Hitting DL Plat and Diamond in the same year: choice benefits
 

Hi,

quick question. I am about to hit Delta Platinum but plan to hit Delta Diamond before the end of the year. I was wondering how this works with choice benefits. Do I get to pick one as a plat and three as diamond or so they regulate this some how? I plan to pick as many upgrades as possible.

Thanks!
bryan

The Plat and Diamond Choice Benefits are separate from each other, so you will get to use both. It is even possible to select your Diamond benefits without having selected your Platinum benefits (which for the 2018 Medallion year will remain selectable until January 2019)

1 when you hit PM

2 3 more when you hit DM

Or, you can wait and pick all 3 at the same time.

I checked on my Choice Benefits yesterday, and I have last year's PM & DM plus this year's PM available still,

:)

Why would you think 3 for Diamond? Oops. :)

Delta is changing benefits and it's pick 3 now of different/new offerings? Or maybe read it wrong. Or maybe that's next year's program changes.

Because that's a thing for 2018

2018 Medallion Choice Benefits program to expand per Medallion Line

Oh yeah. I forgot, since they eliminated the automatic SkyClub benefit, and added it as a Choice.

:)

For me, it's still 2 + the SkyClub, so, no real change for me! :)

One important note for the Diamond benefits, you cannot pick the same benefit more than once. You will only be allowed to choose the 4 GUC Diamond benefit once, not three times.

OP wil get both the PM (one) and DM (three if you don't meet SC membership) choice benefits, but there will only be one set of each, for reaching the level. You don't get one set of choice benefits for each level now and another in about December/January for the same account activity because it's a new program year and the status you earn now is valid through January 2019.

You do now get to pick most of the other benefits more than once, though. You can choose 25,000 bonus miles up to 3 times or gifting gold status to up to 3 other people.

To the OP: Note that if you requalify for Diamond next year, even though you will not be Platinum at any point next year, you still get another Platinum choice benefit once you've hit the Platinum qualifying requirements next year, and then another 3 Diamond choice benefits once you hit the Diamond qualifying requirements next year. So it's a pretty generous arrangement.

The benefits you get for this year's flying can be selected any time up until Jan 31, 2019.

Thanks so much for your feedback. So just to clarify, I can pick the 4 regional upgrades when I hit platinum and then I can pick another 4 GUCs when I hit Diamond. (I have a plat amex so I'll probably pick the guest pass as one choice benefit and then the miles or $200 as my third).

Yes that's exactly right. Just keep in mind that you should wait until you have a use planned for the RUCs and GUCs until you select them -- they expire a year after you select them, so if you have no pressing need for them, wait until you have a need before you start that timer.

The guest pass by contrast expires Jan 31 2019 regardless of when you select it, so if you're sure you're going to want that choice, may as well select as soon as possible.

I am already PM for 2017 and 2018, but Diamond for 2018 likely won't be achieved until autumn or winter.

This time around, I want to get Global Entry but I am afraid that I will be wasting my "pick" if I select the GE choice benefit right now. Because as PM I only get a single voucher, but as DM I get two. Is this the case? Should I just pay for GE out of pocket and then snag the two vouchers when I hit DM?

Note also that at PM level the choice is 20,000 RDMs while it's 25,000 RDMs for DM. So if you're going to pick the miles once, try to do it as one of your DM choices.

You can always pick the $200 gift card or DL voucher as either PM or DM or both, so assuming that you can use the DL voucher, this establishes a floor on the value of a choice benefit (or at least the PM benefit and the first DM benefit). Most DMs and PMs buy enough tickets from DL that we can always use the $200 credit within a year, providing that we don't forget about it.

You got in a fistfight with a Diamond and a Platinum in the same year? Or were you referring to some other form of "hitting" in your title?