davetravels

I'll freely admit to being an MS dummy, but, why would Amex want to shut them down? Don't they still get their commission on purchases?

CKDGM

I just bought a month-out SEA-JFK/BOS-SEA open jaw. $244 MQDs for 4917 MQM. If I did that every two weeks (26 trips in a year), I'd spend $6344 (less than half what I'd need for DM, and just over the GM MQD threshold) for 127K MQMs even without any MQM bonuses from cards.

Not everyone is flying expensive segment hops through ATL, and it's not my fault SEA has competitive options on other carriers that keep DL's pricing down. As it stands, I have little to no incentive to fly anything over 75K MQM on DL next year and if I'm going to live the WFBF Way maybe I'll buy F on Alaska instead.

josephstern

That's a complicated question, but the easy/short answer is: with most MS involving buying cash-like products (or, once upon a time, cash) there's a lot of risk to a credit card company that the user can just stop paying their bill one day and walk away with, basically, a credit line-worth of gift cards.

I'm pretty sure that risk is higher than the risk of someone defaulting on a credit line-full of gym memberships and grocery store purchases.

pgh234

It fascinates me how hub-captives keep telling the rest of us that we are "wrong"...as in we are lying about our MQD's.

BTW...156,820 MQM's this year with $3,498 spend (most of that is vouchers...does that count as OPM? lol)

355F1

This is a really dumb question but does a DM clear a complimentary upgrade over a PM who is trying to use a RUC?

dinanm3atl

Seems completely feasible. I am in Atlanta. Have 100K MQMs basically and about 7K MQDs. I'll end up with about 8500 MQDs and 150K MQMs. I easily make the the waiver and both bonuses on the Platinum.

It's interesting that anyone who has 125K/15K says how 'easy' it is to get this and the opposite is 'easy' as well. Everyone's own situation is 'easy'.



It's overall just silly. DL and now the CEO has basically said if they could just kill the frequent flyer program they would. No one wants to make that call. They just want to sell the seats. They would rather fly it empty and have you yearning to get up front and paying later. Think about it. Let's say you are at 125K and 12K MQDs. Just spend them 3K and you can get 4 GUCs which could have a value SIGNIFICANTLY higher, WAY higher than the stupid 3K. In many cases if you really played correctly the 4 GUCs could push 15K in 'value'.


Next year I'll be DM. I go back and forth. The following PM. I'll weigh buying some FC seats here and there and see where it would land me. Not sure it is 'worth it' in the end though.

MCO Flyer

No but there have been reports of RUCs being waitlisted and RUC space not opening up before the UG window but complimentary UG space being available for DMs who would then clear before a PM using a RUC.

josephstern

This really isn't about the frequent flyer program - it's about the elite status program. They're somewhat related, but still pretty different.

Have they said they want to kill off the elite status program?

davetravels

Well, of course, it's MUCH easier to hit 15K, 20K, or even 25K MQDs when you're using OPM!!!

dinanm3atl

You 'earn' elite status in their frequent flyer program. Or 'loyalty program' or really at this point 'spending program'. Not sure what relation you are getting at between them?

No one is going to say that and go on the record. However Ed said they want to sell are first class seats on every single flight. If they get to that point complimentary upgrades are done. RUCs and GUCs don't need to exist. At all. So what benefits are left? Some bonus miles, free SkyClub and some same day change features?

They don't want the loyalty/earning/elite/whatever programs. They were started to keep people loyal to an airline. Now people yearn to be top tier and in the program. Once one airline decides it can face the PR negativity of killing it off... you can bet just like baggage fees almost every single carrier will do the same. And stuff like this is probably closer than one might think. All the consolidation as just turned the tides against the consumer. Reality is you don't have any real 'choice' in many cities in the US.

dinanm3atl

Well yah. I had a discussion with a friend who can book business to Asia with his company. He doesn't understand the problem. "Easily" gets 15K+ MQD in a calendar year.

Yah... of course. If someone was paying for all my main cabin I'd just pay the difference to FC and easily get the 15K+ MQD as well.


I'll pose this question. To those of you that easily make the DM 15K MQD. How many are actually spending your own money? I for one am an independent contractor and really don't want that to change. Thus I am booking out of my own pocket, instantly getting billed for it. In my industry there is very little 'plus expenses' going around. And the ones that are aren't going to pay for FC or Business to Asia/Europe.

rylan

For those happy about this change, hope you realize its just another step in the dismantling of the remaining pieces of the 'loyalty' program...

dinanm3atl

That's my point. "How can we remove some top tier people". Let's make the waiver essentially unreachable. They have the numbers of spending. It's right in your emails. They knew how many this removed. They won't just kill the program overnight in one big PR move. Same as they have been doing. Chisel some away. Slowly but surely.

third_wave

Isn't the incentive to use the benefits you earned? Free C+, Regional Upgrades, more RDMs, maybe the occasional FC upgrade? For all but a few, who I understand are over-represented on this forum, the goal is not status in and of itself, but rather to make the flying experience more enjoyable.

I don't understand the vitriol here. It's not like people using OPM are going on vacation with their company's money. They are going to work. Delta, of course, does not care where the money comes from. They just want to make a profit.

I don't think they are telling you that you are lying, so much as that you are not one of Delta's most profitable customers, and therefore perhaps shouldn't be given the perks associated with the highest level of status.

cfischer

I am surprised Delta didn't just eliminate the waiver for Diamond. Probably less backlash and in line with United where 1K has no waiver. $250k is just silly.