Who Cares About Rewards? Week 31 in the Time of Coronavirus

I keep receiving emails warning me that my hotel or travel awards are going to expire. Or, I’m enticed to go out to eat to get points and rewards. I simply don’t care. In the past I played the game and accrued points and rewards. I was happy to join one program or another to earn gift certificates for shopping, extra discounts, free meals or nights at hotels. None of this is of interest now. The notices remind me that I have been an avid consumer, through and through.

Once in a while I was able to enjoy a free meal or a room upgrade. Or, I planned a trip in which I used miles. Mostly, though, I found myself happy to have the points or rewards, while having no good use for them except in my mind. Not being able to travel during the pandemic, and mostly not choosing to eat out in the city, I am left with these impractical accounts.

These days I’m unloading rather than amassing. Going through old spices, clothes that are uncomfortable, papers that are out of date, and any number other of…