I ran the numbers for various cards based on my projected spending, and decided to drop from the Delta Reserve down to the Delta Platinum and replace the Reserve for my travel spend with an Amex Platinum. There will probably be a year where I'm under the PM MQD threshold (even though for the past two years I've been over it but not to the DM threshold), so putting $25K through a Delta-branded card is worth doing; given that, the extra $100 annual fee for the Delta Platinum card is offset by the 10K RDM boost I get at that point. (Exactly so, since 10K RDM is worth at least $100 as long as I can use Pay With Miles.) The associated MQM bump (0.01 MM
) is a freebie at that point.
I'll lose the Reserve card's upgrade tiebreaker (so once in 100 flights I'll be
#9 on the list for two seats instead of
#8 ), Sky Club access (included in the much better lounge access of the Amex Platinum), and better companion ticket (not that I've had good opportunity to use the existing one). Going from 2x SkyMiles to 5x Membership Rewards points for my airfare spend will more than cover the extra $300 in annual fees ($450 for the Reserve becomes $550 for the Amex Platinum + $195 for the Delta Platinum).