Interesting Articles...

[Dan]

Fake news.

How do you tell if it's #FakeNews or #AlternativeFacts ?

[TimT]

How do you tell if it's #FakeNews or #AlternativeFacts ?

MSM vs. POTUS

[Freddie]

Clowns to the left of me, jokers to my right...

[Dan]

MSM vs. POTUS

So if I say that AA miles, BA miles, and UA miles are worth exactly the same thing, is that #FakeNews, #AlternativeFacts, #TPGValuations, or all 3?

[mmgfarb]

#TPGValuations

[good sam]

Clowns to the left of me, jokers to my right...

He says good.

[yuneeq]

Clowns to the left of me, jokers to my right...

I read that TTTO TNT by AC/DC

[David Smith]

So if I say that AA miles, BA miles, and UA miles are worth exactly the same thing, is that #FakeNews, #AlternativeFacts, #TPGValuations, or all 3?

If you don't sell and have lots of them, they're all worth zero, due to rule of diminishing margin utility. No?

[Dan]

If you don't sell and have lots of them, they're all worth zero, due to rule of diminishing margin utility. No?

Do you say the same thing about the dollars in your bank account?

[ExGingi]

Do you say the same thing about the dollars in your bank account?

No. But you'd probably say so if your bank account would hold Zimbabwean Dollars or Venezuelan bolívars (which have been and are subject to devaluation)

[Dan]

No. But you'd probably say so if your bank account would hold Zimbabwean Dollars or Venezuelan bolívars (which have been and are subject to devaluation)

As if US dollars aren't deflated as well...

[ExGingi]

As if US dollars aren't deflated as well...

As are footballs (at least so I hear).

But you can't compare any devaluation of US currency during your lifetime to the devaluations of BA Avios, AAdvantage Miles, or UA Miles, let alone the devaluations of Zimbabwean, Venezuelan, Argentinian, or even Brazilian currencies during your lifetime.

[Dan]

As are footballs (at least so I hear).

But you can't compare any devaluation of US currency during your lifetime to the devaluations of BA Avios, AAdvantage Miles, or UA Miles, let alone the devaluations of Zimbabwean, Venezuelan, Argentinian, or even Brazilian currencies during your lifetime.

Hard to say really.
A $200 purchase in 2000 requires $280 today.
A CLE-LAX ticket on CO in 2000 cost about $200. Today that ticket on UA is $400.
A CLE-LAX ticket on CO in 2000 cost 25K miles. Today that ticket on UA is 25K miles.

[David Smith]

Do you say the same thing about the dollars in your bank account?

+1

Lol

[ExGingi]

Hard to say really.
A $200 purchase in 2000 requires $280 today.
A CLE-LAX ticket on CO in 2000 cost about $200. Today that ticket on UA is $400.
A CLE-LAX ticket on CO in 2000 cost 25K miles. Today that ticket on UA is 25K miles.

Not sure what $200 purchase turned into 10x Yechi.

Back in the 90s 30,000 PanAm miles took us RT HNL-TLV via JFK (and we rearranged the flight coupons).

Let's not talk about the ignorance of agents that I took advantage of when DL took over PanAm, to allow me RT in J from PSP to TLV for the same 30,000 miles.

When I started accumulating miles on BA, I actually managed to get some good use out of the program for NYC-TLV-NYC tickets (including pleading with them to open up availability for my mother to come to me for Pesach after my father had passed away). Now the YQ on BA tickets is more than what I pay to fly kids RT revenue JFK-TLV.

I've never been big on UA, but I've witnessed at least one official devaluation, and the unofficial devaluation with the virtual elimination of saver award space into and out of TLV, as well as the elimination of the ability to piece together itineraries not found as a direct point-to-point online search.

I bought my sister a OW ticket from Australia to TLV in J for 40,000 AAdvantage miles. IINM that's 80,000 now.

And while CLE might have had it's reasons for revenue tickets going up, we're flying from NYC to TLV for the cheapest fares I've seen, both in economy and in business, and I'm booked to go to FLL this week for $69 RT courtesy of JetBlue vacations (thanks Dan for spelling out the steps on DDMS).

I don't think you can argue that miles haven't been devalued, and are subject to further devaluation at a whim. And while the USD could devalue, as it is pure fiat currency, it is not likely to happen rapidly, it is after all, the world's reserve currency.

[Dan]

Not sure what $200 purchase turned into 10x Yechi.

Ask the government inflation rate?

Yes miles have been devalued. Yes dollars have been devalued.
Nunu.
Doesn't make more that what you can use in the near future worthless.

[ExGingi]

Doesn't make more that what you can use in the near future worthless.

Agreed.

Though there could be many ways to value something. For example, see http://time.com/money/3978458/airline-miles-death/

[Dan]

No idea why you would tell the airline that the member died.

[ExGingi]

No idea why you would tell the airline that the member died.

If you had a bank account of an elderly person, for which you were POA, and regularly used it, would you tell the bank as soon as that person died, effectively barring you from using the account again (and unless you were named as a POD, you would have to wait for probate in order to access the funds - assuming you were the rightful heir)?

Or is your reasoning הגונב מגנב פטור, when it comes to airline mileage programs?

[Dan]

If you had a bank account of an elderly person, for which you were POA, and regularly used it, would you tell the bank as soon as that person died, effectively barring you from using the account again (and unless you were named as a POD, you would have to wait for probate in order to access the funds - assuming you were the rightful heir)?

Or is your reasoning הגונב מגנב פטור, when it comes to airline mileage program.

BH, never had to deal with these types of issues.