Consolidated year-end push for status/next level advice/how-to thread
 

I'm right on the cusp of qualifying for GM for 2021. I'd have to do a mileage run flight to make it (~1,000 miles).

Is there any benefit if I do this prior to the end of 2021, or should I just do it early 2022 when the miles role over?

Would it be considered "earned status" if I did it in 2022 for upgrade priority in conjunction with the rollover miles? Would this actually have the benefit of guaranteeing rollover to the 2023 status year regardless of what Delta does for extensions?

Or would I have less upgrade priority than someone who had it from the previous (2021) status year?

Open for thoughts.

I'd go for it if you are that close.

Even though upgrades for golds are very hard to get you'd still trump rollover golds for upgrades and it would probably work out good for C+ seats.

If you are planning on flying international you'll have the access by being skypriority and can also use the skypriority check in if you check bags and get skypriority tags on your checked bags as a gold and IIRC free SDC is only good for skypriority and not silvers.

Do you have a foreign address and are thus MQD exempt? Otherwise, you won't get Gold status next year until you hit both the Gold MQM requirement and either Gold MQD requirements or the Amex $25K MQD spend waiver threshold as DL is only rolling over MQM's and not MQD's.

100% definitely go for it. MQDs reset to $0 at the start of the new year and do not rollover. GM is definitely worth the investment for as little as you need.

MQD is valid, although I will have Amex spend by June.

Any benefits vs. having 2021 GM vs. 2022 GM are I believe the MQM will not roll over, correct? The only benefit of 2022 GM is I know it will be valid in 2023, right?

All MQMs rollover this year. So you may as well earn GM this year and then you'll have GM beginning later this year rather than midway through next year once you hit the MQD Waiver and you'll already have enough MQMs for GM for 2023 once you hit the AmEx spend waiver next year as well.

So MQM rollover even if you "consume" those MQM by earning a Gold Medallion. I think that settles it because I'll technically also have 2022 Gold once I hit MQD.

Just want to make sure, maybe I missed it, but you DO have the MQD or waiver needed for this year's qualification?

Yes I do.

2022 Status: Silver Medallion®
MQMs: 48,339 1,661 TO GOLD
MQMs: 50,000
MQSs: 16 44 TO GOLD
MQSs: 60
MQDs: $1,683
MQDs: $6,000
CARD SPEND: $25K+

This year no MQMs are “consumed” for earning status. If you end the year with 49,000 MQMs, you’ll enter 2022 as an FO and have 49,000 MQMs at the start of the year. If you get 50,000 MQMs you’ll enter 2022 as a GM and have 50,000 MQMs in rollover.

This partly depends on how much you actually plan on flying next year whether it's worth it ... you only had 16 segments this year, and will being an earned Gold vs. earned Silver have much impact on upgrades until you earn Gold next year? Maybe? You'll also get higher priority when you call in, that may be a big benefit with all the schedule changes these days. Finally, you'll earn one extra SkyMiles per dollar on your flown tickets. Just don't expect too much from being Gold vs. Silver, with rollover it's not really a waste, find the cheapest/fastest/most convenient ticket you can from your home airport and do the mileage run, or take a mini-vacation would be even better.

A big difference is that GM+ get lounge access on "international" SkyTeam itineraries. If OP plans "international" (check the exclusions) travel during the first half of the year, this would be an argument in favor of getting GM this year.

It's mostly international lounge and domestic upgrade priority. Silver actually did pretty good on domestic upgrades during the pandemic, especially from Seattle, but I suspect that is in the process of changing given all the newly minted medallions.

In a way, these promos are medallion population control. They don't want too many, nor too little.

I’m sitting 4 MQS short of DM+. If I have to, I’ll take a day trip somewhere on miles because I think DM+ will be worth it and I’m so close. Thankfully, after two years of rollover (2020-2021) I’m almost at 120K, so next year I won’t have to play DL’s silly (revenue negative) segment game to requal. I’ve been seriously considering a switch to UA to avoid that unpleasantness, but if it stays this easy to requal I’ll stick around. DL has many more options from RDU.

SO CLOSE to Status...Advice Needed
 

Hoping to get some help from this esteemed group.

I am very close to making back to Silver after many years of not flying enough. I have one more trip planned this year, booked in Comfort+. As I do the rough math, it looks like I will just sqeak over the MQM line, and miss MQD by about $150.

What's the best way to push myself over the line here?

Somewhat related to this, I have more trips planned (but not yet booked) in early 2022, and would love to do a Status Challenge. That would also address my 2021 problem. Any luck with Delta doing that these days?

THANK YOU