vincentharris

So it looks like I will hit PM for the first time in my life this year. Need some advice should I go with the RUC or gift FO status as my choice benefit?

My requirements:

Wife will most likely travel more to where I am weekly but not on the same flights (she has no medallion currently) so I'm wondering if the free luggage and choosing dark blue seats is worth it for her.

On personal travel we tend to buy FC 9/10 and we fly together.

The RUC would be nice for some of those long flights where I have no chance for an upgrade.

No sure what to do and would welcome any CONSTRUCTIVE advice.

ATOBTTR

Well the "Happy Wife, Happy Life" philosophy says "Gift your wife the FO status".

But in your situation, I'd lean that way anyway. It sounds like your wife travels enough that she'd get some benefit from the gifting of FO status. FO benefits are enough to take flying/traveling from annoying and awful to "bearable", which is a huge difference. Yes, she could get some of the FO benefits by getting a DL branded AmEx, but there are still plenty of benefits that being an FO gets that just being an AmEx holder doesn't, including as you mentioned, access to preferred seating, which includes exit rows (and C+ at T-24), but also priority check-in lines (either SkyPriority or dedicated FO check-in lines, depending on the airport). And she'd have outside shots at FC upgrades. She'd also have better IROPS protection and better phone line priority too, which can be very beneficial.

I personally go with the 4 RUCs but my wife has made Medallion on her own the past few years so there's no need for me to gift her status. Remember, if you have enough miles in your account, you can also use miles to upgrade. Mileage upgrades come from the same inventory bucket that the RUC requires. The only difference is I think RUCs can be applied to any Economy fare bucket (except E) while mileage upgrades I think require T or higher. Also, I've been finding RUCs more difficult to use in advance as of late as DL is looking to sell more FC seats, so with that, you may well get more use out of the gifting of FO status to your wife.

MSPeconomist

It would help greatly to know your home airport, routes flown (you and wife), and days of the week you tend to travel.

Also, how close is wife to being able to earn FO herself? Can she, for instance, get the needed MQMs from a DL AmEx card to make up the difference?

EditingFX

FO.

Since I'm sitting here tonight as a DM w/ Reserve card, watching a waitlisted RUC become worthless, as available F went from 5 to 0 during T-24 on an ATL-LAX tomorrow morning. Seems like when I really want to use one, they fail.

vincentharris

ATL

I travel weekdays but she would likely come fly out Thursday/Friday for us to do a weekend trip then fly home together on Sunday.

She is nowhere near FO and I want to avoid getting her the Delta Amex.

vincentharris

Also thanks everyone for the responses.

dilbertsdaddy

RUC's are worthless...broken program...I can't even use my expiring GUC's on domestic flights!

Sounds like gifting is better but watch out for the expiration date of her status

jamesteroh

RU's are a pain for me to use as a DM out of DTW so I am sure it would be worse for as PM out of ATL. Something else to keep in mind is that if RU inventory doesn't open up before the regular upgrade window opens up it's my understanding that a regular comp upgrade will clear before an RU until the time the upgrade list goes to gate control so diamonds could be getting upgraded before you in the five day comp. upgrade window if that inventory opens up.

If you wife is flying weekly she will appreciate getting the exit rows even if she doesn't get C+ or F upgrades.

Curious as to how she isn't gold if she is flying weekly. Even doing a short haul weekly would get her 1,000 MQMs a week.

It would probably pay one of your to get the Delta Am Ex reserve and pay to add the other as an authorized user since you fly so much and pay for F for personal travel. The companion cert on one of your personal F trips would pay for the annual fee and the Skyclub access would be nice if she is travelling every week.

MSPeconomist

Excuse me, but assuming that your wife is a mentally competent adult, you don't "get her" a credit card. She decided whether she wants a DL AmEx card and if so, then she applies for it herself. You do not get it for her unless it's an authorized user card on your account (which would not result in the possibility of additional MQMs).

DCFinanceinFlight

Excuse me, but as a mentally competent adult, I hoped you would know the difference between past and present tense.

StayingHomeIsBetter

Be careful though. If you gift FO before 1/31/18, the status will only last through 1/31/18.

Wait until the new program year has begun.

DiverDave

f she is going to travel weekly shouldn't that get her to FO in reasonably short order?

bgriff

This is not the determinant -- the determinant is what year's choice benefits you give. If you use choice benefits from status earned this year (which Delta calls the 2018 Medallion year), the gifted status will be valid through 1/31/19, regardless of when you make the gift.

If you want to use choice benefits from status earned based on 2016 flying (the 2017 Medallion year), the gifted status will only be valid through 1/31/18, which isn't worth much. So in that case it would be better to wait until you have hit 75K MQMs this year and can gift status that will last longer, and use the 2017 choice benefit selection for something like RUCs or miles that won't expire so soon.

vincentharris

Uhhh well that was aggressive? I didnt know how we handle our personal finances is anyone else's business?

Well WE dont believe that getting the DL Amex card is worthwhile for us, based on what points WE are trying to accumulate WE both get credit cards and add each other as authorized users for what WE are trying to accumulate at that time. WE share the responsibility of ALL of our finances together, and make decisions together and not separate.

Before you jumped down my throat you could have asked for clarification on my post......

bennos

Gifted FO = Benefit with calculable value (in particular waived bag fees, but subject to validity dates as discussed upthread)
RUCs = Crapshoot

If the dates work out, I'd probably go with gifted FO, but I too am soured on the unusability of upgrade certs.