jamesteroh

I had a couple large purchases last week that aren't showing up on the status bar but not too concerned. According to the T&C on Delta's site it is combined on all card:
Eligible Purchases will be combined across multiple Eligible Cards of the Basic Card Member if those Card accounts are linked to the same SkyMiles number. Eligible Cards are the following: Delta SkyMiles Credit Card, Gold Delta SkyMiles Credit Card, Platinum Delta SkyMiles, Delta Reserve Credit Card, Delta SkyMiles Business Credit Card, Gold Delta SkyMiles Business Credit Card, Platinum Delta SkyMiles Business Credit Card, Delta Reserve for Business Credit Card from American Express.

BusTrav8yrs

The T&C specifically says it combines card amounts

Eligible Purchases made by Additional Card Members on the Basic Card Member's Eligible Card will count toward the Eligible Purchase threshold. For purposes of calculating the Eligible Purchase threshold, Eligible Purchases will be combined across multiple Eligible Cards of the Basic Card Member if those Card accounts are linked to the same SkyMiles number

I will not be able to "test" this though as I dumped my second card when this new waiver was announced.

josephstern

Mine has a date for the last update. If your activity was after that date (mine is currently 3/11/18) it won't show.

Renes Points

The shocking part is the number of times you got bad info and the number of reps.

I did DM Delta about your post.

Seabilly

While I haven't yet dumped my second card (Business Reserve), I haven't put any charges on it this year, and will get rid of it at renewal time. I've shifted my business expenses to my Business Marriott Visa.

TheHorta

I have both Reserve and Platinum. Charges to both are reflected in my Delta MQD waiver total -- a little over $140K thusfar in 2018.

It doesn't matter regarding the waiver, as I'm about at the $15K MQD for 2018 now, and should surpass that in a few weeks. But for a data point, if others are being told you can't accrue waiver dollars from multiple cards.

GatorBlues

I've spent $112K on my Delta cards this year, but I'm stopping. I won't reach $250K without trying to do manufactured spending, which I don't have the time to do. This change has already cost Delta several flights so far this year that I've booked on American instead. For years, I flew Delta exclusively, but not any more. My MQM spending will drop from around $12K to around $8K to $9K, at least.

What has everyone else done? Found ways to spend more on the cards, stuck with Delta despite only being able to reach Platinum, or moved some or your flights elsewhere like I've done?

flyerUSA

the waiver change is a good reason to dump a credit card. but not a good enough reason to dump Delta, i don't think. luckily I have a shot at making Diamond again through MQDs, already hit platinum through real MQDs / without the waiver, and my Delta amex has gone mostly unused all year. Will probably cancel it, unless Amex entices me to keep it. (they often have generous retention offers which can offset the annual fee.)

rogo

Paying taxes on Delta cards, paying other bills via services that let you put those on credit cards, up to about $150K so far and on track to hit the $250K right in December.

This is "manufactured" in some sense and isn't free. I will net out to 350K miles for about $4500 of cost, something like 1.3 cents / redeemable mile. Given they can't be worth less than 1 cent and can be worth 2, 3, 4 at times I find this tradeoff acceptable, even though it's somewhat revolting to have to do this. (Incidentally, my in-air miles will exceed 100K with current travel patterns; my MQDs will not remotely get close to $15K... had 25K rollover MQMs and, obviously, cards produce many more).

It would please me immeasurably if Delta changed things so you could get, say, $3000 MQDs for every $25K of spend on their cards. That seems really fair and would result in less of this nonsense going forward.

But given the cost is mostly paid for in RDMs, I'm OK with it as all the other Diamond perks are gravy, including $200 worth of voucher and 25K more SkyMiles, worth minimum $250.

gooselee

I've changed nothing. I continue to book any non-ULCC (including WN) based on price/schedule/route, and I will use my DL card for everything except travel (airfare on Amex Plat; other travel on CSR) right up to $60k each year to collect some buffer MQM.

I easily hit DM MQDs every year since MQDs have been a thing, but this year will be the first that I also have the requisite MQMs. In retrospect, I probably shouldn't have spent that much on my Reserve this year as I ordinarily would rather have PM+rollover vs. DM+less rollover, but whatever.

GatorBlues

Obviously if you spend the necessary MQDs directly with Delta, the card spend issue is irrelevant. I was simply wondering what others who historically topped off from Plat to Diamond through the card waiver are doing now. There were many predictions that those who claimed we would cut back on Delta flights were bluffing. At least in my situation, that isn't true. I still fly Delta the most, but no longer as much as I used to. I've found American to be the better option for my flights to Texas and for my upcoming trip to Cabo. I'm no longer willing to take a substantially less convenient schedule, or a moderately more expensive flight, to stay on Delta.

gooselee

I think this decision is a good one, and the right one, and wish more people would make it.

Airlines are able to charge higher fares and devalue their loyalty programs specifically because they know people will pay more and go out of their way to stay "loyal" to one carrier.

Will I pick DL if all other factors are functionally equal? Of course. Will I pay $100 more and take an extra connection to go from MIA-ORD or something to stay on DL? Absolutely not, status be damned.

josephstern

It's just like changing cell phone providers or insurance companies - the change is hard, so customers are sticky.

Also: bank accounts, home mortgages, investment accounts. Plenty more.

Companies know we don't want to make these changes, so they can nudge up their prices.

There are definitely large savings to be had if you comparison shop these kinds of things.

TheHorta

gooselee

Perhaps you just really appreciate their wine selections.