Here's something interesting: On DL's news hub, they actually put the phrase "earned status" in the same sentence where they explain the 100,000 MQM extension.

https://news.delta.com/delta-shares-...oyalty-program

"And customers who have MQM Rollover balances over 100,000 will be given special offers to extend their earned 2024 Status—one year for each 100K Rollover MQMs."

Anyone care to guess what "extend their earned 2024 status" means? I can read it either way, so I'm not sure it provides any clarity. The only thing it tells me for certain is that DL is making the distinction that the 2024 status must be earned.

I read this as the status you earned for the 2024 Medallion year� It IS actually the first thing I�ve seen that hints the same status could come with CBs�

The irony is the the revised program offers fewer incentives to spend on a co-branded AmEx since the spend requirements for higher status get pretty high. Under the old system you had a) status boosts awarded in 25k/30K chunks and b) rollover MQMs. So if it looked like you were going to be 5K MQMs short for status via flights, you have to ‘overspend to get those 10K/15K MQMs But that as okay because you’d then get a 5K/10K MQM start on the next qualification year. Under the latest program rules revision, you can just stop right when you hit your number for the next status level rather than having to keep going many thousands of dollars more on the card to hit the status boost.

I figure I’ll keep the SkyMiles Platinum for now and put just enough on it to hit GM in 2025 and SM in 2026 (I feel like even a little status is better than no status). And to make that happen, I only have to put maybe a third of the spend on the card that I’ve done this year, with a lot of that on bonus categories- I find the hotel bonus to be useful for my travel needs when I’m not staying in a Hilton (where I have a co-branded card) and the grocery bonus is also useful to me. The rest of my annual credit card spend will go elsewhere- I’m still kicking around scenarios for that.

Or: We're EXTENDING your earned/existing status. You got your benefits already and that same status--which you earned previously and for which you've gotten the CBs already--is being extended. And all you have to do is give up 100k MQMs. That's "cheaper" than the 125K MQMs + MQDs that you previously needed, so we're not giving you CBs during the extension period. If you don't like that, then you can convert those same 100K MQMs into MQDs and earn your status again and get CBs.

I hope I'm wrong about this view.

That's convenient way to remember it...

Six months after they introduced it, and then retreated and brought back "Classic" Coke, New Coke accounted for only 3% of sales. There's a reason they pivoted, just like DL did. Both were avoidable had they understood their customer's behaviors. Coke actually did focus groups, but just didn't ask the right questions, or perform the right taste tests. It's not clear if DL even tried to do that...

Pretty sure that the firs 2 years (2020/2021) was full benefits, then 2022 they extended status but had to earn status to get the CB. If customers were unhappy that they were losing their MQM stash that they intended to use for status with benefits, then what would be the point of extending it without them? I'm not disagreeing that there is some precedent, but without clarification, I'm not going to jump through hoops now through year end to advance my status to next level for nothing. More and more it looks like I'll be choosing the RDM's. I should end with about 300k net.

I think you are right.

you just can�t say that you are going to give Diamond for 100k, and then later say you are going to get Diamond without the benefits for 100k.

Seriously. Either way, tell me now. I wonder if this is one of many questions that Delta hadn�t even thought about.

Agreed. We have 72 days to decide and implement a strategy for where we want to be situated at the end of 2023. Just tell us Delta!

This sentence by itself qualifies as a grammatical emergency: "Members can choose (i.e. buy with their choice benefit currency) complimentary medallion status." By that logic I bought myself a good number of complimentary bottles of wine in my lifetime.

I will extend my 2023 diamond status into 2024 by accumulating enough eqd and eqm. I will extend my 2024 diamond status by trading in 100k mqm. Whats the difference?

As DL is my secondary, I know I�m not as invested in the program as many of you here are.

But I just got a biz DL Amex Plat in July, and after the changes were announced last month, was going to dump it before my renewal date next year.

But today I decided to go ahead with an upgrade offer to the Reserve, so I guess this week�s announcement worked on me.

(I know I could have gotten a new card, but I�m already close to my Amex credit card max and I really didn�t want to open another account right now.)

Too little too late. They already laid their cards on the table, we know where they want to get to. I can't trust them to hold at these levels. They'll nickle and dime it each year and take a bit longer to get there.

It would take me 5 more years at my current/anticipated travel and spend levels to hit 2mm and get "complimentary annual platinum". That is a big investment on my part, knowing they will probably pull the rug out from under my feet somewhere along the way. I've already switched to VentureX Visa and I'll downgrade from Reserve to the very lowest Amex card before the end of the year. I'll burn through my miles and book whichever airline gives me the best deal.

It saddens me, the DL people and service is great, but management is not.

I agree that delta really did screw the pooch with the ill conceived and not customer vetted changes the first time. While they at least listened to the revolt which is basically sky mikes getting budlited means many won�t return out spite. I personally believe and told bastian that the elimination of any consideration of either actually miles flown or segments flown with delta is throwing many of us who fly delta a lot (in my case an average of 15,000 miles a week and an average of one segment a week) but often in main cabin or comfort delta is an airline not a retail store and eliminating the measure of how much you actually sit in the seat has value that is not being recognized.