJ with a group of bridge players when AC just opened up. Now I think I might make some mistakes and at this stage of life I'm not really willing to risk a lot. That's why I don't even play anymore: If I won or lost a few hundred, no matter and if I played at a $100 table I could lose more than I'm comfortable with.



I say it because if you were in the same boat today, minus that glut of points you may feel more inclined to earn more. The 500K lifemiles are a large cushion. But rather than deplete then buy again, might be worth the occasional card to keep things humming along.

 

[Hanoi IG]

I guess I should post about my recent AF Business Class to and from CDG (actually DL returning)

 

[EightBall]

You seem to be in an excellent financial position. Retired, plenty of travel planned, and the resources to pay for large travel expenses. Good for you. I hope to be in a similar position someday. But a lot of us play this credit card game to be able to travel places that we could not otherwise afford. When I went to Munich, I stayed in the Sheraton (because I had SPG points). You prefer the Sofitel, because you enjoy it and have the means to pay for it. If you and your wife have your preferences and the ability to pay cash for them, I think this really minimizes the value of credit cards to you. Certainly, SPG/Marriott/IHG/Carlson cards wouldn't be too useful.

I would say maybe you should only sign up for cards that offer cash or cash-like bonuses (Barclay Arrival, Cap1 Spark Cash, etc) but even then I'm not sure it's worth it to you. You said you don't want to spend time "wheeling and dealing." If you're in great financial shape, then there's no reason to waste your time chasing another $500 bonus.

I'd recommend you take a few months off. Maybe you just don't need more cards to live the lifestyle you want to. And if things change, you can always jump back in (and your cable bill will finally be due again!).

 

[Hanoi IG]

You seem to be in an excellent financial position. Retired, plenty of travel planned, and the resources to pay for large travel expenses. Good for you. I hope to be in a similar position someday. But a lot of us play this credit card game to be able to travel places that we could not otherwise afford. When I went to Munich, I stayed in the Sheraton (because I had SPG points). You prefer the Sofitel, because you enjoy it and have the means to pay for it. If you and your wife have your preferences and the ability to pay cash for them, I think this really minimizes the value of credit cards to you. Certainly, SPG/Marriott/IHG/Carlson cards wouldn't be too useful.

I would say maybe you should only sign up for cards that offer cash or cash-like bonuses (Barclay Arrival, Cap1 Spark Cash, etc) but even then I'm not sure it's worth it to you. You said you don't want to spend time "wheeling and dealing." If you're in great financial shape, then there's no reason to waste your time chasing another $500 bonus.

I'd recommend you take a few months off. Maybe you just don't need more cards to live the lifestyle you want to. And if things change, you can always jump back in (and your cable bill will finally be due again!).

Thanks. It's kind of my plan. We got Alaska cards and Hilton cards and have about 100K Amtrak points. I think my original plan when I started playing was because it seems fun and maybe a tiny bit clever to do this. Also I have gone Emirates First RT from JFK, ANA First RT and many international Business flights that I would not have been able to do without the points.

I was just saying to my wife that our paid Business flight JFK-CDG-JFK earned us about 9000 Alaska miles so it's no way to build up miles for free trips! You need bonuses.