ges123

Has anyone heard whether Delta is going to offer the MQM purchase again this year for 2016 qualification?

wpxstar

I undoubtedly believe they will. Best kind of revenue for DL - free money for virtually doing nothing!

PayItForward

Not exactly true. If the purchased MQM granted status to a pax who otherwise (next year) has to pay for check-in, preferred seats etc, then there is indeed value. There are reasons why one buys the MQM and the perceived benefits gained in return are inversely "lost revenue" on Delta's end.

SuperG1955

They've done it for the past 3 years and made lots of money. I'm 99+% certain they'll do it again.

They'll probably further refine the pricing model to soak those who derive the greatest benefit.

tanktronic

What was the rough offer for 2015 or previous years?

DiverDave

Last year's sale went live on December 3rd.

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/23934785-post49.html

The prices left many gasping for breath.

David

Felixishim

look below as of how can DL not lost any money at all.

This ^^

DL makes a lot of money selling MQM and the higher the status the more expensive PER MILES it is for those MQM (increased benefit)

Also, I doubt it hurt DL much from those who pay for the extra MQMs to re-qualify for qualify for a higher status (pax can get a credit card and get free bags, priority security[Reserve], priority boarding, ofcoz also extra MQM with spend]

These things like getting a % from the Amex spend and MQM and so on.
give DL for real "something for almost nothing" unlike what they would claim customer joining FF is "nothing for something" which is mot true.... as they are selling MQMs..... Never mind..... go figure why some one would even agree to that......

anyways yea, DL for certain will NOT lost revenue for selling MQMs
in the eye of DL they will be max giving a discount on those benefit as they just sell you MQMs.

you can fly DL 20k and only pay $1.2k in tix (let's say you have an overseas address and have no MQDs requirement) LAX-CDG-JNB-CDG-LAX.
this will likely earn DL very little money coz CDG-JNB-CDG is AF operated non joint-venture route, (AF V earn 100% MQMs like for most fares, just like DL V)
think how much would DL earn out of this ticket after cost.......

when you have to pay hundreds for 5k MQM.... it is all worth it in the eyes of DL.


PLUS if one pay for MQM to gain status, he or she obviously will also buy more travel on DL.....

In the other hand if the person who buy MQM does not fly DL............(will DL lost anything?)

3furballs

I'm been reading the boards here for a few months and finally decided to join and ask a question.
I am a new business traveler, only started traveling in August, and I only make 2 4-day trips a month so I'm happy I made any status at all this year.
I will finish out the year about 8,000 MQM/3 segments short of GM, wasn't expecting to get that close but then I had to take a couple of trips for a family emergency.
I know that after January my travel schedule is going to change but I don't know how (have been told that they want to move my home base and schedule me for fewer trips but send me further away), all dependent on which/if we are awarded certain contracts.
As it stands I will roll about 17,000 MQM to next year. I'm debating if it's worth buying those 8,000 MQM (assuming Delta offers that option this year) or trying to make a 3 segment run somewhere to get GM status. Knowing that my travel is changing that 17,000 MQ could be what gets me the boost to GM next year.
I should probably add that apparently the flights I take either have no one else with status or have 50+ ppl with status because I do, as a lowly silver, occasionally get upgraded (and I would go so far as to say I get consistenly upgraded on one leg). So the higher priority for upgrades wouldn't really change much for me.
What would you?


ETA: if you would buy the MQM or make the 3 segment run what price point would you consider "worth it"?

KDCAflyer

Last year, 10K MQMs went for $1,325 for Silvers.

You could probably find a mileage run for less, but your options may be limited since the year is almost over.

You can find good mileage runs here:

http://renespoints.boardingarea.com/...age-run-deals/

woodchuck

MQS run would probably be easiest and least costly but it depends on your home airport. Check google flights, https://www.google.com/flights/. Plug in your airport into the first airport box and leave the second one empty, Select SkyTeam under Airline or Delta if available, then click Explore Destinations on the map. That will give you flight prices.

landeej

If you can turn a mileage run into a mini-vacation, that would be the best of all possible outcomes. DL is running some very cheap flights to SIN these days, and from there you can catch a low-cost hop over to Langkawi (LGK) or Phuket (HKT) and sun yourself on a beach for a couple of days. Or, if beach isn't really your thing, wait a few weeks and plan a hop to Hokkaido to do some skiing.

Zorak

Google Flights only seems to let you pick a specific airline if you specify a destination (if you leave the destination blank you can only narrow down to an alliance).

BUT there's a workaround: you can enter any destination, filter down to Delta (vs. Skyteam), then go back and delete the destination, and the Delta-specific filtering sticks. You can delete the destination before or after clicking on explore/map, though you may have to click into a different field (or hit tab to change the focus) to get it to notice that the destination has been removed.

mattp1987

Normally, I'd advocate for GM over FO, but in your case it sounds like it might not make too much of a difference. The rollover might be your better option for a few reasons.

1. GM and FO get the same access to exit rows at booking.
2. It sounds like your upgrades will stay about the same. I was in a similar situation on the flights out of my home airport when I flew from VPS - almost always got upgraded as FO although making GM did help on my connections.
3. You seem to travel mostly domestically. If that's the case, international lounge access and SkyTeam Elite Plus status don't really matter.

If you do choose to push for GM, you have a couple different options. You can probably find a segment run for under $300 and under $200 if you're lucky. Another option is to see how many MQMs the Delta Platinum or Reserve cards are offering right now for a signup bonus. I think the Platinum has a $175 annual fee and normal offers 10k MQMs, so that could get you to GM easily. If you do hold back this year, you might want to considering getting it after Jan 1 to get the signup bonus and then hit one or both threshold bonuses during the year. I would definitely take any of these options over buying MQMs based on the recent prices.

MSPeconomist

Has the OP satisfied the MQD requirement for GM? If not, it's probably pointless to look for a MR or segment run.

3furballs

Yes I have or I would have said that I was also X dollars short of GM