Skymiles Change Rumor?
Jul 21, 2012, 8:57 am
#2491
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Jul 21, 2012, 9:39 am
#2493
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Jul 21, 2012, 9:40 am
#2494
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Jul 21, 2012, 2:42 pm
#2495
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Jul 21, 2012, 3:04 pm
#2496
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I agree...if you are a DM and using this strategy for domestic tickets, then its a pretty valuable award program.
My issue is that I struggle every year to maintain GM status as most my flights are for pleasure, so I end up having to buy all my domestic tickets to achieve status, then try and use miles for my wife and I to fly BE class to Europe at 100k, or maybe Asia at 120K.
My issue is that I struggle every year to maintain GM status as most my flights are for pleasure, so I end up having to buy all my domestic tickets to achieve status, then try and use miles for my wife and I to fly BE class to Europe at 100k, or maybe Asia at 120K.
Jul 21, 2012, 3:09 pm
#2497
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Jul 21, 2012, 3:17 pm
#2498
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The domestic award upgrades work pretty well for GM and PM too, though only PM can make unlimited free changes/redeposits. If you're goal is GM, you might consider learning some of the spending tricks that help you hit thresholds on credit cards, then get an Amex Plat or Reserve and spend right to a threshold level to earn 1.5 RDM/$ + .5 MQM/$ as a head start. Will give you much more room to redeem miles for some of the domestic trips, if that's what you seek.
Jul 21, 2012, 3:19 pm
#2499
Join Date: Aug 2011
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New Mexico is a part of the United States??? Who knew? 
Jul 21, 2012, 6:44 pm
#2501
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Jul 21, 2012, 8:22 pm
#2502
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I was attempting to simplify by presuming you stop at the Reserve thresholds where each $30K spend yields 15K MQMs + 45K RDMs = 1.5 RDMs/$ + .5 MQMs/$ (more the first year only, as you get signup bonus RDMs + MQMs on top).
Jul 21, 2012, 8:37 pm
#2503
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Since IMO the "pay with miles" thing is a stalking horse and testing ground for the way that DL really would like the FF plan to operate in the future, we can only hope that there will be ways for the steady customers to operate without too much loss.
I imagine that almost nobody here has used it the way it is presented except maybe in an emergency and it looks like it will be a bear to deal with if that is what they are giving out. Then I guess that it will be time for the business traveler who is treated well enough now to see if anyone else goes where he needs to go and has an FF plan with a bit of upside since "pay with miles," on its own, has none.
Jul 21, 2012, 8:40 pm
#2504
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Jul 22, 2012, 4:51 am
#2505
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But even if you spend exactly at the thereshold levels, the DL Plat card has a less favorable ratio.