Is Gold Medallion Worth It?
 

Hi Everyone!

I am currently 10,092 miles and $1297.60 short of being Gold Medallion on Delta. I know this depends on a lot of factors, but in general, do you feel that GM is worth it or should I let the miles roll over? Thanks in advance!

Wrong thread. Should be in Delta, but totally depends on what you are looking for. Silver gets you the free bags and preferred seating for free. Depending on where you are flying out of Gold may get you more first class upgrades (of course unless you are travelling to/from a hub then forget it).

I'm sure somebody will correct me if I'm wrong, but ...

If you do a big push now in 2018 and get those additional miles, that will get you Gold for the little bit of 2018 left, plus all of 2019. But, if you let your current miles roll, and then get the additional miles during 2019, won't you immediately get Gold status for both the rest of 2019 AND all of 2020?

If OP does not fly any more miles, OP will rollover 10K MQMs meaning OP will need 40K flight miles in 2019 to obtain Gold. So depending on when this is achieved will depend on how long OP will be gold in 2019. Currently, OP has 40K MQMs now so similar flying pattern will have OP at 50K this time next year.

Do GMs get lounge access? I haven't seen info on this tell me more. I gained PM a few months ago and didnt think even we got lounge access.

He would have the miles, but would still need to cover the spend. Apparently he's $1300 bucks short of $6k now. so would either need to find a way to get over that hump, or get one of the Delta AmEx cards and spend at least $25k during the 2019 calendar year.

So, not a slam-dunk.

ETA: If he pushes through to get the MQD and MQM to hit Gold before the end of this year, he will have Gold for the remainder of this year, all of 2019, and till Jan 31, 2020.

on (most) international itineraries they do. Excluding the Caribbean and maybe a few other locations.

I'm usually passing through NRT. Is this documented anywhere? I swear delta's program is so confusing.

You have access to the SkyClub at NRT if you're Gold or above and flying on DL (or any international SkyTeam flight, for that matter.) Details are here:

https://www.delta.com/us/en/delta-sky-club/access

On that page, scroll down to the SkyTeam Elite Plus section.

Wow ...literally 4 to 5 wasted opportunities including a 4 hr layover on my last trip back state side.. next xmas day drop only 41 minute layover in ATL, but l be indulging at NRT for sure!

Depends really on what you want out of it all. Gold is pretty decent but also depends on how hard it is to get there.

As somebody else noted, one generally gets access when traveling international. Tricky though. Especially when there is only an affiliate lounge.

I've read the rules carefully and been sure I was OK, but been turned away. Alternatively, I've been suspicious I wouldn't be OK and been warmly waved in. My favorite is when I was flying from HNL to SJU. I can't convince myself that is an international trip, although it is a pretty long one. HNL kindly let me in. Might have been an "old lady" waiver? Who knows?

I have to admit I've pretty much given up trying to interpret the rules. I just dust myself off as best I can, and present myself at possibles. Politely and quietly go away if declined, although that rarely happens.

If you're supposed to be allowed in, you can just show them online where it says it

Just made GM again for the second year. I celebrated with 2 Woodfords yesterday on the flight segment that pushed me into GM for 2019. For such a measly accomplishment I figured I had to create my own fanfare as none was provided (or expected) from Delta. :D

Upgrade to C+ is almost a given, and having Sky Priority every time for the shorter lines and priority baggage has been most useful for me vs FO. Also lounge access on international itineraries is a really nice benefit.