Delta Reserve Question
 

I cant find an answer regarding this subject. I started the year(2014) with a Delta Platinum Amex and reached $50k in spending to achieve the 2nd medallion miles boost. After I achieved the 2nd boost, I upgraded to the reserve card as I am now travelling more. Before the end of 2014 hit $60k in spending. The Reserve $60k bonus is not showing up and Amex is saying that I don't qualify for the bonus as I have already received the 2nd medallion boost - should I get the bonus?

Thanks

The way they explained it to me was that if you would have hit an EXTRA $30K (the original $50K, card swap, $30K more) you might have gotten a third bonus. But not for $10K more, which is what I think you are saying. They already reset the spend level to $0 after you passed the first $50K.

You should have done the card swap before you hit the $50K, then you would have gotten the larger Reserve bonus at $55K ($30K after the first $25K platinum bonus).

So, you can technically get both 20K boost from the Platinum Delta and then spend another $60K and get the 30K reserve boost after the upgrade to Reserve?

Thank you

Bloggers claim that you can have both cards and earn the MQMs from spend on each of them.

Yes, I have the Reserve and Platinum person cards and earned from spend on both.

Yep, this can be quite a racket if you have the means to take advantage of it. I know a business owner who is getting 60K from his own two cards each year and 60K from his wife's two cards, plus an additional 30K from one of his employees cards via MQM gifting. He is a DM without any BIS miles.

I think some of the bloggers do MS in huge amounts.

I'm looking to get the second DL AMEX Platinum bonus after $50K. Is it possible to upgrade after that to DL AMEX Reserve and spend $30K/$60K and get those bonuses before the end of 2015?

Do you have both as personal cards or do you have one personal and one business? I already have one personal and one business (both reserve) but am about to hit the spend thresholds on both of them. If I'm allowed to get a platinum delta card as a second personal card and earn another couple MQM bonuses, I'd be pretty interested in doing so.

We must be thinking the same thing today!

I have a Consumer DL Reserve and a Platinum DL Business. I have reached the 50k in spending on the Platinum DL Business card. I called to see if I upgrade to the reserve, am I eligible to reach the reserve spending thresholds on top.

The first agent said no. So, I called back. The second agent read me the rules and at least according to her, if you upgrade after you have reached both spending thresholds on the Platinum business, a new 30k/60k in spending would equal two more mileage bonuses. I'm going to try my luck a third time to see what they say.

Based on anecdotal evidence here on FT my understanding is the counter resets each time an MQM bonus is paid out and if you switch cards from Reserve to Platinum or vice versa it does not reset the counter and you can earn up to 50k MQM with a single account (10k x 2 with Platinum and 15k x 2 with Reserve) by spending $110k in a year and by switching your account after you earn the first two bonuses on either card

I trust the anecdotal evidence here on FT more than the word of any telephone CSR.

So, if you have the reserve and you've met your thresholds, you can downgrade and meet the lower thresholds? I didn't know that. It makes sense for Amex to allow it on the upgrade side since they get a higher annual fee..

That is my understanding ... based solely on anecdotes I've read here on FT. Note that I think you'd be much better off securing personal and business Reserves if you're looking at spending that much, unless you plan on running $110k through each a personal and business account.

I think the terms said that you can only get one type of mileage boost every year!

Annual Miles Boost℠ for Reserve
The close of the calendar year is December 31, without regard to the time of the year that the account is opened. This means that for the first year of Card Membership, the Card Member's Eligible Spending bonus period may be less than twelve months. If in any calendar year Eligible Spending on the Delta Reserve Card is $30,000 or more, the Basic Card Member will be awarded 15,000 bonus miles and 15,000 Medallion Qualification Miles ("MQMs" as defined in the Delta SkyMiles Membership Guide and Program Rules). If in that same calendar year Eligible Spending on the Delta Reserve Card is $60,000 or more, the Basic Card Member will be awarded an additional 15,000 bonus miles and 15,000 MQMs. The MQMs are not redeemable and only count towards Medallion status. MQMs can be kept by the Basic Card Member or gifted to someone else. MQM gift recipients must have a valid SkyMiles account. If within 90 days, a MQM recipient is not designated, the MQMs will be deposited in the Basic Card Member's SkyMiles account. Additional Card Member(s) are not eligible to receive miles through Miles Boost; however all Eligible Spending by the Additional Card Member(s) will count towards the Basic Card Member's spend level to reach the Miles Boost threshold. Card Members may be permitted to have more than one Options, classic, Gold, Platinum, or Delta Reserve SkyMiles Credit Card from American Express account; however, Card Members are only eligible to receive one annual bonus for each type (i.e., Options, classic, Gold, Platinum, or Reserve) of Delta SkyMiles Credit Card account from American Express.

I can confirm that Beckles is 1000% correct. I did this last year:
1x Plat @ $25k, upgrade before hitting $50k, then 2x Reserve ($55k and $85k)

There's usually a one-time card upgrade bonus of 5000 MQM.

It's so easy to generate MQM, I don't know why everyone isn't PM/DM!