Bicostal

My situation is that on average I spend 20K or so on MQDs, but this year I'll be at 12k. I use the Amex card to cover me on the one off years where MQDs are short. Absent rollover MQDs, if this were 2019, I'd miss DM. The Amex card no longer provides a safety net so it has no value to me. Loser is Amex. If 2018 travel is not going to make the 15k, then I'm not going to be motivated to try. Loser is Delta. Qualifying for PLT is not the issue but DM is value I have enjoyed and would prefer to maintain. As lifetime gold on UA and PLT on OW, so be it. Delta doesn't value me as much as I think they should so it's up to me to walk the talk. Amex will get a nice note from me starting with, what have you been smoking?

PirateJeff

I think I hit DM with ~$12K last year. This change is going to make the non-branded AMEX cards more attractive. Risky move if DL is counting on that partnership revenue.

erasmusmrr

I lose the 3 DM Choice Benefits and some upgrades. Only aiming for 75K MQM because DM is now unreachable.

davetravels

I'm currently at $1200~ MQDs with 123K MQMs.

I'm the

of this move.

I'm sure there are TONS more like me, particularly after reading this thread.

ATOBTTR

I think that may well be my approach. Hit 75K MQMs with Delta and then put 25K-50K into another program and get low to mid level status there. What this moves says is Delta don't really want my business beyond 75K. Or go completely reversal and maybe go for higher level with AA or AS and just go for mid-tier at most with Delta. I'll be researching/analyzing all this over the next couple months prior to Jan 1 when all the counters reset.

outoftown

I disagree with your first paragraph, but completely agree with your second paragraph. I am one of those DMs that have never bought either a first class international or first class domestic ticket. Some of us do qualify on MQS's and meet the minimum spend.

jamesteroh

A lot of diamonds have the Am Ex delta reserve and/or Am Ex Platinum which still gets them access and the automatic benefit goes away in January and will be one of the choice gifts.

I don't think diamonds are causing as much congesting of the sky club as Am Ex swipes. I wouldn't be surprised if they stopped accepting Am Ex Plat. swipes for entry in the next few years to try to get more card holders to get the Delta reserve instead.

acrophobia

What seems a shortsighted about this to me is some of us accumulate massive rollover in certain years where we may spend several times the MQD requirement. A major incentive for accumulate the rollover is to maintain status if we have a down year in travel (new kid comes along, illness arises, etc.). We don't suddenly become bad customers in that down year if you look at the life of the relationship.

To me, I may as well look at other airlines once I hit the DM MQD and MQM thresholds in future years.

MSPeconomist

With these stats, which version of the email did you get?

davetravels

My 2 cents worth . . . .

I'm still 8 or 9 pages behind reading and taking all of this in.

It indeed seems surprising that they didn't do a step-up over a couple of years from 25K to 250K, maybe 100K the first year, then, maybe 200K the year after that to soften the blow. So, based on the dozens of posts I've read, it seems to make sense that, they really wanted to totally eliminate the Amex waiver for DM, but, for some reason, they couldn't - - maybe because of current or planned advertising of the Amex waiver, or, contract stuff with Amex.

jamesteroh

I was one of those that wrote. It's possible that it did make a different and DL was going to eliminate the waiver altogether.

Not happy with this change even though I can manage to get the spend in since I normally have my $220K spend in by 7/31 and this is only $30K more in spend but problem is that extra $30K in spend isn't getting me anymore MQM's and $30K on another card gets me a lot more benefits than 30K skypesos. If you combine the other $220K rewards on a lot better card and the annual fee savings still not sure if it's worth chasing diamond or if I should just stick with plat and keep one reserve card for the skyclub access. Delta will be losing some business if I go with the later, I normally fly DTW/LHR at least once a year in J for work and have always stuck on Delta in the past for the MQM's but if I decide to drop to PM that flight will be getting ticketed from now on with Virgin since they fly that route and have a better product. Same if I have to fly DTW/CDG, it's going to airfrance and if it's another international work related trip I'll just connect at JFK on whatever carrier has the best product.

I am certainly not cheering the move even though it will mean fewer diamonds in 19 if I decide to do the spend in 18. Who knows what other changes Delta will make next year for the 2020 qualifying year. Same with all the PM's cheering this move if they depend on the amex waiver, who's to say Delta won't decide to increase that spend and/or create a new level at 100K miles

MSPeconomist

I was half expecting a blended version of the requirement, with perhaps $25,000 spend on DL AmEx cards being worth $3000 MQDs (which would be equivalent to a waiver at $125,000 with these numbers, so that the $250,000 spend DL has set is equivalent to $1500 MQD per $25,000 spend.

davetravels

I sure hope Delta plans to demote / reallocate a WHOLE LOTTA phone agents from the DM hotline to the PM hotline!

CommentatusMaximus

I qualify with a foreign address (legitimately) as well as MQD spend. I think the reason the foreign address works is because those people likely fly much fewer domestic flights. So domestic seat upgrades and lounge use is limited. In fact I usually fly paid TPAC J and can't find a better place to park my ST miles anyway. Maybe credit to KE if I end up slipping to PM eventually.

RobertS975

You don't get credited with the money you spend on family members... and buying A fares or I fares are often just a bit higher than some of the coach fares that are offered. And I often "buy" my A fares with "pay with miles".