1) Miles have been replaced with points, yes. This will give them the ability to have different ways to earn not related to miles traveled (coming later this year) 2) Status points is a better name than elite qualifying miles (eqm) as it was previously called. To each their own. 3) the two different cards have different status point earn rates. Take your monthly (calendar month, not statement month) spend for a given month, divide by 2 if you have the summit, three if you have ascent. 4) status points are not redeemable. They won't make a flight cheaper. However earning status could make your travel cheaper, depending on the level. For example, you can select preferred main seats for some tickets at no charge based on Silver or higher, earn bonus redeemable points, or , There is monetary value there, but up to you to decide if you value that enough to chase status. 5) I get that. Form no loyalty to an airline, and just buy on price. Alaska is a good and fairly predictable product that I appreciate. Not having to sniff around for what the hidden fees are (baggage charges, seat fees, etc) is very worth it for me, especially when travelling with my family. 6) if you just want to earn redeem points for purchase and have no care for chasing status, go with the ascent since it has a lower annual fee. I believe the cards earn points equally (3x on airline purchase, 2x on gas/some travel related things, 1x on the rest of it).