Changes are coming to airline and credit card rewards programs, but the quest for higher status is still worth it.
My name is Allison, and I am a points addict. I plan trips based the flight schedule of my preferred airline. I regularly check my balance. I read all the blogs. I have a complex credit card strategy.
I love it, and not just because of the upgrades and free travel. I enjoy the challenge — and I think I come out ahead. In my defense, there is research showing that “sophisticated” (not necessarily rich) credit card consumers can benefit from the points system, their lifestyles subsidized by the naïve fee-paying masses. And who could possibly be more sophisticated than I am? Or so we top-tier elite status travelers like to tell ourselves.
Continue reading the entire piece here at Bloomberg Opinion (paywall)
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Allison Schrager is a senior fellow at the Manhattan Institute and a contributing editor of City Journal.
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