50k Amex - can be bought from Amex for 1250$- This gets 75k DL, 25k MQM. That gets you to FO and PWM.
Valuing at min price of 1 cpm for DL miles (as in PWM option), that gives MQMs = 25k for 500$ = 2 cp MQM.
Or put another way, you can buy FO status for 530$ cost, cheaper than US with 1k for 25k PQM.
I "buy" Amex at 2 CPM whenever I use my Gold Amex Rewards credit card to get Amex points and not 2c cash back.
The problem is that I can't just get unlimited amex AT ONCE. For that I need to buy at 2.5 c from Amex directly.
At this rate of bonuses, for a real DL flyer, 1 Amex is worth more than 1 SPG till Dec 15. Almost 1:1.2 in reverse.
For me, the biggest benefit of PM status is the unlimited free changes to award tickets. I can tweak itineraries and make changes for free when better routings open up.
+1 That was why I went to DM last year as PM had only 2 free changes.
Actually I forgot about the 20K skymiles as a plat benefit. That makes this, in reality, almost a 100% bonus for me. 50K + 25K + 20K = 95K. And as I said earlier, for me the unlimited award changes is worth as much as anything, even upgrades (though I will gladly also take UG's on award tickets).
Whoa There! you are beginning to sound like
mooper (and me when we analyze benefits of DL)
. For 50k Amex MR, if you are getting 2:1 SM for MR, 2x40k awards are CHEAPER than 2x25k awards on CO. (15 k left with free changes). In my experience, I get for 32.5 usually, so this is 3 tickets for price of 2, with free upgrades. SM rock for domestic travel.
Originally Posted by
andrewpartyman
Man, I am just under Diamond Status with Delta now. Not sure if I should transfer 50k points over to Delta just for the 25k MQM bonus. I am Platinum for next year, but will definitely hit Diamond anyway in 2011. What to do, what to do.
You have to keep up with the kettles. Kettle => FO, FO => GM and the GMs can be PMs with the promo, you are going to be competing more as a PM for these upgrades. You NEED to be DM then and then worry next year about keeping it.