disalex

It's March 25th and I'm only slightly short of Platinum with the rollover etc. I'll make it easy with a few business flights. Making Diamond would be a real stretch and I would probably have to take some inconvenient flights as well as a whole lot of credit card spend. Previously I might have thought about giving it a shot as at least MQM's would roll over but if I stretch now and don't make it I get nothing. I feel like I would be much better off putting that credit card spend elsewhere for more valuable points as well as taking more convenient flights on other airlines.

Gators300

Yeah, my guess is that in September or October you'll see Delta announce some kind of carrot to encourage CC spend if they see people have stopped spending altogether once they hit whatever their realistic status is going to be. My understanding is that other airlines encountered this same issue and have extra benefits tied to CC spend to keep you using the card for the entire year.

Personally, I hit Diamond already and stopped putting any spend on my personal Reserve. All that is going on the Sapphire Reserve now. I still use my Business Reserve, though, as it gets 1.5x miles when you spend over $150k and I personally feel like I get great value out of SkyMiles the way I travel.

Perhaps they'll come out with some kind of value for any rollover MQDs like a conversion to SkyMiles or something. They'll need to do definitely figure it out as I'm sure they will see a big dropoff in the last quarter as people realize they aren't hitting PM or Diamond and move spend to another card with better point values.

Orange County Commuter

Since I am Platinum by my MM status and will never make Diamond or spend $75K on that card, the DL credit card is in a drawer.

Dracarys

I am currently GM and will easily make GM in 2025. I am shooting for PM but DM will be a definite stretch. All CC spending in on the DL Reserve card and will continue to be until PM is reached. If DM is unattainable, then the spend will go on another card.

emma dog

I'm only spending on my card to hit $75k for unlimited club access. I'm sure I'm going to end the year around $32-36k MQD, and I'm mildly frustrated that the $4-8k MQD excess doesn't really have value. At the same time, my alternative is to get the Amex PLT and charge $75k on it... but then I lose the companion certificate which I've always been able to use with great value. We'll see....

disalex

The problem is the huge gap between Platinum and Diamond. I mean 5,10,15, 28? It's not like the Diamond benefits are twice as good as platinum. They sucked the life out of the GUC's with the 1 cabin upgrade rule. If it was 20K MQD's to diamond I would jump on it in an heartbeat.

Dracarys

I agree there is definitely a huge gap and I don't spend that much on my personal card (no business card) and I fly about 6-8 times a year. Next year it will be more MQD for all tiers. They walked them back a little this year after some blowback.

ATOBTTR

Yes, this very subject was discussed at length in the primary thread on the Skymiles program changes. With no rollover, from a "continuing to earn status" standpoint one is not incentivized to spend on flights or on a DL co-branded CC once one clears the highest level they know they will hit for a given year (except maybe high-level spend DMs who are hoping to get the DL 360 invite).

This year, thanks to rollover, I'll be able to hit DM with relative ease between flight and CC spend and so far most CC spend is going on the DL AmEx, but after this year I don't plan to put any spend on my DL Reserve (and I don't plan to put any spend on the Reserve this year after hitting the DM threshold). Even purchases directly with DL will go on the AmEx Plat for 5x points per $1 and most other CC spending will shift over to an AA co-branded card to earn LPs, allowing me to maintain status across both DL and AA, giving myself more flexibility and options.

chipbennett

Personally, I've never understood trying to achieve status through CC spend. But then, I've had the "luxury" (curse?) of having frequent flights thanks to business travel, so maybe the CC-spend status is a different demographic? I've always just traveled, and whatever status level I achieve is what status I have. I put DL spend on a DL co-branded CC, primarily for the RDM. Hotel spend goes on a hotel co-branded card (same reason). All other travel spend goes on a general travel rewards CC (because the returns are better).

Of course, now DL has me playing coupon-book games to recoup increased CC AF. But other than that, I don't look at CC spend as an avenue to status - for airline, hotels, or any other loyalty program.

Goodoldflyer

I agree with the OP. It's pretty clear they weren't after my business, credit card wise.

I missed out on the MM clubs, and didn't have a ton of MQMs saved up, so this may be my last year of diamond, and at some point will review my CC strategy.

jetsfan92588

There's nothing wrong with keeping things simple. But just FYI, if you have a DL credit card and put spend on that card purely for the RDM, you're not maximizing your rewards.

For other cards, spending is not necessarily about status, but other benefits. For example, spend $15k on the hyatt card, you get a free night. If, for example, you spend $13k just on hotels with hyatt, and you put $2k+ on a 3% card you're earning $60 on that $2k, whereas if you put the $2k on the hyatt card you'd earn a free night worth upwards of $200.

These kinds of things are everywhere in the credit card world.

Again, we're talking about $140ish. I don't know that that's worth the brain power people (including me) put toward it. So nothing wrong with just keeping it simple. But you should at least be aware that that doesn't maximize your earnings.

chipbennett

That's fair. I should clarify: I want to maximize my RDMs, because I use them for family/personal travel on DL. I know I could get better ROI through other means, used for different purposes. Same thing with my hotel CC: I want to maximize my Marriott points, because I use them for family/personal travel in Marriott hotels.

sydneyracquelle

Before the outcry it was an even bigger gap between PM and DM 6, 12, 18 and 35.

ATOBTTR

And we shouldn't be shocked if the thresholds for each respective level bump back up to those marks in the next year or two.

sydneyracquelle

I pretty much wasted my DM extension for this year as I’ll easily hit $28k MQD organically. But hitting $35k MQD in 2025 will be a stretch so I used the extension as an insurance policy for 2025 as they likely will be moving in this direction over the next few years.