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Diamond choice benefit: $200 voucher or 25000 miles?

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Diamond choice benefit: $200 voucher or 25000 miles?

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Old Jan 30, 2015, 2:38 pm
  #1  
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Diamond choice benefit: $200 voucher or 25000 miles?
Now that pay with miles earn MQM, MQD on portion paid with $, mileage and is eligible for upgrade, isn't it more interesting to choose the 25,000 miles (ie $250 in pay with miles) rather than the $200 travel voucher?
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Old Jan 30, 2015, 2:42 pm
  #2  
 
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Yes much more flexibility to pick the miles instead of the voucher and more valuable for the diamond gift
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Old Jan 30, 2015, 3:22 pm
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And I can always find a way to cash those 25k in for something worth $500+.
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Old Jan 30, 2015, 4:06 pm
  #4  
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Originally Posted by vgb2001
Now that pay with miles earn MQM, MQD on portion paid with $, mileage and is eligible for upgrade, isn't it more interesting to choose the 25,000 miles (ie $250 in pay with miles) rather than the $200 travel voucher?
Indeed this has changed the value proposition on this matter if you have the AMEX.
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Old Jan 30, 2015, 4:11 pm
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I would never actually do a PWM redemption, but having a DL Amex helps me establish a very solid floor for the mileage value at $0.01. 25k miles are the clear winner since they can (worst case) be redeemed for $250 in value. And they don't expire, and can be used to book a ticket for someone else.
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Old Jan 30, 2015, 5:56 pm
  #6  
TTT
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Originally Posted by indufan
Indeed this has changed the value proposition on this matter if you have the AMEX.
Originally Posted by javabytes
I would never actually do a PWM redemption, but having a DL Amex helps me establish a very solid floor for the mileage value at $0.01. 25k miles are the clear winner since they can (worst case) be redeemed for $250 in value. And they don't expire, and can be used to book a ticket for someone else.
Probably better for a dedicated thread, but for someone who doesn't have the Amex would it be worthwhile to get given the changes to PWM?
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Old Jan 30, 2015, 6:10 pm
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DL AMEX or no AMEX ...
25k SkyMiles is a lot more valuable than a $200 voucher!

Can at least get a round trip that may cost > $500 rt ai
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Old Jan 30, 2015, 6:11 pm
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Originally Posted by EZEDoesIt
And I can always find a way to cash those 25k in for something worth $500+.
Such as?

Wondering if you know of anything other than domestic round trip.
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Old Jan 30, 2015, 6:24 pm
  #9  
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Upgrade to BE if you're buying a Y B M fare.
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Old Jan 30, 2015, 6:28 pm
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Originally Posted by StuckOnSegments
Such as?

Wondering if you know of anything other than domestic round trip.
Just last year I got two tickets to Canada, include a stopover in NYC, for 25k+$60 each. At the time they were pricing out at over $1k each.
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Old Jan 30, 2015, 6:55 pm
  #11  
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Originally Posted by StuckOnSegments
Such as?

Wondering if you know of anything other than domestic round trip.
Int'l Business Class?
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Old Jan 30, 2015, 7:18 pm
  #12  
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Originally Posted by TTT
Probably better for a dedicated thread, but for someone who doesn't have the Amex would it be worthwhile to get given the changes to PWM?
Maybe, maybe not. I lived without the AMEX for a long, long and I certainly could live without PWM but I am using it next week.
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Old Jan 30, 2015, 7:40 pm
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Originally Posted by vgb2001
Now that pay with miles earn MQM, MQD on portion paid with $, mileage and is eligible for upgrade, isn't it more interesting to choose the 25,000 miles (ie $250 in pay with miles) rather than the $200 travel voucher?
I used to always choose the $200 voucher instead of the 20,000 mile PM choice benefit and the $200 voucher and gifted GM status for the DM choice. When GUCs came into play, I picked the GUCs and GM instead of the voucher. This past year when I hit PM, I took the 20,000 miles because they are more valuable now and because I burn through them way more than I used to with having to commute to MSO a lot.

So now my redemption is PM-20K RDMs and DM-GUCs and GM gift.
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Old Jan 30, 2015, 7:44 pm
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Originally Posted by javabytes
I would never actually do a PWM redemption
I'm curious as to why you wouldn't. I've used it at least 3 times to drop the cost of an F/J fare. I might even use it on a Y fare now that they are eligible for MQMs.
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Old Jan 30, 2015, 8:08 pm
  #15  
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Originally Posted by yohanson
I'm curious as to why you wouldn't. I've used it at least 3 times to drop the cost of an F/J fare. I might even use it on a Y fare now that they are eligible for MQMs.
Same here. For the last 2 years or so, I have been using miles to drop the cost of F and play the FCM game. It was more interesting before the 2015 program though, as the FCM'ed F ticket would then earn class bonus miles back.
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