I needed 7500 MQMs to qualify for gold for 2013. I applied for the Delta Reserve (personal) card Sat 12/15/2012, got it Tue 12/18, and my first spend didn't happen until Fri 12/21 (I was out of town when card came - they won't let you ship card to diff address during application process, even if you apply over phone). The first purchase posted on Mon 12/24. Now is the nervous waiting period whether the 10k MQMs will post in time.
So I called Amex today (12/25). The lady said that she does see that I made my first purchase and that I did qualify for the bonus MQMs and that they are "pending" to post to Delta. But my statement doesn't close until 1/11/2013 and the MQMs are sent to Delta only after the statement closes and you make a payment. So the miles will not be sent to Delta until Jan 2013. There's no way to push the statement close date up further as I just applied for the card and haven't even received a statement - I asked. However, she did say that b/c I qualified for the bonus miles in 2012, they will still count toward the 2012 MQM even if they are sent to Delta in Jan 2013. I asked her if she's 100% confident of that and she said "that's what she's been told". So I took her word for it but feeling a bit doubtful, I called Delta Skymiles next.
I explained to the Delta Skymiles rep of the situation that I had just gotten the Reserve card for the bonus and wanting the bonus MQMs to post for 2012 but was told by Amex that the points won't actually be sent over until Jan 2013. The guy said that he is "absolutely 100% positive" that what the lady at Amex said is correct. So I asked him "so even though the points won't post into my account until Jan 2013, b/c the MQMs were earned in 2012, when they post, they'll count towards the 2012 status?" "Yes". "So I'll be upgraded to Gold in Jan 2013 then". "That's correct".
Ok... take it however you will... I just hope I didn't plunk down $450 for nothing.