Last date to select 2014 program Choice Benefits?
 

Howdy again,

I swear I asked something like this last year, but can't find the post, so:

what's the last day to select a 2014 Choice Benefit, 31 Dec 2014 or 28 Feb 2015? (I'll take the upgrades and prefer to maximize validity dates...)

TIA & afterwards, Ken

P.S. At Diamond Qualification, can I select 4 Global *twice* ? (Please?)

The answer is right on the Delta Choice Benefits page (http://www.delta.com/skymiles/about_...oice_benefits/):

Thank you!

Your wish and mine, but unfortunately the answer is no

Not only that, but you can't select GUCs and RUCs for your Diamond benefit, it's one or the other. So if you want RUCs also, you have to use your Platinum choice for that, and can only get 4.

As a Platinum, I'm really assuming my choices are the upgrade certs or 20k miles. How "usable" are these certificates really? Will I be able to easily use them to upgrade Economy tickets on domestic routes? How far in advance would I need to book? Or is it too big of a hassle and I should just do the 20,000 miles? I ask b/c I haven't really been able to keep up with all of the various threads talking about them and when I took the systemwide upgrade certs a year or two ago was very disappointed to find that they were basically useless. Thx!

That's ... a potentially significant devaluation of Diamond, for those of us calculating this in a spreadsheet. FWIW.

QUICK UPDATE: what I have is more of a decision chart. And what that chart does, is ask some questions.

WARN: Past 1-2 pgs, following may RANT or only apply to my situation. YMMV.

Such as: what's the marginal cost of spending 2-5 days each in Paris, Brussels/Gent, and Johannesburg, 6-10 months a year-- considering the business I could develop there-- and considering the downtime of being offline, or being jetlagged and not getting good sleep?

Four extra GUCs on top of four would likely make me spend another $6K+ without much thought-- that's a lot of bed space when I need it. And probably, it means I'll grab a Z or J fare 1-2 times in the year (hey, it's my company, my bottom line).

But I can't get six RUCs as my 2nd choice? When they are in essence, trump cards if I get stuck at LAX heading to JFK and need the sleep? I'm not sure how to model that, and it may not actually matter, but that seems odd.

And heck. I sure as heck don't want the Tiffany luggage tags, after all. I don't mind being pampered, the three-course meal ATL-MEX is certainly pleasant (as long as it doesn't get in the way of work when WiFi is on), but I've got a job to do, so to speak.

That is to say, on DTW-NRT or AMS-JNB, the value of a sleeper space is high; the value of an internet connection is high to me (I can potentially bill $1K or so, and more importantly, not miss any critical client need); but I'd be fine with bunks three high.

And I'm not sure whether or not, the bean-counters in Atlanta, have it right about what the max-revenue premium product is.

Especially given, where our economies are about to go.

FWIW.