In the previous post I highlighted a thread in which travelers are discussing Post Trip Depression (PTD) and possible cures. And now a new traveler’s disease has cropped up over on Milepoint – Post Redemption Anxiety (PRA).
I have recently redeemed my first international premium cabin on a Delta RT flight from IND-PVG. As I had time constraint to get in/out of the country, I did not utilize any possible stopover/open-jaw.
The cost of redemption was for 140k from IND-JFK-NRT-PVG-DTW-IND. Now that I’ve redeemed it, I’m wondering if it was worth it? ~mrwangkai
It seems we have a theme going here today. Maybe Tuesdays really are the most depressing day of the week.
Much like the Slow Travel Talk members in the post before them though, Milepoint members are quick to lend a comforting hand:
Everyone values their points differently but pat yourself on the back for booking a Saver level award space using DL miles. ~Jimgotkp
If it was the trip you wanted to book and you got it at the low redemption rate then I’d say it is a good deal. Just because others book differently doesn’t mean theirs is better than yours. ~Wandering Aramean
Don’t feel bad. You did well. I know there is always a feeling that you are leaving something on the table when you redeem like that but don’t let it get to you. Be excited about the trip. It would be like paying cash and then wondering if you could have saved 5% more or something. Don’t sweat it. ~daninstl
I don’t know about mrwangkai, but I’m starting to feel better already.
Still, thank goodness it’s almost Hump Day.
Read the thread in its entirety: Post Redemption Anxiety – was it worth it?
Hi Mikel, thanks for sharing this. 🙂 Since it was my first award redemption, I was a little antsy on how I did with my points (140k still seemed like a lot, even if it was DL). The feedback was most comforting to say the least. It made me feel like part of the community.
My theory with miles is: earn and burn them. If you keep hoarding miles you may never find a way to use them since airlines will do everything they can to make them less valuable. I just burned 400,000 Skypesos on 3 tickets to Hawaii and 3 to South America for family vacation. I use them to wife and kids and buy my tickets on the same itinerary so I can earn miles and keep my status. Were these the best redemptions? Probably not but they were the ones available that fitted my needs. Thus, they were good redemptions in my opinion.
My wife and I just got back from a weekend away without the (6) kids, and when we got back, we were definitely suffering from some major PTD. The kids were definitely getting on both of our nerves!
I was like “Who are all these small people at my house, and why are they so loud?!?!?!” 😛
@Kai – I can definitely relate and was glad to have come across your post. I sometimes suffer from paralysis by analysis myself and so lookup to you for being able to pull the trigger – and completely understand what you were feeling afterward.
@Santastico – I remember editing articles like this one from years ago when hoarding miles to use in retirement was still considered a viable option – http://www.insideflyer.com/articles/article.php?key=4094. Times have certainly changed.
@Points With a Crew – My sincerest condolences 😉
Ever since I started digging into the well of knowledge that is points and miles, everything is analytical – need a new headphone? cashbackmonitor & which card to use. Need to book a hotel? 3rd-party or direct booking, and which card to use… etc.
The 140K skypesos were used to redeem BE/FC for IND-JFK-NRT-PVG-DTW-IND. Good value or not, I think I will look forward now. 😀
Thanks again!