Sep 26, 2017, 1:09 pm
Last edit by: Renes Points
On 26SEPT17 Delta changed the MQD AMEX exempt requirements. $25,000 only exempts you to Platinum or lower. $250,000 spend needed across ALL the DL AMEX cards you hold (personal and business in your name) for Diamond exemption for 2019 elite year.
If all you are interested in is the discussion starting when the announcement occurred on Tuesday, September 26, 2017, start here.
The Delta announcement is here https://www.delta.com/content/www/en_US/skymiles/news-and-updates.html
There are many data points that Delta will allow a one time exception under the 2017 qualification rules if you request this for the 2019 Medallion year.
If all you are interested in is the discussion starting when the announcement occurred on Tuesday, September 26, 2017, start here.
The Delta announcement is here https://www.delta.com/content/www/en_US/skymiles/news-and-updates.html
There are many data points that Delta will allow a one time exception under the 2017 qualification rules if you request this for the 2019 Medallion year.
Delta increasing Diamond MQD Waiver to $250,000
Nov 20, 2018, 8:59 pm
#1846
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jun 2004
Location: MSP
Programs: DL PM, MM, NR; HH Diamond, Bonvoy LT Gold, Hyatt Explorist, IHG Diamond, others
Posts: 12,159
Diamond is pointless. I fly international on DL almost every week and I managed to use only only 1 GUC since 1/1/2018. Diamond desk is now answered by very inexperienced agents in foreign countries that are basically useless but polite. I get the occasional domestic short hop upgrades but that's it. With all the 777 and 767 being converted to suite + premium select, there isn't any free upgrades at all for the international flights... With the dismantling of the Asia network, you literally bounce yourself all over the places to get anywhere and end up exposing yourself to increasingly complicated and hard to fix IROPS. This has been a bad year to be Delta Diamond. The $15000 spend requirement is really well over $20000 with tax/fees and the unearnable partner segments... That's a lot of money spent to only get attitude thrown at me when I ask them to fix DL-created problems...
If you game the MQDs you can do it for about $4K cash.
And I've had my few problems fixed easily enough. Maybe it helps to be polite when asking. (With one exception: I met the MQD waiver for Platinum in February, and my account still shows $21-22K. Delta and Amex are pointing fingers at each other, and I can't talk to the appropriate department in either one.)
Nov 21, 2018, 9:39 am
#1847
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Sep 2007
Location: BOS
Programs: DL DM 2MM, Marriott LT Titanium, Hertz PC, Avis PC
Posts: 15,165
You want qualifications to remain low, because it benefits you personally. You decry the fact that I would like to see qualifications raised because it benefits me.
That's the irony.
(BTW, I'm not trying to be offensive. We're both welcome to our personal opinions, both of which don't amount to the proverbial "hill of beans"
)
Except that honestly, qualification being changed wouldn't impact me much since I normally buy first/biz tickets. And if its higher I'd likely still qualify... unless its made extremely high in which case nothing would change much because then there would be very few DMs and instead the PM group would be massive. And I'd still buy-up to F.I just don't like program devaluations in general.
Nov 22, 2018, 3:02 am
#1848
Join Date: Feb 2010
Location: US-Europe
Programs: DL DM Charter/2.5MM, AA EXP, Marriott AMB, LT Titanium, HH Diamond, Avis PP, National Exec-E
Posts: 529
Quick question... What is the consensus of the impact from the increase in AMEX spend waiver, ... will it really affect the DM population as many have learned new ways to game the system? Just wondering as I haven't been very connected this year and I wasn't planning on remaining DM into 2019 and beyond, but travel/business plans changed this last quarter and will be an accidental DM again next year.
Last edited by SYRRDU; Nov 22, 2018 at 3:06 am Reason: spelling
Nov 22, 2018, 7:52 am
#1849
Join Date: Sep 2016
Location: HSV
Programs: Bellevue Lifetime Premiere Mega Elite Supreme
Posts: 1,509
Quick question... What is the consensus of the impact from the increase in AMEX spend waiver, ... will it really affect the DM population as many have learned new ways to game the system? Just wondering as I haven't been very connected this year and I wasn't planning on remaining DM into 2019 and beyond, but travel/business plans changed this last quarter and will be an accidental DM again next year.
In my worthless opinion, DM is the absolute least “elite” FF program of any major airline. It seems as though there are ~60,000 of us running around out there.
P.S. Since you’ve done both, how would you compare EXP to DM? I’m thinking about making the switch (not hub captive) and taking our $70K MQDs elsewhere?
Last edited by TheHorta; Nov 22, 2018 at 8:05 am
Nov 22, 2018, 8:14 am
#1850
Suspended
Join Date: Nov 2010
Location: MEM
Programs: Starbucks Green Card
Posts: 5,431
what's your basis for comparison? the bar for both UA 1k and AA ExP is significantly lower (100k miles/$12k spend).
Nov 22, 2018, 8:46 am
#1851
Join Date: Sep 2016
Location: HSV
Programs: Bellevue Lifetime Premiere Mega Elite Supreme
Posts: 1,509
That said, it is just an opinion and it could easily be similar or worse on the “other side.”
Nov 22, 2018, 9:48 am
#1853
Moderator: Hyatt; FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jun 2015
Location: WAS
Programs: :rolleyes:, DL DM, Mlife Plat, Caesars Diam, Marriott Tit, UA Gold, Hyatt Glob, invol FT beta tester
Posts: 18,889
Nov 22, 2018, 2:17 pm
#1854
Join Date: Dec 2002
Location: Seattle WA
Programs: DL DM, Marriott Titanium, AA PLT for Life
Posts: 398
So if you drop $250K on tax payments, you spend $5K. (Arguably add in ~$700 in pro-rated Delta card fees. You'll need 2 Delta cards, one personal, one business. And you'll need to play upgrade/downgrade on them.)
You get 350,000 Delta miles, worth a minimum of $3500.
You get two companion certs, which you'll have to value on your own but let's say both are good for domestic first if you time it right.
You spend zero nights/weekends/whatever doing mileage runs. (You will spend 5-10 hours on the year managing the upgrades and downgrades of the cards and tracking the certs.)
It's correct that you only get 100K MQMs (well, the first year you do this you'll get more thanks to signup bonuses on those cards!). But the "fly around the world on partners" method isn't likely to beat that. And without 25K flown miles on Delta, why does one even care about Diamond?!?
Personally, I will fly something like 80K miles in 2018. I will have spent <$5K on Delta. (Honestly, flown miles are probably higher, but I'm trying to estimate the Delta total.)
The value of those rollover MQMs is non-zero.
The "net cost" of this is <$2500 using worst case 1 cent/mile redemption. The value of not spending lord knows how much time on planes just changing MQDs is priceless.
You get 350,000 Delta miles, worth a minimum of $3500.
You get two companion certs, which you'll have to value on your own but let's say both are good for domestic first if you time it right.
You spend zero nights/weekends/whatever doing mileage runs. (You will spend 5-10 hours on the year managing the upgrades and downgrades of the cards and tracking the certs.)
It's correct that you only get 100K MQMs (well, the first year you do this you'll get more thanks to signup bonuses on those cards!). But the "fly around the world on partners" method isn't likely to beat that. And without 25K flown miles on Delta, why does one even care about Diamond?!?
Personally, I will fly something like 80K miles in 2018. I will have spent <$5K on Delta. (Honestly, flown miles are probably higher, but I'm trying to estimate the Delta total.)
The value of those rollover MQMs is non-zero.
The "net cost" of this is <$2500 using worst case 1 cent/mile redemption. The value of not spending lord knows how much time on planes just changing MQDs is priceless.
Nov 22, 2018, 2:21 pm
#1855
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jul 2006
Location: Upper Sternistan
Posts: 10,028
So if you drop $250K on tax payments, you spend $5K. (Arguably add in ~$700 in pro-rated Delta card fees. You'll need 2 Delta cards, one personal, one business. And you'll need to play upgrade/downgrade on them.)
You get 350,000 Delta miles, worth a minimum of $3500.
You get two companion certs, which you'll have to value on your own but let's say both are good for domestic first if you time it right.
You spend zero nights/weekends/whatever doing mileage runs. (You will spend 5-10 hours on the year managing the upgrades and downgrades of the cards and tracking the certs.)
It's correct that you only get 100K MQMs (well, the first year you do this you'll get more thanks to signup bonuses on those cards!). But the "fly around the world on partners" method isn't likely to beat that. And without 25K flown miles on Delta, why does one even care about Diamond?!?
Personally, I will fly something like 80K miles in 2018. I will have spent <$5K on Delta. (Honestly, flown miles are probably higher, but I'm trying to estimate the Delta total.)
The value of those rollover MQMs is non-zero.
The "net cost" of this is <$2500 using worst case 1 cent/mile redemption. The value of not spending lord knows how much time on planes just changing MQDs is priceless.
You get 350,000 Delta miles, worth a minimum of $3500.
You get two companion certs, which you'll have to value on your own but let's say both are good for domestic first if you time it right.
You spend zero nights/weekends/whatever doing mileage runs. (You will spend 5-10 hours on the year managing the upgrades and downgrades of the cards and tracking the certs.)
It's correct that you only get 100K MQMs (well, the first year you do this you'll get more thanks to signup bonuses on those cards!). But the "fly around the world on partners" method isn't likely to beat that. And without 25K flown miles on Delta, why does one even care about Diamond?!?
Personally, I will fly something like 80K miles in 2018. I will have spent <$5K on Delta. (Honestly, flown miles are probably higher, but I'm trying to estimate the Delta total.)
The value of those rollover MQMs is non-zero.
The "net cost" of this is <$2500 using worst case 1 cent/mile redemption. The value of not spending lord knows how much time on planes just changing MQDs is priceless.
You get a lot of something that you may not be able to easily use.
Nov 22, 2018, 6:17 pm
#1856
Join Date: Dec 2000
Location: MA
Programs: DL DM/2MM Marriott Platinum, HH Diamond,
Posts: 8,906
Quick question... What is the consensus of the impact from the increase in AMEX spend waiver, ... will it really affect the DM population as many have learned new ways to game the system? Just wondering as I haven't been very connected this year and I wasn't planning on remaining DM into 2019 and beyond, but travel/business plans changed this last quarter and will be an accidental DM again next year.
Nov 22, 2018, 6:35 pm
#1857
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Aug 2017
Programs: AS 75K, DL Silver, UA Platinum, Hilton Gold, Hyatt Discoverist, Marriott Platinum + LT Gold
Posts: 10,461
If you have to park $250K in tax payments with the IRS and other state/local tax agencies, for up to a year, or some other type of non-organic activities (e.g. MS), wouldn't it be easier to just get $15K of MQD? Or, better yet, with that kind of discretionary funds, just buy FC tickets outright. Also, $250K gets you SkyPesos; instead you could earn better return elsewhere.
Nov 22, 2018, 7:24 pm
#1858
Join Date: Mar 2015
Location: NYC/ EWR/ PHL
Programs: UA Platinum, Hilton Gold, Hyatt Discoverist, Marriott Gold, IHG Platinum
Posts: 2,209
Nov 22, 2018, 7:52 pm
#1859
Join Date: Sep 2016
Location: HSV
Programs: Bellevue Lifetime Premiere Mega Elite Supreme
Posts: 1,509
Nov 22, 2018, 8:54 pm
#1860
Join Date: Oct 2000
Location: SEA, or BOS, or MUC, or other places (probably connecting). "Detroit, Michigan is in the Eastern time zone."
Programs: DL PM/1MM, AS 100K, NEXUS/GE, CLEAR, Bonvoy Platinum, Hilton Gold
Posts: 1,201
Exactly this. Where once I'd have taken my chances as a DM on a T fare (behind higher bucket DMs) I know I won't get upgraded as a PM on a T fare, so maybe I burn a RUC or keep an eye out for cheap FCM instead. Either way, a DM who would have been ahead of me no longer is.