Eddie98

My last trip of the year is next week and I will be making DM on the first leg. This will be my first time making DM. I sure hope it will feel different. LOL

Grogs

Congrats! Same here for me. I had a busy year of work travel with 3 international trips, plus one international vacation. I'll most likely drop back to Silver next year, so I'll enjoy the slightly enhanced GM perks while I have them.

Couple of interesting things:

I flew out to SYD last week for vacation, and the outbound trip put me at 49,500 miles. Flying home today/yesterday, the MQM for the SYD-LAX leg posted while I was in the air. The app showed me as GM for 2018, but still FO for 2017. I'm guessing the current year's status doesn't update until the trip is complete.

I got an offer while in Sydney to purchase 10k MQM for $1395. It also included 1395 MQD and 15 MQS. I didn't take it off course since I knew I would qualify for GM on the return flight.

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Zorak

Congrats to you both!

Current year status lags by a day when being "promoted".

CMK10

Requalified for Silver easily back in October and figured I'd end the year with around $3,500 MQD which is about average. However, last minute business travel is bringing it to $4,500. Really annoying as with better planning I easily could have made Gold but I'm out of weekends and time now to MR

wxman22

Yes, that was me last year in 2016. So this year, I tried to manage it better, but completely overdid it, spending a few thousand more than I really needed to.

Next year, I'll get it just right.

MarkP24

If I add an authorized user to a Delta Reserve card with the no annual fee option (Platinum as opposed to Reserve), their spending counts toward my 15k/ 30k MQM's when spending $30k/ $60 annually, correct? Other than lounge access, any reason to pay $175 annually for an authorized user and make them a Reserve cardholder vs. a Platinum cardholder?

bergamini

Although one segment has yet to post, I am now officially DM after being PM at least 8 times in the past 15 years (PMNW). It is hard being a regional road warrior to get there. I fly 25 weeks per year but get like 3K MQM out of them so I need the Amex and a good EOY mileage run. The funny thing is that I think I was just as profitable to Delta at $14.5K MQD and 105K MQM as I was at $15K MQD and 125K MQM but I am sure they will never come out with a profitability measure or ratio to determine status. I seem to have the opposite issue as most, I can get to $15K MQD fairly routinely with $700 coach fares every other week but when they only net 75-80K MQM before Amex, I gotta get the miles to maintain Diamond. I want to see if it's worth it although I guess 2919 will be the better barometer. I do think there are too many Medallions now, and I lump myself in there. If a PM is 30/60 for an UG on a B717, then you have too many PM, no doubts about it. I am not sure what the answer is but for me affordable FCM is it, and affordable International PE so I am not so compelled to get GUC's. But for now I savor the DIamond status (finally) and push towards MM by 2019.

OroroT

^^Congrats bergamini. My first year and (probably) last as a DM, and back to PM in the future. I think the interesting thing is going to see what happens to PM status in 2019 as that level becomes flooded with the folks, like me, that probably won't make the MQDs for Diamond.

AK-business-traveler

Just made DM for the first time. Hoping for good luck on future upgrades! Am thinking I'll choose lounge access and global upgrades for my options, undecided on the third. What's the conventional wisdom around here regarding those choice benefits?

bergamini

I'm in the same boat and I'm sure there is a thread somewhere that outlines it, but I can't find it. I get Global Entry with my Ritz Visa. I rarely take guests into the SkyClub. Nobody I care that much about will benefit greatly from Gold medallion. I'm likely to take the 25K miles because I think TPG (I know not the most accurate but good enough) values them at $0.012 per mile so that's worth $300, more than the other benefits. I found a MKE>NYC award fare for 9K miles that's pricing out at $226 and so I can get even more out of it than that.

AK-business-traveler

Makes sense. I already have Global Entry too, so it may be miles for me as well. Actually, I never went in and chose the benefits when I hit Plat, so it may be 45k miles coming my way I suppose.

bergamini

It appears to me you can stack the upgrade certs so I would do the RUC's for your platinum benefit unless you'll never use them. I'm going to do 4 RUC (Plat) and 4 GUC (Plat). This was news to me today when I went into Choice Benefits and saw I could pick both. A friend confirmed you can stack the PM/DM upgrade certs but of course only 1 per Medallion level.

Eddie98

I just hit DM for the first time also. I will roll over around 18k MQM for next year.
Like others, I haven't picked my 2017 PM benefits yet. I will do so next month and pick the RUC. I know it's a PITA to try and use them but I have all year to use them.



I still have not picked any of my CB so this is what it looks like. I already have GE and SC access. I will wait to pick my 2018 PM until later next year and my GUC when I need the first one.


any suggestions on benefits? I'm based out of ATL so upgrades are really hard to score. hopefully DM will make some sort of difference.

bergamini

Wow, we had very similar MQD and MQM and then boom, I'm schlepping around at 100 segments and you got it done in 39. I'm jealous!

I mean if it is that bad out of ATL, and you think you'll get $15K MQD next year, then wait to redeem the '18's until late next year and then theoretically less DM in '19 and you'd have until end of '19 to use them. But I've had pretty good luck with RUC so who knows. Although the one time I didn't was ATL>LAX.

Eddie98

If I had to travel only domestically I would barely make GM. Having long international trips helps a lot. I go to NRT about 4-5 times a year. if it wasn't for this last trip to EZE, I would not have made it.

I already have a trip to EDI in July and would like to use the GUC. The routes I travel domestically are so packed with weekly commuters that the UG list is so long. Not worth it to use a RUC on a 2hr flight. Good thing you can use some RUC for some international locations, like south of the border.
I'm not going to rollover many MQMs this time. Not sure if I will make DM for 2019.