In some ways, I agree and sympathise with your post as benefits have eroded but can't agree that FF schemes are just a scam.Flights are out there but you do have to be flexible, if it was easy, everyone would be doing it and the whole game would not exist. You state that your wife lost her points...

Slugged pretty hard last time I was in South Beach. Will certainly push back next time. In saying that the three really nice beach towels that I "was given" seem to be a good compromise for the three days of resort fees I was made to pay