Delta Announcing Changes to Status Qualification
Oct 18, 2023 | 7:55 pm
#196
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jun 2008
Programs: Lifetime Hilton Diamond, Lifetime Marriott Titanium, "Lifetime" DL DM (subject to DL CEO whims)
Posts: 12,801
Full DM and Semi DM is not going to fly.
Either they honor long term loyalty, or the don't.
"All DMs are equal, but some are more equal than others." (With apologies to George Orwell)
Oct 18, 2023 | 8:01 pm
#197
Join Date: Sep 2023
Posts: 204
I do not believe that the status is named as complementary but is extended status of an earned benefit. Which is clear as mud. Diamond status is fairly useless to me without the Choice benefits, as I dont get upgraded anyways. So Im hoping they put out some details here. Seems like a great deal for DMs and even PMs if you get the Choice benefits, but not a deal for GM and certainly not SM.
Oct 18, 2023 | 8:02 pm
#198
Join Date: Jan 2009
Location: WAS
Programs: AA EXP2M, DL 1MM DM ext, UA PP <=> HH G/Marr PE/Hyatt G/IHG P FT RA ( Recovering Addict)
Posts: 4,903
Join the party - everyone is an elite!
They have flip flopped 100%
Exactly. DM ranks doubled during the pandemic and a majority of current DM’s are swimming in hundreds of thousands of rollover MQM’s that the bloated high tier ranks will march on to 2025 and onward towards 2030. Only saving grace is MM status will be the third tie breaker for upgrades in 2024, that’s if there are any upgradable seats available once FCM is turbo charged.
Oct 18, 2023 | 8:03 pm
#199
Join Date: Jul 2002
Location: TYS
Programs: Lifetime Delta Diamond 3MM, Lifetime Hilton Diamond, Marriott Lifetime Titanium, AMEX Plat./DL Res.
Posts: 210
No more chasing status for me! At 3MM, I'm a newly-minted Lifetime, er complimentary annual, Diamond Medallion!
I have about 600K MQMs, I guess the only play for me is to convert them to SkyPesos?
I have about 600K MQMs, I guess the only play for me is to convert them to SkyPesos?
Oct 18, 2023 | 8:03 pm
#200
Join Date: Jun 1999
Location: NYC/LA
Programs: DL DM, UA Silver, Marriott Titanium/LTP, Hilton Diamond
Posts: 9,815
The language reads, Regardless of the number of Eligible Cards a SkyMiles Member may hold, each SkyMiles Member may only receive one 2,500 MQD deposit per Eligible Card type each Medallion Qualification Year.
Oct 18, 2023 | 8:03 pm
#201
Join Date: Nov 2018
Programs: DL PM
Posts: 274
Delta reversed their medallion member philosophy. They originally were trying to make it more exclusive, more valuable to the customer. They wanted to do away with excess MQMs, which were accumulated by their best customers, the ones who stuck with them during the bad times (COVID). Now, they made it easier than ever to get up to Platinum Status.
$1600 per year in annual fees + some combination of 1:1 Delta tickets or 10:1 Card spend for another 5k MQD/yr gets me 30 skyclub days, 2 FC and 2 MC companion certs, 1 choice benefit and C+ at booking, plus all the other benefits.
$1600 per year in annual fees + some combination of 1:1 Delta tickets or 10:1 Card spend for another 5k MQD/yr gets me 30 skyclub days, 2 FC and 2 MC companion certs, 1 choice benefit and C+ at booking, plus all the other benefits.
Oct 18, 2023 | 8:04 pm
#202
Join Date: Jan 2009
Location: WAS
Programs: AA EXP2M, DL 1MM DM ext, UA PP <=> HH G/Marr PE/Hyatt G/IHG P FT RA ( Recovering Addict)
Posts: 4,903
This is the best analysis plan on going forward.
Delta reversed their medallion member philosophy. They originally were trying to make it more exclusive, more valuable to the customer. They wanted to do away with excess MQMs, which were accumulated by their best customers, the ones who stuck with them during the bad times (COVID). Now, they made it easier than ever to get up to Platinum Status.
$1600 per year in annual fees + some combination of 1:1 Delta tickets or 10:1 Card spend for another 5k MQD/yr gets me 30 skyclub days, 2 FC and 2 MC companion certs, 1 choice benefit and C+ at booking, plus all the other benefits.
$1600 per year in annual fees + some combination of 1:1 Delta tickets or 10:1 Card spend for another 5k MQD/yr gets me 30 skyclub days, 2 FC and 2 MC companion certs, 1 choice benefit and C+ at booking, plus all the other benefits.
Oct 18, 2023 | 8:09 pm
#203
Join Date: Jan 2009
Location: WAS
Programs: AA EXP2M, DL 1MM DM ext, UA PP <=> HH G/Marr PE/Hyatt G/IHG P FT RA ( Recovering Addict)
Posts: 4,903
So is the "type" business or personal - or Platinum Card and Reserve Card?
The T&Cs DL put up are ambiguous about whether personal and business versions of the same card will be considered different types of cards so more clarification is needed.
The language reads, Regardless of the number of Eligible Cards a SkyMiles Member may hold, each SkyMiles Member may only receive one 2,500 MQD deposit per Eligible Card type each Medallion Qualification Year.
The language reads, Regardless of the number of Eligible Cards a SkyMiles Member may hold, each SkyMiles Member may only receive one 2,500 MQD deposit per Eligible Card type each Medallion Qualification Year.
Oct 18, 2023 | 8:17 pm
#204
Join Date: May 2008
Location: Northeast US
Programs: various
Posts: 5,023
As with the initial announcement, I'm gonna need a bit of time to digest and analyze all of this to determine what is the best value outcome for me pertaining to future flying.
A few brief initial observations/thoughts:
1. The rollbacks/adjustments are far broader than I ever expected. Certainly it's still harder to earn status, no MQD waiver, limited sky club visits for card, etc. The program is still changing greatly. Nonetheless, I expected some limited "here have a candy or two" gimmes from DL, not revision of multiple aspects of the new program.
2. In a world of limited club access, the change to measuring sky club allocations by 'days' instead of 'visits' makes much, much more sense.
3. Never expected MM changes in this (I'm not MM on DL anyway, but that whole section of the announcement was a surprise)
4. UA already gave Gold for 1MM. DL now gives Gold for 1MM. Hoping this pushes AA to give Platinum (their equivalent tier) instead of Gold (their DL Silver equivalent tier) for 1MM.
5. Clearly, these changes were met with a broad negative reaction, beyond just folks like us chatting on a message board. The breadth of the backstepping speaks to that. DL really messed this one up and they realize it.
A few brief initial observations/thoughts:
1. The rollbacks/adjustments are far broader than I ever expected. Certainly it's still harder to earn status, no MQD waiver, limited sky club visits for card, etc. The program is still changing greatly. Nonetheless, I expected some limited "here have a candy or two" gimmes from DL, not revision of multiple aspects of the new program.
2. In a world of limited club access, the change to measuring sky club allocations by 'days' instead of 'visits' makes much, much more sense.
3. Never expected MM changes in this (I'm not MM on DL anyway, but that whole section of the announcement was a surprise)
4. UA already gave Gold for 1MM. DL now gives Gold for 1MM. Hoping this pushes AA to give Platinum (their equivalent tier) instead of Gold (their DL Silver equivalent tier) for 1MM.
5. Clearly, these changes were met with a broad negative reaction, beyond just folks like us chatting on a message board. The breadth of the backstepping speaks to that. DL really messed this one up and they realize it.
Oct 18, 2023 | 8:21 pm
#205
Join Date: Apr 2005
Location: Flower Mound, TX
Programs: Delta Gold, United Silver, Marriott Titanium
Posts: 1,060
Well, they realized they killed the cards, which we figured out in the first hour of the aftermath. I'm not sure what they were discussing in their conference room.
Now you can get FO status simply by having two.
Now you can get FO status simply by having two.
Oct 18, 2023 | 8:26 pm
#206
Join Date: Jun 1999
Location: NYC/LA
Programs: DL DM, UA Silver, Marriott Titanium/LTP, Hilton Diamond
Posts: 9,815
Oct 18, 2023 | 8:36 pm
#207
Join Date: Oct 2002
Location: NYC
Programs: DL Plat, 1 MM; SPG LT Plat (RIP); Marriott LT Titanium; Fairmont Plat (RIP), DL Kryptonium Medallion
Posts: 1,860
Regarding the question of whether extended DMs/PMs will get gift choices, did DMs/PMs who were extended during the pandemic get them? (I had dropped to Gold right before the pandemic, so I didn't have experience with this).
Whichever way, that might be a precedent.
Whichever way, that might be a precedent.
Oct 18, 2023 | 8:38 pm
#208
Join Date: Jun 2008
Posts: 547
The $2500 head start looks like a desperate attempt to salvage the Delta Plat, which got shanked by the original changes. Never made any sense to me if the major motivation was to drive card spending.
Oct 18, 2023 | 8:49 pm
#209
Join Date: Aug 2003
Posts: 2,598
Oct 18, 2023 | 9:00 pm
#210
Join Date: Jul 2003
Location: Salt Lake City, UT, USA
Posts: 777
I do not believe that the status is named as “complementary” but is “extended status of an earned benefit”. Which is clear as mud. Diamond status is fairly useless to me without the Choice benefits, as I don’t get upgraded anyways. So I’m hoping they put out some details here. Seems like a great deal for DMs and even PMs if you get the Choice benefits, but not a deal for GM and certainly not SM.