New member here. Apologies, but this is a very, very, very long thread so if things have already been outlined in here and I missed it, feel free to just point me to it.

Join a new company 2 years ago. In 2023, my business travel was incidental and didn't amount to much. 2-3 international trips per year to Europe, 3-5 trips per year to NYC - all originating from Florida. In 2024, my pace of international travel increased dramatically, which almost always qualifies me for business class tickets according to my company's travel policy. I ended up reaching Platinum on Delta by March and I'll definitely hit Diamond by September assuming I don't reach it earlier through ad-hoc trips that might pop up.

I don't know if I'll see a frequency of travel in 2025 and beyond that will keep me in the upper echelons of status with Delta. Having never had any significant status before I'm trying to figure out how to make the most of the Platinum Status I already have and the Diamond Status I'll soon earn.

The thing I probably value the most after complimentary upgrades is lounge access. I really loathe most airport gates. I thought about the GUCs and RUCs for personal travel, but my family doesn't usually fly Delta as there are more affordable options that we are perfectly happy with and I've heard they can actually be somewhat difficult to redeem which limits their value in my opinion.

Asking for thoughts from the more seasoned travelers on making the most of this newfound benefit while I have it