When will 100% Sky Miles rollover end?
Sep 14, 2022, 3:41 am
#61
Join Date: Jan 2022
Programs: DL, UA, AA
Posts: 1,996
It all depends on how you think about it. YEARS ago, when I first decided to focus on Northwest Airlines (yes, I'm old) it was because I was flying 5-6 times a year to LA, 3-4 times a year to Michigan plus an odd vacation or conference. I was looking for the cheapest fair on whatever airline. Eventually I realized that if I picked one (I didn't really care which) I flew enough to get perks. Splitting 70k miles over 5 airlines get's you a free soda in coach. Focusing all those flights on one airline would get me GM/PM and used to get me upgraded quite often. If in 2024 or 2025 the rollover PMs get cleared out I suspect focusing your flights will once again become quite useful.
It's true a flyer could save using Spirit or Allegiant (I've tried a flight or two with friends and family) but I find it to be a much less enjoyable experience.
It's true a flyer could save using Spirit or Allegiant (I've tried a flight or two with friends and family) but I find it to be a much less enjoyable experience.
Sep 16, 2022, 10:42 pm
#63
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jul 2003
Posts: 23,056
I used to drive to FNT, LAN, or TOL back in the day as alternative to DTW with NW, but 2 hours was pretty much my limit. Two of those options are gone now and the third one generally doesn't have any better pricing than DTW.
Last edited by xliioper; Sep 16, 2022 at 10:52 pm
Sep 17, 2022, 3:52 pm
#65
Original Poster
Join Date: Mar 2010
Location: Des Moines, IA
Programs: Marriott Plat, Delta Plat
Posts: 28
If you are in DSM, that's some pretty fast driving to MSP
I used to drive to FNT, LAN, or TOL back in the day as alternative to DTW with NW, but 2 hours was pretty much my limit. Two of those options are gone now and the third one generally doesn't have any better pricing than DTW.
I used to drive to FNT, LAN, or TOL back in the day as alternative to DTW with NW, but 2 hours was pretty much my limit. Two of those options are gone now and the third one generally doesn't have any better pricing than DTW.
Sep 18, 2022, 11:33 pm
#67
Original Poster
Join Date: Mar 2010
Location: Des Moines, IA
Programs: Marriott Plat, Delta Plat
Posts: 28
Sep 19, 2022, 8:36 am
#68
A FlyerTalk Posting Legend
Join Date: Sep 2009
Location: Minneapolis: DL DM charter 2.3MM
Programs: A3*Gold, SPG Plat, HyattDiamond, MarriottPP, LHW exAccess, ICI, Raffles Amb, NW PE MM, TWA Gold MM
Posts: 100,409
Three hours from MSP to the northern edge of Des Moines is pretty reasonable, three and a half to downtown or West Des Moines IME, assuming no traffic issues. The distance would be about 220 miles, all on the interstate, with a 70 mph speed limit in most sections (but stricter enforcement in Iowa).
Mar 16, 2023, 10:37 am
#69
Original Poster
Join Date: Mar 2010
Location: Des Moines, IA
Programs: Marriott Plat, Delta Plat
Posts: 28
However, people with foreign addresses on their FF accounts are exempt from the MQD requirement. Others get the AmEx waiver from a lot of business spend or by engaging in lots of manufactured spending. Still others do cheap MQD runs on partner airlines. I wonder what fraction of DMs spend $15,000 annually on DL flights.
Mar 16, 2023, 11:21 am
#70
Join Date: Jul 2022
Posts: 832
MEDALLION QUALIFICATION DOLLARS (MQDS – U.S.-BASED MEMBERS ONLY)
Country of residence is determined by the primary address in the Member’s SkyMiles account at the time of qualification for Medallion Status.
Mar 17, 2023, 4:23 am
#71
Join Date: Jan 2014
Programs: Amtrak Guest Rewards (SE), Virgin America Elevate, Hyatt Gold Passport (Platinum), VIA Preference
Posts: 3,134
So, the 100% rollovers are over with...but I think it's going to take a while to clear things out. You have quite a few folks who built up massive excesses of MQMs but who are never going to make the MQDs for Diamond. I know that my excess of almost 150k from last year is small compared to others (I've got one friend who is floating at like 500k surplus MQMs). The CC MQMs aren't helping (though that isn't a change from before), and MQMs from award tix are another thing at play here - even if that's only about 7-10% of travel, that's...well, it's still 7-10% of travel that's crediting now.
I think you'll see significant bleed in 2024 and 2025 of "lighter" travelers, but there are going to be quite a few folks who would normally have only qualified for (say) Gold who land at Platinum for a long time (since a hypothetical 60k/yr Gold member who has 100k surplus will take about six years to burn through that buffer; at a 150k surplus, they're covered for a decade). It's the marginal folks who are going to mess with headcount for a while. That being said, these are also folks who might have bought into "Reclaim Your Status" promos and the like in the past - and taking a long view, some of those folks will likely consider kicking spend over to their CCs to keep their status down the line.
I think you'll see significant bleed in 2024 and 2025 of "lighter" travelers, but there are going to be quite a few folks who would normally have only qualified for (say) Gold who land at Platinum for a long time (since a hypothetical 60k/yr Gold member who has 100k surplus will take about six years to burn through that buffer; at a 150k surplus, they're covered for a decade). It's the marginal folks who are going to mess with headcount for a while. That being said, these are also folks who might have bought into "Reclaim Your Status" promos and the like in the past - and taking a long view, some of those folks will likely consider kicking spend over to their CCs to keep their status down the line.
Mar 17, 2023, 4:53 am
#72
Join Date: Jul 2003
Location: Atlanta
Posts: 5,184
So, the 100% rollovers are over with...but I think it's going to take a while to clear things out. You have quite a few folks who built up massive excesses of MQMs but who are never going to make the MQDs for Diamond. I know that my excess of almost 150k from last year is small compared to others (I've got one friend who is floating at like 500k surplus MQMs). The CC MQMs aren't helping (though that isn't a change from before), and MQMs from award tix are another thing at play here - even if that's only about 7-10% of travel, that's...well, it's still 7-10% of travel that's crediting now.
I think you'll see significant bleed in 2024 and 2025 of "lighter" travelers, but there are going to be quite a few folks who would normally have only qualified for (say) Gold who land at Platinum for a long time (since a hypothetical 60k/yr Gold member who has 100k surplus will take about six years to burn through that buffer; at a 150k surplus, they're covered for a decade). It's the marginal folks who are going to mess with headcount for a while. That being said, these are also folks who might have bought into "Reclaim Your Status" promos and the like in the past - and taking a long view, some of those folks will likely consider kicking spend over to their CCs to keep their status down the line.
I think you'll see significant bleed in 2024 and 2025 of "lighter" travelers, but there are going to be quite a few folks who would normally have only qualified for (say) Gold who land at Platinum for a long time (since a hypothetical 60k/yr Gold member who has 100k surplus will take about six years to burn through that buffer; at a 150k surplus, they're covered for a decade). It's the marginal folks who are going to mess with headcount for a while. That being said, these are also folks who might have bought into "Reclaim Your Status" promos and the like in the past - and taking a long view, some of those folks will likely consider kicking spend over to their CCs to keep their status down the line.
Mar 17, 2023, 9:37 am
#73
Join Date: Jul 2022
Posts: 832
Maybe I've just been ridiculously lucky, but I've been upgraded to FC on almost every flight I've been on in 2023 as a PM. Only once at the gate, where I was #1 for one open seat. The rest have been at 5 days out.
I keep waiting for the ride to end, but I just got another upgrade notice this morning. Knocking on wood as I type this.
I keep waiting for the ride to end, but I just got another upgrade notice this morning. Knocking on wood as I type this.
Mar 17, 2023, 9:45 am
#74
Join Date: Jan 2014
Programs: Amtrak Guest Rewards (SE), Virgin America Elevate, Hyatt Gold Passport (Platinum), VIA Preference
Posts: 3,134
Well, one "fix" would be to go from a flat waiver to some sort of incremental credit (i.e. $X MQDs for every $1000 spent - $100 MQDs per $1000 would propbably be about "right"), possibly with a cap. Seriously hiking (or ditching) the basic waiver bar would probably backfire (a lot of folks who only barely hit the $25k might move their spend or drop a surplus CC). The other option would be to stagger the waivers (say, $20k for Silver, $40k for Gold, $75k for Platinum, and $250k for Diamond), but for somebody who makes it 95% of the way to Platinum "the hard way" and can't make that spend work, the same issue arises again: An all-or-nothing proposition can quickly go from "all" to "nothing".
Mar 17, 2023, 11:31 am
#75
Join Date: Feb 2012
Location: STL
Programs: DL DM; HH gold
Posts: 554
Well, one "fix" would be to go from a flat waiver to some sort of incremental credit (i.e. $X MQDs for every $1000 spent - $100 MQDs per $1000 would propbably be about "right"), possibly with a cap. Seriously hiking (or ditching) the basic waiver bar would probably backfire (a lot of folks who only barely hit the $25k might move their spend or drop a surplus CC). The other option would be to stagger the waivers (say, $20k for Silver, $40k for Gold, $75k for Platinum, and $250k for Diamond), but for somebody who makes it 95% of the way to Platinum "the hard way" and can't make that spend work, the same issue arises again: An all-or-nothing proposition can quickly go from "all" to "nothing".
Personally I'd love for the MQD waiver to disappear altogether and for DL to really only count spend for status as I am chronically short on MQM, not MQD (and yes, that is very much through the lens of what is good for meeeee....!
)