knoa_knows

So I find myself 405 miles from hitting diamond this year. I have been diamond since it was added as a level, and it also coincided with when I started my heavy traveling and started making status at all. So I have never been anything but diamond (except during the climb up to diamond). My question is do I go for diamond or just take platinum next year and have almost 50k banked for next year. What do those longtime people who have had both think?

Considerations:

I am at a job where I travel less now, so diamond the following year might not be guaranteed, but as I use a delta reserve I get 50,000 MQM automatically, I will usually be platinum with my regular flying.

I am in the NYC area for what it's worth.

I fly with family alot so having diamond has been quite useful for upgrades, sky club, etc...

thoiboi

hit it and quit it.

kop84

Living in NYC the DM SDC Co-Terminal exception might be worth it on it's own to go for DM.

DiverDave

how do you get 50K MQMs out of one DL reserve card?

In any case, recommend you take Diamond now, as the benefits will likely be less in 2017.

David

AvidFlyer1990

Isn't Co-terminal SDC going away for DM, as a part of the recent 'ENHANCEMENTS'? Or did I hear wrong, and it is alive and well? Per this thread: Co-Terminaling going bye-bye

Felixishim

lol true as

DL Reserve you either get 15k or 30k MQMs
DL Platinum you either get 10k or 20k MQMs

maybe OP has both and max both?
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anyways, according to google flight
if it is just the cheapest round trip flight out of NYC with DL that earn enough MQM (which is ANY flight as there is a 500 MQM min)

LGA I believe is better for easier commute for NY travelers most of the time,
LGA to up state new york are as low as $91 Round Trip!:
they are have this fare in 2nd week in December:

LGA-SYR-LGA $91
LGA-BUF-LGA $91
LGA-BTV-LGA $91
(BASIC ECONOMY FARE, E Class!)
(You get no upgrade and priority boarding and C+ but all flight from LGA has no FC anyways)

V fare that gives you priority boarding and seat selection is at $110 as there is no upgrade on LGA-SYR/BUF/BTV flight

if comfort is important like OP want to ride in FC for this short mileage run consider DTW and MSP and such

All roundtrip flight to ANYWHERE you will get at least 1,000 MQMs
BTV is the furthest with this price, you can also pay $100 to DTW, $120 to MSP.

you can try to call in to DL if it say book with a travel agent.
i have had a fare that they can not price it so i went on the ITA website and read them the fare structure and they was able to give me the same price as well.

KAYAK is also a good option like NYC-DTW (use NYC for better fare)
Delta.com just can't price the lower price automatically! when it can not price the google flight at $100
it priced Dec 10 LGA-DTW-JFK for $120 on V (ALL flight has F Cabin)

IF small price differences matters a lot then other benefits OP can also book one way on DL
then back with another Low cost carrier



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in anycase even though in 2017 DM may have less benefit if OP qualify for 2016 DM it is not very bad yet
as choice of 4 GUCs + Gift a GM status for international travels lounges for one or 2 free bags on all domestic DL flights? and individual SkyClub that can use while OP travel on ANY carrier not just DL like co-brand card does"

and as OP said he wanted SDC co-hub in NYC (JFK,EWR or LGA) which is long a unpublished benefit of DM (which also someone had report it has not success recently but only one case or a few so far

kop84

That was one person reading way to much into what a most likely inexperienced CSR said.

dk240t

Get it. At the very least, you get the 2 choice options and then increased earnings on all your travel next year...seems pretty straightforward.

sethb

I think if Delta doesn't undo its recent nonsense with C+ it isn't worth going to any effort for any amount of status.

dk240t

You wouldn't fly one more flight for $200 and 25k miles (or whatever 2 choice benefits you think are even more valuable)?

Cutting off your nose to spite your face much?

Yes, you are unhappy about C+, clearly, but the game is to do what benefits yourself, not hurt yourself in some revenge plot that they won't even notice...

At Diamond, you could even gift your wife Gold Medallion to help defray some of the issue with C+ changes...

Felixishim

agree to this and for OP who has a DL credit card, always choose the 25k miles instead of $200 as with pay with points 25k worth $250 and 250 only earns 2,750 for DM or 3250 with DL credit card but OP can also use other card that gives better earning ratio. if 2,750 miles worth more then $50 then go for it but don't forget you can also possibly get domestic F one way with 25k miles on some flight, i often do on SEA-SLC-JFK

sethb

The full tradeoff isn't that simple. If there's enough flying next year to actually use the status, then there's probably a difference in the status earned by the carryover of 49K vs. 0.

And yes, a couple of days ago I declined the chance to earn 400 MQMs for $0 because it wasn't worth the effort.

Felixishim

It is a bit irrelevant to say that you declined that chance to earn 400 extra MQM for $0 when the OP is saying that he is 400 MQM from getting DM unless you are also 400 MQM from DM for 2016 and have no other planned flight

plus OP state that he highly likely can earn PM under current medallion program next year, it is better he go for DM this year as we know Delta is currently in a decreasing trend with medallion benefit.
(it is also not known how OP get 50k MQM with reserve though as it is not possible? or may be DL Amex Plat +DL Reserve?

While the trend may not indicate future but if the economy do not change and there is no more competition then it is now, it is unlikely this trend will change as well.

dk240t

So did you decline a chance to earn 400 MQMs that would have changed your status for the year or did you just change the subject again with an irrelevant point?

MSPeconomist

IIRC when DL did the big LGA expansion, there were at least some flights to some upstate NY destinations like BUF that did use RJs with FC. I'm surprised that they're 100% CRJ-200s now.

If the OP is willing to spend a small amount of money doing a MR, given rollover, it would be better to try, within reason, to maximize the MQMs that one earns for the money spent or even to spend a little bit more to get a bunch more MQMs for rollover.

Alternatively, instead of looking for a really cheap way to get the 405 MQMs (actually 1000 assuming a DL RT), think about a nice little fun weekend trip. SEA is likely to be relatively cheap given the DL versus AS competition there.