Originally Posted by
Navin R Johnson
"If you haven't maximized your status tier on one of your existing airlines, adding more Delta-branded Amex cards might be the way to go. With two Delta Reserve cards (one consumer, one biz) and two Delta Platinum cards (one of each, also), you can spend $220K amongst the cards every *other* year and earn 100K MQMs/EQMs in alternating years... just 25K shy of the new top-tier Diamond Medallion status and enough to keep you there if you add the other 25K by flying, etc."
I don't understand this method. I thought the card says one mqm bonus per skymiles number. Would you please explain? Thanks.
There are two types of MQM bonuses for these cards: the signup bonus (received when you are first issued the card, only once) and the threshold bonuses (reached when you hit certain spending levels, reset annually).
The signup bonuses are only incremental. If you've received an MQM signup bonus for a lower-level card, then signing up for a higher-level card with a superior signup bonus will only get you the incremental difference.
Threshold bonuses, however, don't have restrictions. Meet the required spending level and you get the bonus in full. You may only receive the threshold bonuses for one card of the same kind, but Platinum is a distinct kind from Reserve, and the Consumer and Business versions of each are also distinct. Therefore, one person can have all four flavors and receive the threshold bonuses from all four. If you, however, hold more than one card of the same type (two Platinum Business cards, for example), then you'd earn the threshold bonuses only once. Furthermore, the Reserve cards allow MQMs to be assigned to *anyone*, so if your spouse, friend, associate, etc. has a card, earns the bonus MQMs, and wants to assign them to you, that's allowed.