Here is my response to the people who think I shouldn't have shared the deal in $200 Flight to Japan with Hidden City Ticketing on LifeMiles Awards:

All deals in the miles world die. If an airline, hotel, or bank offers outsized value in some way such that it thinks it is losing money, it will discontinue the deal.

The question is what responsibility folks who know a deal have to keep that deal secret to prolong its life.

My basic moral philosophy is broadly utilitarian.

Happy Thanksgiving to you and yours from MileValue!

Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday of the year, and only partly because it's the only day when I consume two heaping plates of some of my absolute favorite foods, pass out for a few hours while my body digests, and then wake up just in time to see the fourth quarter of a football game.

Mainly I love to share the time with family and friends and count my blessings. Before eating, we all go around the table and share what we're thankful for.

October 2013 was a big month for me. The month started in Brussels. I whirlwinded through Oslo and Amsterdam before getting to Munich in time for the end of Oktoberfest.

Munich was the last stop on my eight month world tour. I landed back in the US for the first time since February just in time for the Chicago Seminars.

The Seminars were a blast, and I had a chance to check out the Park Hyatt for two nights afterwards while exploring the city.

The card offer in this post has expired so its links have been removed. Click here for the top current credit card sign up bonuses.

I was featured in a recent Forbes article called "20 Holiday Travel Secrets from Industry Insiders" about tips for cheaper and more comfortable holiday travel.

Update on 10/23/13: I have dozens and dozens of entries to sort through, so entry is now closed.

I've long marveled at how hard it is to convince people to use miles and points to travel more, travel better, and pay next to nothing doing it.

My only explanation is that there is a steep learning curve that turns many people off.

I arrived yesterday to Elk Grove, Illinois to get ready (and get over jet lag) for the Chicago Seminars tomorrow.

Rookie Alli had her phone stolen yesterday by some pickpockets near the Botanical Gardens in Buenos Aires.

It was the common scam in which a gang works together to have

one member surreptitiously throw something onto you. In this case, bird poop or something similar. I've also heard of mustard and ketchup before. It can be anything.
one or more members "helpfully" notice it and "conveniently" have napkins or tissues to help you get it off.

Next week I am going to Paraguay for eight days. A trip out of Argentina is necessary to renew my 90 day tourist visa, and I wanted to check the sixth South American country off my list, instead of repeating Uruguay, the easy choice. (Only four more CONMEBOL countries to go!)

I've never been to Paraguay. I'm sure tons of you have (even though until American Airlines launched a Miami-Asuncion route in November, there were no direct flights between the US and Paraguay.)

I will arrive in Asuncion and leave from Ciudad del Este. I speak Spanish.

The MileValue Award Booking Service now costs $111 per person per award (for most awards--more pricing info below.) As always, you don't pay if we don't find an award that meets your needs.

Tomorrow your miles will be worth money than today for two reasons:

The price of paid tickets is rising.
The knowledge of how to use miles efficiently is increasing.

I see a lot of arguments that miles should be used now because they depreciate. I don't see it like that. I see the value of miles basically following this pattern.

The default position of miles is to increase in value. Then every once in a while, they take a sharp drop.