BR33

I have qualified for Gold next year, but am on the cusp of attaining Platinum status. I'm curious...is it better to hold on to my Gold and rollover most of my miles to at least re-qualify for Silver in 2014? Or take do a mileage run here in the next few months to bump me to Platinum for at least next year? I may not end up traveling enough in 2014 to easily re-qualify for Silver if I bump to Platinum for 2013.

All information and opinions are welcome.

Thanks.

MSPeconomist

Welcome to FT.

If you're concerned about qualifying for any status in the following year, I would not do one or more MRs to get PM rather than GM now. However, if your flying will naturally get you to PM, I would not avoid DL in favor of LCCs or legacy carriers on which you have no status just to avoid making PM and getting rollover instead.

Smyrnaflyer

Depends on what you want. For me, the main Platinum benefit is free deposit of award ticket miles. Systemwide upgrades are one as well. Plus 100% mileage bonus helps those award miles add up. I would rather be Platinum once than Gold twice. Silver is almost worthless.

amolkold

Both GM and PM get 100% bonus.

The marginal benefits are:

1) Free award changes/cancellations (worth $150 a pop)
2) Free EC internationally (as opposed to just domestically)
3) Choice benefit (20K miles, $200 voucher, SC passes, SWUs, or gifting Silver)
4) Higher domestic upgrade chances

Sez_Who

Welcome to FlyerTalk, BR33!

Easy to see the differences and bennies here....

https://www.delta.com/skymiles/about...ance/index.jsp

Sure, Plat has some additional benefits but they will mean little to you if you have trouble qualifying for Silver the following year. Given a choice, Gold/Gold is worth more to you than Plat and Splat.

MSPeconomist

True, although the difference between flying DL and having a DL AmEx credit card versus flying as a DL FO isn't much, mostly the chance of a rare upgrade, so Splat with AmEx is close to FO.

BR33

Thanks all! I have a Delta Reserve Amex so that may help make my decision a little easier, as I essentially have all the perks (with the exception of seat selection at the front of the plane - correct?) as a FO in 2014 if I do decide to go PM.

mspphl

If you may not fly a lot next year, I don't see the point of a MR this year. You can always MR next year if you are in danger of not making GM. It depends on the routes you take and airports you fly out of. Sky Priority saves me at least 30min every Monday morning flying out of PHL, I use that and SDC a lot more then award redeposit.

Stripe

I would ask...

What is your upgrade rate now?
If you get upgraded on most flights (80%+) and are satisfied with that rate, then there is little extra benefit from higher priority. Moreover, you can only get upgraded if you actually fly, and if you don't expect to do a lot of that in the coming year then what's the point?

Do you have a big award mileage balance that you expect to use in the coming year?
If so, the ability to change and cancel award reservations without any fee will make those miles vastly more useful.

Do you have a relative or good friend who could benefit from silver status?
Gifting my daughter silver status eliminates some headaches and baggage fees for me when she travels back and forth from college. But you have to be platinum to make the gift.

Do you travel internationally in coach?
Free EC is a nice, but somewhat overrated, benefit. Not worth getting Platinum for that.

kersie

My husband and I were both gold for a number of years. His travel patterns bumped him to plat last year and mine down to silver. We'll both be at silver in 2013. Plat has significantly increased his upgrade odds on tough-to-upgrade flights. The drop to silver when both of us are silver will be rough. Silvers can't even use most elite access lines (although I've noticed some airports are adding a line for silvers that's separate from the SkyPriority/PreCheck line). With the reserve card, I think I'd aim for plat if it's easily achievable.

MSPeconomist

Can you spend enough on the Reserve card in future miles to get the MQMs? Spending $60,000 gives 30,000 MQMMs which is automatically FO and 20% of the way to GM before you fly anywhere. Doing half of that still puts you 60% of the way to FO automatically.

I like the idea of using rollover and some early MRs or trips to make some of your MQMs count for two years of status, so it makes a lot of sense to postpone.

BTW welcome to FT.

BR33

Update grade and mileage: Nowhere near your rate. I fly mainly out of a small regional airport where there are a lot of PM and DM flyers (business travelers, mainly, like myself). Plus I often fly on Monday and Thursday or Friday. I'm usually 1-2 down from the cutoff. I have much better luck (50%) flying on Wednesdays. I just got the Reserve Card so I'm hoping that may help break a tie and bump me up the list. I expect to take 1-2 international flights next year and was hoping to use miles for these, if possible.

International travel: 3 trips this year. More likely for next year. Have EC for 1; traveling in FC/Business for remaining trip.

Gifting FO: Yes, I do have someone it would benefit.

All the information is greatly appreciated!

OLYflyer

The difference between GM & PM is the biggest IMHO. Upgrades are about +20% more IME. With DL's notoriously difficult award booking process the free changes offered at PM is major deal. Personally I value this single perk at $700-800 annually b/c with it I can almost guarantee low level space via changing as space opens up throughout the year.

If you book 2 J awards per year at low vs medium its a major savings.

Also if you are only 1 MR away from PM I would suggest you do it in a heartbeat as you'll earn 20k miles (as an option of your elite choice) for making PM.

Just my 2pesos

mgoflyer

Go for PM! My personal experience flying from DTW has been much better as a PM then when I was a GM, especially this year. I really like free EC seats for booking with my family on trips, free award changes, better upgrade percentages and the perk choice can get you nearly one free trip.

rthib

For me PM is worth it.
The gift is worth at least $200.

And being able to redeposit means I can book my award trip early when I am thinking we might want to go to get cheaper miles and not worry if I have to change.

As others have said PM + Amex is good enough.