Madaldad

As a newly minted PM I have a few questions that aren’t clear on the Delta website. I am supposed to choose my choice benefit, RUC for me, before the end of the calendar year. Is that 2021 or 2022? If it’s 2021 do I get 4 more in 2022 since my PM status extends into 2023?
Also, how do you choose when to use them? As a GM I frequently got complimentary upgrades to the front and expect to get more now. I wouldn’t want to waste one when I would have gotten upgraded anyways.

flyerCO

Status you earn this year is for next years program. You don't get 2021 CB. However DL will allow you to select your 2022 CB immediately without waiting.

RUC expire one year from date of issue. Thus sont select before you need them, or by Jan 31, 2023 at latest.

findark

Select them for program year 2022 any time between now and January 31, 2023. They are good for one year from selection, so you have a good deal of flexibility with the window of when you want to use them.

In most of my travel I would never gamble on a complimentary upgrade as a lowly PM so I just grab OY space where it shows up on decently long routes (the website now shows it... if only you could also apply certs online). YMMV based on routes and priorities.

Qwkynuf

As a domestic Diamond, I select RUCs for both my Platinum and Diamond benefits, netting me 12 per year. I don't have any trouble getting them used every year, I'd say that they probably clear close to 95% of the time - either in advance or at the gate. When I use them, I don't think in terms of "wasting one where I might have gotten a complimentary upgrade". I think of them in terms of doing everything I can to get the seat that I want on a particular flight.

I recently had to buy a short-notice ticket PDX-ATL-SDF-ATL-PDX. I really wanted to be up front for the PDX-ATL and ATL-PDX segments. I called in and asked to apply certificates to the two long legs. PDX-ATL had to waitlist and cleared at the gate into 4A on a 763. Both return segments cleared immediately. Only the short Atlanta to Louisville segment on an E175 didn't clear, but I went to the gate at #1 of 12 for 0 seats.

I have to go to Florida in 3 weeks for another meeting, and I will use RUCs for that trip as well.

For anything west of Denver, I will typically let the upgrade gods do what they will. As a DM with a Reserve card who buys tickets on fairly short notice, I do pretty well in that arena.