WestSideBilly

OP is Seattle based, why not try to get MVPG or 75K on Alaska and then use AS or DL for 2015+? Depending on your destinations there may be some advantages for AS over DL.

I think AS will match a DL DM to AS MVPG:

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/delta...-one-year.html

InsUW2

Thats what I did last year and have really been glad I did since the Fare cost on Delta went up so much that I cant buy the tickets this year.

AS - 380 RT - non stop
DL - 550 RT - 1 stop

bgriff

Also, it is not clear what your situation is, but MQMs do still roll over. So (in addition to having airport and in-flight benefits from being Diamond) there can still be value to continuing to fly Delta this year.

For example, say you have 20K MQDs this year and 125K MQMs -- you make Diamond this year -- then any further flying this year adds to your MQM total -- so you end the year with say 25K MQDs and 150K MQMs -- then next year you start the year with 0 MQDs and 25K MQMs.

You still have to earn some MQDs next year to qualify for silver status next year with those rolled over MQMs, but if you are likely to be earning a decent number of MQDs and MQMs next year anyway, the rolled-over MQMs will still be helpful in qualifying for status next year.

Alternatively if you earn 25K MQDs and 250K MQMs this year, and expect to fly very little next year, you don't get to carry forward the 12.5K extra MQDs, but you do get to carry forward the 125K extra MQMs, and you could combine those MQMs with a credit card waiver on MQDs next year to re-qualify for Diamond next year.

It's not as clean as it used to be, but rollover MQMs still have value.

bubbashow

Wow, the research....the all-encompassing presentation....it's so completely representative - what is posted here. Don't feel badly though by my post, after watching Headline News, such a presentation easily qualifies you for a Senior Executive Producer spot.

roknroll

I don't like the status match route, because you can only do them every so often and usually not more than once every 5 years. I'd rather save that in my back pocket in case I really intended to switch airlines, and not just to get a some perks for a few months before going back to Delta.

As stated before, if you typically purchase premium cabin travel I would definitely stop flying DL after you reach DM (maybe give yourself a little rollover to pad things). But in that case I would probably not be loyal to any one airline to start with and just fly best route/schedule/aircraft in paid F.

Another thing to consider is looking into next year to try to predict if you'll qualify for DM again. Having a large rollover balance would be very nice if your flying might drop off. In that case you could go for the CC spend waiver and still qualify for high tier status on MQMs alone.

Personally, I would stick with DL to utilize the benefits you earned instead of getting nothing on another airline. However if your flying could get you mid tier status on United or AA, I'd probably switch and go for that.

GRALISTAIR

^ I totally agree. I am at 15000 MQDs and 170,000 MQMs. I will continue to fly DL for above reasons. Summary:
I get DL benefits as a DM this year and next.
I accumulate MQMs to make it easiser to earn status next year for 2016
125K MQMs is a lot of miles. Rollover helps considerably.

Carl Johnson

OP, you should figure it out based on your personal situation - shifting away from Delta to build status on another airline could easily work for you. One thing I will observe, though, is that as a SEA based passenger, this year you get double RDMs and MQMs for every segment beginning or ending in Seattle (if you didn't register already, register!), allowing you to build massive, massive rollover. Other airlines won't double your miles for you. It's easy enough to hit the $25,000 spend on the Delta Amex, too, and that removes worries about rollover MQDs.

randidliyo

That's what I've done. I got to within $700 of DM on Delta, and then stopped (in June) and have been flying AA exclusively. However, I'm ExPlat with AA so no downgrade in benefits (bonus miles, upgrades). Once I requalify ExPlat on AA then I'm set in either direction. With no MQD rollover, Delta looses all of that revenue that I'm sending to AA. Easy decision for me.

randidliyo

randidliyo

So, four months later and I'm still holding $700 short of DM with DL and I'm up to 74 segments on AA. I'll make ExPlat and DM easily, but DL has lost all of the revenue for those 74 (and more coming) segments because they haven't offered any sort of rollover of MQDs. Not that DL should re-write the rules for little old ME, but it is what it is.

randidliyo

NotHamSarnie

This makes no sense to me. The MQDs are to weed out low-value FFs, nothing more. If you are not going to spend the money next year why would DL roll your MQDs over and give you status so you can fly lots of cheap flights the next year without worrying about your spend?

VegasJosh

I am in the same situation OP, I have made both this year and a TPAC flyer so all the changes have hurt, I will spend the remainder of my year doing the AA match. As the AA 100k miles flown is quite easy to make (most flights are east cost to bangkok) I will move forward with AA and then use my DM status next year when the flights are cheaper or I want to use my global upgrades. I will be sending Delta a copy of my receipts to remind them next year why they won't get my families 25k. I will also be dumping 560k miles on a RTW tickets as one of the best benefits they had is now gone

fti

I am of the opinion that having RDM across multiple airlines and multiple alliances is a good thing, not a bad thing. Gives more options when trying to redeem for awards.

MSPeconomist

The problem is if doing so means flying without status in order to credit to another program. This doesn't matter (much) if the person purchases premium cabin fares, but otherwise it could hurt. In fact, even flying DL and crediting to AS would mean the loss of certain benefits, especially on the return portion of a RT since DL doesn't let people change FF numbers after the first flight on an itinerary has been flown.

A status challenge or match could be very useful, but I'd be reluctant to use a once in a lifetime privilege that I might need later unless I were certain that I'd be able to maintain both status levels for the indefinite future.

ornulfkittelsen

Rollover has no meaning anymore after $$ is introduced. But the DM benefits do so to me i stay with DL and take advantage of the benefits less i would make top tier on a second carrier too.

Just my 2c.

-ok

fti

There are many ways to fly multiple airlines and still get some benefits. Other times just having RDM available in another alliance, apart from being an elite, can be helpful. Nothing is so black and white in the mileage game, especially now in the MQD/EQD environment