u/HayesWeighsIn

*A big thank you to all who took the time to reply to this! Some really valuable information here, hope it helps some others wrap their head around it to see what makes the most sense for you. Original post below:*

First off, sincerely apologize if this is a stupid question, just genuinely trying to understand the value & payoff of airline loyalty.

Air travel for work has become a regular part of my life now, about 30-35 round trip flights per year. I’m a freelancer, I pay for my own flights as part of flat rates from clients. I typically only travel solo, will never check a bag, heck - if I can do a weekend with just a backpack, I do. I use Google Flights to find the most affordable flights that make sense for the timeline. Basic economy suits me perfectly fine.

I understand airline loyalty is becoming increasingly less valuable, but I’m trying to understand exactly what folks are chasing with it - lounge access? Better seats? Free checked bags?

For those who do, what’s the payoff in your situation?
And EDITING TO ADD: do you pay for your flights, or does your company?

Finally getting hit with the $5 increase. Currently receiving the 25% off promotion for having fiber.

Seems like for the same price (technically, $1 cheaper), if I switch to Extra 2.0, I'll get 100GB of prioritized data which I currently don't have any of, and my hotspot increases from 15GB to 50GB.

Device trade-in credit looks to be the same on both plans at $830.

Anything I'm overlooking?

Have searched far and wide and can't seem to find the answer for this one - if I'm understanding correctly, each device that you enable Messages In iCloud on will create a separate backup of Messages data. I mistakenly did this on two devices simultaneously, so I have quite a bloated amount of iCloud Messages data.

I know that I can turn Messages In iCloud off entirely, wait 40 days, then re-sync one device, but is there any workaround to remove the backup Messages data in iCloud that one of my devices saved vs going the nuclear option? I don't have enough space on my iPhone to store all Messages data, so it seems like it would be impossible for me to turn Messages In iCloud off on that device.

Appreciate any & all suggestions!

I ended up returning the Gen 1 Ultra earbuds because of a constant mosquito-esque buzz in the left ear, and a painful pop of the ANC every time I went over a bump on a bus or train.

Since then, I’ve tried a whole bunch of earbuds including AirPods Pro 3s, and I still think Bose has the best ANC.

That said, those two issues I just couldn’t live with. Are there any Gen 2 owners who can tell me if they experience said issues? Thanks so much!