Ewsmith

Yes you still need to make the 15k mqd but the 110k you are 50k mqms. And then only 75k MQMs so upgrade 50% and only flying 50k.

Bottom line. Either you have the money to do it or you just wine on flyer talk when you shouldn't be here complaing. Spend what it takes and stop whining about us who actually do it .

UpgradeMe

FlyerTalk has wine?

davetravels

THAT would be a huge hit!!!

LOTS of the other kind.

josephstern

This has to be someone's second FT name, right?

Dovster

Shh! The highest tier is a secret. Delta doesn't talk publicly about anything above Diamond.

However, spending $250,000 on a CC is not a dumb plan for the poor. It is the only way that the poor will be able to reach DM status. It is a dumb plan for the middle class. They would be far better off flying Biz One/FC on paid fares. Even if they don't reach DM they would get almost all of the benefits each time they flew. Of course, those of us who are a bit more fortunate either have their own jets or else use Delta Private Jets. Personally, I prefer the latter as I no longer have to keep a flight crew on salary 365 days a year. It also saves me the trouble of driving 3 hours from my home to TLV. I can board my Delta Private Jet at RPN, which is only about 25 minutes away. It also affords me the opportunity to land at smaller, less congested, airports which are usually closer to the city center (think of Orly in Paris, Linate in Milan, and TEB in (or at least for) New York City.

Obviously, you won't be able to afford this just by getting "a second job and stop crying". Just do what I did about 40 years ago -- invest a few hundred million dollars in good stocks that pay regular, and high, dividends. Between those dividends and my Social Security, I have no problem in paying for the Delta Private Jets. The only drawback is that if I have to fly last minute, they are sometimes unable to provide a plane in time. However, by having my Private Jet subscription I automatically get that secret highest tier so Delta guarantees me a Biz One seat, even if it means making someone else get off the flight. The downside is that I do have to mix with the hoi polloi on the plane and be somewhat courteous to them but, as they say, "noblesse oblige".

spamkiller

Yes, but you don't get it as a PDB.

ULDB65

Actually, they do mention 360 as an "invitation only program for top tier DMs" on their website: https://www.delta.com/content/www/en...ion-miler.html

acrophobia

TheMadBrewer

The increase in waiver just cost Delta a little money from me. (I realize they won't notice, though)

My brother in Atlanta is having surgery next month and I am planning to flying to help and support him. Looed at fares on Google Flights (as I always do first) and saw FC on the AA nonstops are about $500 less than DL. I'll have way more than enough MQMs to requal as PM and since I'm a waiver baby I don't need MQDs so I'm trying out the DAArk Side for the first time in 15 years.

gooselee

To make an airplane analogy, the point I was making was already at 30k feet but it seems that some of us were still waiting for takeoff.

Also, I would like to try some of this FT wine everyone's talking about.

rylan

I am thinking the same thing....

DCAhome

I'm working on DM this year (2018). There's no way I'd be in a position to get the waiver at $250K, and would prefer not to spend an actual $15K to meet the MQD. Instead, I'm looking at discounted business on partner flights (just booked AF in Z from IAD to SIN) and Delta Vacations. In both cases, the MQD are a good value relative to the spend.

audidudi

Quite agree! When I fly on MU from SFO>PVG>HKG>PVG>HKG in Business Class, booked in I, I get way more MQDs than I would if I flew on DL via SEA, and for less than half the price! Brilliant!

SYRRDU

I am a Diamond and walked away from DL and I'm sure they haven't noticed my absence either. I was traveling to Europe 1-2 times per month last year, plus other Delta/ST travel and spent only $33K (not a big spender) and another $70K on the card. I stopped flying DL in August after this increase was announced and I flew booked travel. I have been Diamond every year and Doubled Diamonded three times and I have moved my business to AA, now flying weekly in the US. Though the grass isn't greener, AA has granted me EX PLAT and I get upgrades quite often. I still have 456K MQMs banked and over 1MM SMs, I sit at <60K from 2MM, so I'll be PLAT until my MQMs run out and will hit 2MM sometime next year with AMEX boost if I choose to keep the card. (I know, why keep the card?,... still will keep me at PLAT in 2019 and beyond if and when I decide to fly DL again)

NotHamSarnie

If you spend $33k on air tickets you don't need to worry about the waiver...