Are Miles & Points Less Fun?
A few weeks ago Ben at One Mile at a Time wrote a great editorial on the state of miles & points. It essentially boiled down to answering the question, are miles & points less fun than they used to be? He also dived into why he thinks that is, and why it may not be as bad as we think. Shawn and I discussed it a bit on a recent podcast episode too. Even after that, I have been thinking about it a lot lately. After some thought, I think it goes a bit deeper than that – at least for many of us. I think that at some point along the way miles & points became more about the chase than it was about the actual travel. With that shift we are getting lower and lower dopamine hits from our bookings, which in turn makes us think it is less fun. All while the travel we get to take is still the same as it has always been, if not better.
What Has Changed
There is no doubt that the miles and points hobby has exploded into the mainstream. Social media, influencers and a generation that focuses more on experience over things has all played a role in this. It is a lot easier to consume a ninety second TikTok video versus reading a 1,500 word blog post or combing a 100+ comment message board after all. There is no denying that the barrier to entry has been lowered considerably, much to the chagrin of the grizzled Flyer Talk vets.
Technology, along with a more in your face breakdown of the best deals have teamed up to close down sweet spots at an alarming rate. What might have lasted on message boards for months (or years) are now dying in hours, days or weeks. That makes it feel like we need to be jumping from sweet spot to sweet spot at an alarming rate. I doubt this gets better as AI improves either.
Throw in the fact that loyalty programs have become more of a profit driving piggy bank versus a way to reward their loyalist customers, and we have a hobby where it feels like the walls continue to collapse in on top of us. Heck, these programs are even sticking it to their product (us) without sharing any of the windfall with their customer (the hotels). That is why we are starting to see the owners push back, which will once again end poorly for us.
It Hasn’t Been All Bad Though
People love to talk of the glory days of miles and points. You know, like 15 – 20 years ago when you could get insane business class awards for only 25K Avios one way to Dublin on Aer Lingus etc. They seem to forget that those were the days when 50K bonuses were out of this world and a couple of 2x bonus earning categories were considered edgy.
Yeah, that award may cost 2x or 3x more now, but the bonuses have gotten as much as 5x bigger. The earning structure has gotten twice as nice (or more) in bonus categories too. Points are easier to earn than ever before, so awards costing more is not all that surprising.
That Isn’t What Leaves Us Crying In The Corner Though
Having said all of this, I don’t think this is what has us thinking miles & points isn’t as fun anymore. I think we miss the high of beating the system. A high that was crazy easy to get when you think about it. Booking $5,000 flights at 10 – 20 cents per mile was not all that difficult really. I remember finding Delta One space for 50K Virgin Atlantic miles fairly easily around ten years ago. Don’t get me even started on how easy it was to book dirt cheap domestic partner awards back then either.
Those bookings made us think that we were smarter than the average bear. They didn’t even take all of that much effort, which made it all the more rewarding. We were advantage players that flipped to odds so much in our favor that we became the house – and we always won. It was like we were counting cards AND could see what the dealer card was hidden underneath.
We miss that feeling of superiority. That feeling that we had a tiny super power that most normies couldn’t even fathom. Locking in amazing awards with ease was our fix. As it became more difficult – the chase didn’t get the same payoff as it did before. And, as our favorite sweet spots dried up, because of those normies getting in on the fun and loyalty programs getting wiser, it just didn’t give us the same rush.
Time To Get Back To Purity
I think we can take this opportunity to have a bit of a reset though. Maybe it is time to get back to focusing on the purity of travel. Let’s focus on what we still have, not what we lost. Like I said, it may be painful to depart with a bigger stash of miles for that flight, but the pain to earn them was substantially less than it used to be. That is your trade off.
You can still see this hobby is amazing when you rope a friend or family member into our madness. Whether that is by getting them on the miles and points earning train, or it is just you helping them use their hard earned miles. They are still shocked by it all. The smile lights up on their face, and they get that dopamine hit. That same high it feels like we have been chasing for close to half a decade now.
Are Miles & Points Less Fun?
I encourage to spend some time with some beginners. Help a friend or family member book their dream trip. Soak in the excitement it brings them. Then remember this was all supposed to be about the travel after all. The destination was the end goal, and the chase was just a part of the journey – not THE journey.
It is true, we have lost so much. However, if you really think about it – we have gained about just as much too. It is all about perspective. Hell, as I get older I just get excited being able to pay whatever it costs to avoid connecting fligths. Maybe we need to focus more on soaking up the small stuff!
Share your thoughts on all of this down below, or over in the MTM Facebook Group.
I don’t know, but I’m newer. I’m having some fun (because I like puzzles), but I’m also not chasing anything. I try to plan a trip I want to take. I don’t fuss about business class product quality (I don’t chase ANA or Q Suites). I’m willing to fly PE (or in economy in a pinch). I don’t change my awards around a bunch. I have pretty predictable free time that allows me to book at schedule open. I also think about everything as a cash equivalent (i.e. a 50k flight with a $300 fee is an $800 flight in real money opportunity cost — I find this to be a better metric than CPP for thinking about actual prices because I can just ask: would I pay $800 for this flight or this room?). I’m willing to pay cash for things. I’m not really finding this to be a terrible burden to get good value without letting it consume my life.
But if I chased flight products, bought into the “travel for free” hype, or hated doing research, I could see how people could grow weary of this. I don’t do the weird stuff (no gift cards, creative spending, bank bonuses, or other shenanigans). My spouse and I open 2-3 cards a year total, optimize everyday spending within reason, do the small spend bonuses banks are always offering, and call it a day. We generate enough points to double the number of small trips we would otherwise take and subsidize a couple bigger trips so they are more comfortable. That’s enough for us.
I still read all the blogs for tips and deals because…why not?
To me, the deals are still there, but they change. I am old enough to remember the old Eastern fly wherever you want for 21 days as long as you fly in one direction. But, look at Bilt; who could imagine getting 3x spend for all spend.. The same with Atmos for foreign spend.
I am traveling to every country and I am almost done. It’s been primarily on points. Unlike many points people, I sit at the back of the points to stretch the number of trips I take. For me, it is worth it. The points may have increased, but there are still sweet spots thanks to sales. I chase the deals. I just did the Waldorf Astoria Seychelles redemption which was a $14,000+ trip and I paid about $100 USD.
Plus, now I will have a lifetime supply of Sephora products. 🙂
It hasn’t become less fun to me for one reason: it’s still a way to travel in a style way beyond what I could do otherwise. I’ve done almost every aspirational redemption, some multiple times, and while those have been great, my goal now is to travel to every country in the world (I’m currently at 84) while going back to the ones I love for repeat visits. To that end points and miles make it possible. In the 13 years I’ve been playing this game, I’ve flown over 1.3 million miles using points with 95% of those flights being in first or biz.
I guess I’m echoing the optimistic part of what Mark says above in that we should do this first and foremost for the love of travel and to have awesome experiences. Sure I miss the thrill of gaming the system by buying $30-40,000 in money orders at Walmart in 1 visit, having 700 Amex authorized user cards to do offers with, or many of the other even better hacks that come and go.
I think the deals are still there, I mean look at the Kate Spade deal that earned many of us multiple millions of Avios back in January. They might require more looking, but the payoffs are still worth it.
Great points Tom
Years ago, I left traditional hotel loyalty. I stay at the hotels I want. I’m a regular at certain properties . . . properties without a loyalty program. As a regular, my loyalty has been recognized in ways you can’t imagine. (In spite of Han Solo being able to imagine quite a bit.)
As I read of the devaluation in the traditional hotel loyalty programs and the hoops / hamster wheel people suffer, I’m glad I chose the path I did. I read a lot of anger in comments. I truly feel my life has been richer for it. Traditional hotel loyalty is a part of the game I don’t miss.
In a similar fashion, while I’m reasonably skilled at obtaining high-value flight redemptions, I don’t obsess over CPP. I focus on quality of experience . . . in as simple a manner as possible. I think your comment about the “chase” is spot on. I think for many, the “chase” creates less value than the unhappiness/ frustration it incurs. People need to reflect on what’s important.
I agree Lee. I think a lot of people stress over getting a saver award when paying 30K more miles and booking right away might be a better use of their time. I bet a lot of the time the time they spent searching over and over could have been used to earn those additional miles plus some. For those that truly enjoy the searching then all the more power to them.
In a podcast, you and Shawn noted that points are easier to earn today but deals might be harder to find. I’ve found that the “easier to earn” overcomes the “harder to find.” I think your optimistic take is also spot on. This is why I don’t obsess over CPP. And, while everyone wants a deal, I’d rather spend my time hiking or playing with a dog.