Why do these companies want to get rid of MS and CC elites? CC companies charge the same fees on MS that they do on everything else, and for DL branded Amexes, DL still gets their cut of that. From their perspective it doesn't matter what the purchase actually is or whether the merchant made money on it, Amex and DL got theirs. DL also LOVES selling miles to Amex and other earning partners so what do they care if someone is MSing just to get the miles? Given the slim profit margins on airlines people who spend big on DL Amexes are more profitable than even some DMs.