trek87

My wife enrolled in the challenge for GM. Does anyone know if PWM tickets are eligible for earning the MQMs needed to complete the challenge? I know that MQMs can be earned on PWM tickets now, but I am interested in this specific scenario.

FlightNurse

I'm in the middle of my challenge and my flights PHX-JFK-BOS-DTW-PHX I received bonus miles for my status. I'm 350 MQM short, which I have to make a quick trip to LA and to finish...

techie

I believe so. The status challenge is "you matched to this, so this is what you have to do to keep that status after 3 months" not "here are the various status challenge thresholds you need to meet depending on which one you want". The only way to get higher status than the one you matched to is the traditional way.

xliioper

This is answered in the FAQ's on delta.com --

"IF I WANT TO EXTEND MY STATUS BY MEETING THE FLIGHT REQUIREMENTS, CAN I EARN HIGHER THAN THE MEDALLION TIER I WAS MATCHED TO (FOR EXAMPLE, I WAS MATCHED TO GOLD BUT I WANT TO EXTEND IT AS PLATINUM)?You may only extend the same or lower Medallion Tier as the Tier you were originally matched to. For example, if you are matched to Gold Medallion Status, you will not be able to earn Platinum Medallion Status through this offer. However, if you fall short of meeting the Gold flight requirements during the 3 months but meet the Silver requirements you can enjoy extended Silver Status based on the dates listed."

techie

To be fair, that is f'd up. It is in Delta's interest to give people incentives to keep flying with them. Especially those who took just one month to meet Gold status match requirements but where there isn't enough time in the calendar year to earn Platinum even the traditional way.

nycityny

Except for the fact that the whole idea of this is a status match. They are granting new patrons the chance to keep the status they have on their current airline while switching to Delta. This is not meant as a shortcut to higher status on Delta but as a match to your existing status somewhere else.

As it is, if you apply for the challenge after July 1 then you get to continue status earned in 2016 until the end of 2018 without having to fly or spend the full-year requirements in 2017.

techie

I get that, but what's my incentive to keep flying with Delta once I met my match requirements and I know I won't be able to qualify for the next tier the traditional way before year end? There is none, so I might as well either go for status matches with other airlines or choose based on what suits my schedule best.

It probably doesn't cost Delta that much to allow people to go for an even higher status and it encourages them to fly with them more the next year to re-qualify.

xliioper

The incentive is to make use of the benefits of the status level you have received. DL isn't really interested in status matching people who have no real intention of remaining loyal flyers. Giving a low level flyer Plat for flying a few trips would be a boon to serial status matchers to go from Silver in one program to Plat on DL, then Plat on another airline the next year, then Plat on another the third year, and so on via status matches all while flying very few flights. Sorry, DL isn't really interested in such gamers.

techie

I have completed 39 segments in the past month and a half. If Delta does not count that as loyal, then maybe I should be looking elsewhere. The current rate does have me reaching Platinum the hard way, but it could be close.

After completing the status match requirements very quickly, Delta should have given me a status challenge to elevate to Plat. That way, I can prove that I am loyal given the right incentive.

Zorak

Delta does count that as loyal. At the Silver Medallion level of 30+ MQS.

i.e. the normal way.

I do understand your situation and your view. And indeed, doesn't AA's match program let you initially match to Gold but then subsequently achieve Plat if you hit the requirements during the time period? I forget how official that is or if they just semi-routinely do it. In any case, there's precedent for other airlines doing it that way, sure.

However an alternate perspective (i.e. the airline's ) is that status matches are doing a favor to people whom they deem likely to achieve a certain level of status, by allowing them to enjoy that level of status before they have actually achieved it.

Speaking generally, if someone were likely to achieve Platinum status, they would already have the equivalent in another airline and hence be matched to it. The fact that you didn't currently hold it, again speaking in the general case and not with reference to your travel patterns, is sort of a first level indicator that they should maybe not extend that favor to people in your situation. Sure, they will potentially lose some people this way who would actually have gone on to achieve PM via challenge, but they will also filter out other people who only want to squeeze out temporary PM benefits and not reach it organically.

While I am again sympathetic (and my SPG Plat is the result of a challenge*) I'm sure you realize that this definition of "should" is self-serving Their response would be, you can prove your loyalty when you meet the Plat requirements.

*although that was earlier in the year, and I am now closing in on qualifying for SPG Plat outright as it is.

FlightNurse

ALL requirements (regardless of level) is 3 months, not 1.

FlightNurse

This is not correct UNLESS they have a different Challenge, I matched to Gold, but I go as high as PLT it says it in my welcome e-mail.

xliioper

But DL has no real way of knowing who is just using the match to just game the system or not. For everyone like you who actually intends on being loyal, there will likely a bunch of folks who don't or are just using the system to get Plat status on the cheap even though they are an infrequent flyer. It's grossly unfair to the Plat flyers who earn status the hard way via flying 75K MQM's or 100 MQS's and spending $9K plus. Most of us here could meet the Plat challenge requirement for $800 or less of spend (it's basically a single SIN or JNB run).

xliioper

What does the welcome email say specifically? The text I quoted can be found right in the Match Challenge page at the following URL which people go through to apply for the challenge.

https://www.delta.com/content/www/en...challenge.html

FlightNurse

MQMS / MQSS NEEDED TO EXTEND STATUS PAST 3 MONTHS

Delta SkyMiles Medallion Status

Gold 12,500 MQMs or 15 MQSs
Platinum18,750 MQMs or 25 MQSs

When I got home I looked at my e-mail and my notes I took when speaking to Skymiles CRS, and I was told that I can get as high as PLT if I did the following, in the 3 month period. I just booked 2 RT flights LAX-JFK which will put me over the top for PLT.