pricing for DL1 upgrade
Sep 23, 2019, 8:38 am
#1
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pricing for DL1 upgrade
I purchased a flt JFK-LAS in Y and immediately was upgraded to C+. I was considering upgrading to DL1. Over a two week period the prices/(miles to buy) fluctuated in the vicinity of $1200/115,000 mi. A few minutes ago it was 89,000 mi I upgraded.
This will help me in attaining DIAMOND
. Moral, if there are lots of empty seats in D1, 2 months out, don't take their initial offer. [It may still go down further...perhaps I was too hasty(???)]
This will help me in attaining DIAMOND
. Moral, if there are lots of empty seats in D1, 2 months out, don't take their initial offer. [It may still go down further...perhaps I was too hasty(???)]
Sep 23, 2019, 2:42 pm
#5
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That would be equivalent to a fare difference of about $890, which is plausible for the route depending on dates and fare class availability. It's apparently not a mileage upgrade award but a pay-with-miles type upfaring.
Sep 23, 2019, 3:58 pm
#7
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After paying 89,000 miles am in DL1 Z class. [When I looked at my booking I was given the opportunity to "buy-up" using $ or miles. As I noted in my post#1 the upgrade was running $1200/155K miles over a two week period--so 89K miles was a "bargain"]
PS: The additional MQM will help me become DIAMOND by year end. From old posts DL asks a lot of $ to buy up to DIAMOND, even for those close.
PS: The additional MQM will help me become DIAMOND by year end. From old posts DL asks a lot of $ to buy up to DIAMOND, even for those close.
Sep 23, 2019, 4:01 pm
#8
Join Date: Aug 2007
Programs: DL DM
Posts: 1,079
I thought D1 tickets can be had for 640k miles so an upgrade to D1 for 89k would be a great value . An it probably was within 90 days so the cheapie tickets would be nowhere to be found.
In all seriousness, way too many miles but par for the course for DL
But if the OP is happy, I’m sure DL is happy as well.
In all seriousness, way too many miles but par for the course for DL
But if the OP is happy, I’m sure DL is happy as well.
Sep 23, 2019, 4:56 pm
#10
Join Date: Apr 2004
Posts: 1,614
I just redeemed 160,000 miles for two one way tickets going AVL to ATL in First, and then connecting to ATL to BRU in D1, for a trip in May.
This tapped out my SkyMiles account, and our return is from MUC on a combination of BA to LHR and then AA going to PHL in J and continuing onto AVL in First. The total redemption was 115,000 AA miles using AAMilesSaver awards, with relatively modest taxes fees, principally German. Unlike the DL award these two were not readily available, and took a fair amount of checking availability on a regular basis.
This tapped out my SkyMiles account, and our return is from MUC on a combination of BA to LHR and then AA going to PHL in J and continuing onto AVL in First. The total redemption was 115,000 AA miles using AAMilesSaver awards, with relatively modest taxes fees, principally German. Unlike the DL award these two were not readily available, and took a fair amount of checking availability on a regular basis.
Sep 23, 2019, 6:09 pm
#11
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There are two different "systems" noted: (1)upgrading from Y/C+ to D1 using miles--you don't get MQM, (2)upfaring using miles--you do get MQM
Since I will attain (if my arithmetic is correct
) DIAMOND by late December, I couldn't have put miles to a better use, since award tickets don't count toward MEDALLION status.
Since I will attain (if my arithmetic is correct
) DIAMOND by late December, I couldn't have put miles to a better use, since award tickets don't count toward MEDALLION status.
Sep 23, 2019, 6:17 pm
#12
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There are two different "systems" noted: (1)upgrading from Y/C+ to D1 using miles--you don't get MQM, (2)upfaring using miles--you do get MQM
Since I will attain (if my arithmetic is correct) DIAMOND by late December, I couldn't have put miles to a better use, since award tickets don't count toward MEDALLION status.
Since I will attain (if my arithmetic is correct
) DIAMOND by late December, I couldn't have put miles to a better use, since award tickets don't count toward MEDALLION status.
Sep 23, 2019, 9:16 pm
#14
Join Date: Feb 2004
Location: LAS
Programs: DL PM, Honors Gold, Marriott Gold, AA Gold
Posts: 894
Sep 23, 2019, 9:33 pm
#15
Join Date: Nov 2018
Location: San Francisco
Programs: DL
Posts: 466
For the 2228 mile flight, you will earn an MQM bonus of 1114 miles. You paid 89,000 miles for this upgrade — which Delta valued at a minimum of $890 (1cpm).
If we assume 1cpm is what you value miles at (personally I would double that), then you spent $890 to attain ~1k MQM. This is a cost / MQM ratio of about .89.
For most Saturdays for the rest of the schedule, you can fly SFO-LAX round-trip for about $100. This is a ratio of about .1. You will earn 1k MQMs for such a trip. So, conservatively, you overpaid by 8.9x.
But SFO-LAX is usually not a profitable route in terms of MQM, so let’s look at a better route like SFO-SEA-PEK. In November it’s quite easy to take a hop across the pond and earn about 12k MQMs for about $500. This is a ratio of about .04, or a bit over 2x better than the LAX trip, and about 22x better than your LAS trip.
I think you lost this one.
If we assume 1cpm is what you value miles at (personally I would double that), then you spent $890 to attain ~1k MQM. This is a cost / MQM ratio of about .89.
For most Saturdays for the rest of the schedule, you can fly SFO-LAX round-trip for about $100. This is a ratio of about .1. You will earn 1k MQMs for such a trip. So, conservatively, you overpaid by 8.9x.
But SFO-LAX is usually not a profitable route in terms of MQM, so let’s look at a better route like SFO-SEA-PEK. In November it’s quite easy to take a hop across the pond and earn about 12k MQMs for about $500. This is a ratio of about .04, or a bit over 2x better than the LAX trip, and about 22x better than your LAS trip.
I think you lost this one.