Originally Posted by
exwannabe
Why not just do exactly the same thing but w/o the spend? I.E., year 1 get 3-6K MQDs with 130K MQMs make silver with carry, Year 2 a quick 20K MQM and 25K$ spend.
Because this way the OP doesn't get the benefits of DM in the year he earned the MQMs (presuming he was not already DM from the previous year).
OTOH, this is definitely an interesting strategy, though--one I hadn't considered. By using the MQD requirement as a way to artificially inflate your rollover, you can effectively turn 150K MQMs into DM status for two years by "qualifying" in January of year 1.
(ETA: A little Googling confirms several bloggers have already suggested this strategy--and confirmed it would work with Delta.)
Now I'm wondering--does the AMEX spend exemption persist even if you cancel your card? In other words, suppose one already met the 25K requirement, but wanted to trigger the trick above. Could you cancel the card before year end to then fall back to the regular MQD requirements?