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Well it’s about time right? I have had a number of readers ask where SWAG Saturday went so I decided to bring it back for the month of February. Today, you have a shot at a very nice weighty 50 gram silver bar .9999 pure. Then in the following weeks we go Gold, Platinum bars (small ones) and even a small real Diamond.
Oh and even with that we need more. So, you also get a pair of HOOU coupons and a pair of Delta billboard headsets as well. Now you can only comment once per email & IP address on this giveaway. Next Friday night the 12th I will use Random.org to pick a winner.
- Considering your MQM balance & strategies to consider
- Should I go for Delta Diamond Medallion Status
- Should I go for Delta Platinum Medallion Status
- Should I go for Delta Gold Medallion Status
- Should I go for Delta Silver Medallion Status
What I need from you is really simple. Toward the end of the year last year I put up a series of posts about medallion status and if you should go for whatever level (feel free to review links above). Now we are into the 2016 medallion year and working on 2017. So my question is, this week, is SILVER medallion status still worthwhile with Delta. Yes or No is all I need but if you want to comment more you can. Have fun! – René
Advertiser Disclosure: Eye of the Flyer, a division of Chatterbox Entertainment, Inc., is part of an affiliate sales network and receives compensation for sending traffic to partner sites, such as CreditCards.com. Some or all of the card offers that appear on the website are from advertisers. Compensation may impact how and where card products appear on the site. This site does not include all card companies or all available card offers. Opinions, reviews, analyses & recommendations are the author’s alone, and have not been reviewed, endorsed, or approved by any of these entities. Some of the links on this page are affiliate or referral links. We may receive a commission or referral bonus for purchases or successful applications made during shopping sessions or signups initiated from clicking those links.
Responses are not provided or commissioned by the bank advertiser. Responses have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by the bank advertiser. It is not the bank advertiser's responsibility to ensure all posts and/or questions are answered.
I shall be MM and have lifetime silver very soon it’s nice to know but it’s NOT enough being PM for 2nd year and enjoying it
No. 🙂
yes…better than nothing (though barely)….
No
Yes as a step to meaningful status: gold and above!
Yes! Access to preferred seats (like exit row) make the status worthwhile! Delta branded AMEX makes achieving Silver relatively easy to attain
Yes
Yes
Yes. I did a status match several years ago to be a silver medallion and was upgraded on my first flight. That got me in the door and I haven’t left delta since.
Yes, but not as worthwhile as it used to be.
Yes
Silver is not great … but it’s better than no status.
No.
No.
NO!
Yes
No. I’m chasing diamond now but with cuts in perks I’m not sure silver is worth a lot, but any status is better than none. . Platinum has been good for me.
Yes. Anything is better than nothing.
Not for me. Not this year.
No….very little advantage to it!
No – may as well just have a Delta Amex.
Nope!
Yes.
No!
No.
I would say No unless you fly more than 1 or 2 times a year
In a word, no. 🙂
I say yes, spent short time as a SM last year. Could times I was able to snag upgrades due to rebooking with IRROPs. Better seat aceess
Yes.
Yes.
Yes but only if you come by it easily because you already fly a lot (for work or pleasure and Delta offers you competitive fares). I don’t think it is worth chasing if you are a casual flier (benefits not worth spending extra just to achieve)
Yes
Yes absolutely! Anything is better than nothing.
No
Yes. Its good for a laugh as you watch the upgrade list and see your name on the board 24 out of 25.
Yes, although it is not much better than just having a Delta Amex
No way Jose
No – To be silver just puts you in a group that is just about as large as the general population that flys Delta. On “popular” routes it is rare you will see an upgrade. Only real advantage is getting silver to get you to Gold where the benefits start to become more real. A sliver member needs to really “work” to beat out other silvers to upgrade themselves for seats when the Golds move out of there seats.
No – I would rather fly the 25,000 Delta miles using my Alaska Milage plan number to get MVP Status than have silver with Delta.
Yes, at least you can chose seats
Yes!
Silver and gold, silver and gold
Yes, as long as you don’t really expect anything from it.
Of course it is it you get it without any extra effort or expense
Yes! Better than no status
Yes, I am very tall and want exit row access
Yes
Seldom got upgraded with platinum, so when I slipped to gold, didn’t make much difference. Just dropped to silver and noticed a definite difference….will move back up to gold ASAP.
NO.
Yes, still enough value even for an infrequent flyer like me. Preferred seat selection (esp. exit row), C+ free one day prior to flights, and I sometimes get upgrades on my most frequent route to central America. Also important is rollover MQMs.
No! I am beginning to wonder if Diamond is worth it!
only worth it if you don’t go out of your way to reach it.
No!
No, but at least you might get a spot for your carry on by not being last to board
It’s better than nothing, but I will work to stay at PM, without going into DM for as long as I can. I hope when I hit one MMiles it will be worth something as I am only about 60k miles away…
No
Question for you Rene, doe credit card MQM’s count toward million miler status – when you earn them for charging 25K?
@Dennis – Yes all MQMs count
No. 🙂
Yes
No. Platinum feels like the new Silver. Silver must be the new Coal (millions of years away from Diamond).
I would say a resounding No!
No
Very qualified yes. If you can easily reach silver… then ok. Not worth going to pains for marginal benefits. (rene, good to meet you on MSY-SLC-JFK Wednesday!)
Yes. While the benefits have continued to dwindle, it’s still better than no elite status.
I have been Silver for the last few years, always close to Gold but never quite make it. It IS worthwhile if you fly more than 3-4 times per year, I was on a multi-leg trip just last week and I did get one upgrade (SAN to SEA). It doesn’t come my way often but without any Status there is zero chance, so I’ll take it and enjoy it when I can….
No – Silver does virtually nothing, and I say this as I will earn lifetime silver this year as a MM.
No, other carriers simply have better benefits at the lowest tier. And with the new seat class restrictions come May I don’t think Silvers will ever see upgrades.
Yes, it is worthwhile in 2 specific cases:
1) If you do not wish to carry a Delta AmEx (I despise annual fees) but fly often, that free checked bag and Zone 1 boarding feel nice.
2) Upgrades to first class are exceedingly rare, of course, but do happen. I cite a pair of examples:
12/22/2015 MCO-DTW 12:30PM weekday departure. The aircraft was upgauged to 767-300 domestic due to heavy coach volume inbound to MCO. We left with empty seats in all classes. Yes, even the stand-by list was empty as everyone cleared.
12/26/2015 BGR-DTW 08:30AM Saturday departure. The aircraft was upgauged from CRJ7 to CRJ9 due to heavy coach volume inbound to BGR. We left with 4 empty seats in the forward cabin.
I felt bad that no Silvers had the opportunity to snag an upgrade, especially since the first was a meal flight!
Yes, any status is better than none. Though the question might be better phrased as “Is Delta status worth it!”
Yes!
No
Yes, sort of.
No, as in NO award availability, ever!
No
No, and certainly not worth it for me right now!
Nope. I’m also kind of irked about silver for life for million miler as I see no real value.
No…
Yes.
With how full flights are these days, being able to select preferred seats helps with avoiding getting stuck in the middle.
C+ at T-24 is still possible on lighter routes, and the outside chance at an upgrade to first is still better than none.
Ahead of the SM line during IRROPS, which can be big.
None of the above benefits can be replicated with a Delta Amex card.
Yes, I gift Silver to my college age son each year, as my one Platinum award. He gets to select better seats and board early.
Yes, it’s better than no status at all, although I don’t think that I would go out of my way to obtain it.
Not for me.
No
Yes but barely.
Upgrades, forget it. Does help to board a little earlier which is a benefit these days.
Yes, but not as worth as much as it used to be
Yes, now that E+ is getting more and more differentiated from E.
I’m not sure Gold is even worth it anymore – though I tell my wife her free gold med is better than silver.
No
No. Not really.
Yes – While not going to get you upgrades often the small perks make it worth it.
Yes, but only if you’re almost there already. It’s not worth doing several extra trips or manufacturing spend if you’re not already over 20,000 miles.
FO are the first two letters of FORGOTTEN
Nope. Silver is pretty useless.
Not worth it to me
Yes. Don’t look a gift horse in the mouth.
not really… as Million Miler I am Silver-for-Life so might as well be optimistic, eh?
No. At least not in my situation.
No, unless you want a front row seat to see the flight attendants in a fist fight (recent event)…..
Yes.
Only worth it as a PM or DM gift for my wife. We use the (almost worthless) perks on a mission trip each year.
No not worth much..
no
Yes, but only because you can get it fairly easily w/Amex.
NO – This coming from a third year Diamond, the only lesser status that I would consider worth it would be Platinum.
Yes…..barely
Yes.
Yes. But barely.
After being diamond, we will see, probably better than nothing.
No.
Yes, definitely! At my height of 6’5″ access (free) to the exit rows is a great benefit, saving me the costs of economy comfort. Plus I have gotten upgraded to first class more times than I ever expected–always a day (or especially night) brightener!!
no
No!
Yes because it will be an automatic result of the spend on my Delta Platinum card plus rollover MQM’s.
At least silver still gets a discount on economy comfort and access to preferred seats – better than nothing.
PS – I once had 4 million SkyMiles but have spent them down to less than 10000. 2 each biz tickets MIA-ATL-AMS in March and 2 each biz tickets MIA-LHR-AMS for the summer of 2016. Living in MIA now, AA has become my go-to airline.
Yes
Yes – gotta go thru Silver to get to the top
Yep — crumbs are better than nothing.
Yes, but as a stepping stone to more. Having your excess MQMs roll over is better than losing them
Yes it is to me cuz I took a last minute trip to Miami in december just to earn it!
No, for me it has to be a minimum of skyteam elite plus – so gold
Any status is better than nothing. I was bumped up to Biz class on an international flight that was oversold in Economy. I suspect that it helped that I was flying alone, but surely being Silver gave me an edge over other folks.
Yes.
Does maybe count? Only if it allows me to sit beside my husband in a C+ seat. If I still can’t, then I won waste my time trying to attain silver.
I was inclined to say No but reading the comments reminded me of the exit row seating that comes with Silver as well as the free bag. And I was upgraded as Silver several times last year. So YES it’s worth something.
no
no
no
no
and still no
No. It’s better than nothing but not by much…
Hell no! The question is: is diamond medallion status worth it?
No.
Especially not with all the changes they’ve been making to the program.
The higher one’s elite status the better. But yes, go Silver. It’s far better than nothing. The ability to select exit row seats at booking, free bags, and an outside shot at upgrades, all make the effort to attain silver status worth the effort.
Yes, silver is better than nothing. In my experience agents are slightly more willing to o bend the rules a little for you, especially with life time silver. Platinum now and status matched to AS 75K, the latter is much better. I might fly enough to requalify for both, but I might start crediting DL to AS at the end of the year to make sure to requalify for 75k instead of platinum.
Yes
NO, NO, NO, and NO!!!! And how about a BIG HECK NO!
It depends what is meant by worthwhile… If you mean worthwhile worth doing extra work (I.e. Mileage Runs, spend on Amex to get MQM) then NO. Any extra work like that should tesult in at least Gold. But if you get silver for flying because Delta was always cheapest/best routing or flown for business trips or you are a MM, then YES, it is a worthy status with benefits to have.
No, it doesn’t do enough and the value of miles are really questionable.
Yes. During instances of IRROPS, it’s nice to get a little more priority and help — which also scored me several upgrades when I was FO. Plus, with the latest C+ BS about to hit, exit rows will be coveted more than ever — and any advantage to score them is a plus.
Yes, but barely
I reached Medallion level for the first time last year. I had a choice, though, to remain Silver or get a the Reserve Card MQM bonus and be Gold. I was going to get the card anyway, but it was a question of when. I decided to go for Gold and don’t regret it one bit.
So simply I say no.
Silver still has some good perks. Gotta start somewhere.
Absolutely better than nothing.
yes
No! Thanks for entering me!
No… But I guess it’s better than nothing!
Almost like Hilton silver status!
Yes, but only because it is better than no status, a little better.
Yes, better than nothing.
No
Yes – the rare upgrade is still possible, but much less so with FCM.
Yes! First started traveling for work last year and enjoyed the (infrequent) perks. Got to Gold by the end of the year and looking forward to more!
No!
No
Yes. Barely.
No,
Sort of, better than nothing – but not much. Cheers!
NO!!
NO !!
No
yes
No
Yes, but I don’t see much difference between FO and Delta AmEx benefits.
No.
Sadly as a MMer, silver is worthless.
Not worth chasing, but pretty easy to earn.
Yes. Certainly. You can still pick preferred seats, which include excellent exit rows.
Nope.
No, either choose Silver status or a Delta credit card.
Yes. Easy to get using delta CC spend.
No, silver medallion is worthless on DL. Maybe if you fly another partner you’ll get something. I’m PM and it feels way worse than last year.
Yes, barely, but GM is where it gets interesting.
No, Gold status is barely worth it.
Simply answer …..NO……
Only better than none, but not worth the spend.
No
Yes, 3 upgrades in 3 (with f cabin) in last 10 days is fine with me.
No. But better than a poke in the ribs!
No, not for me!
yes, I had over 123,000 and hit 125,078 to experience Diamond Medallion for the first time…received my swag yesterday!!!
Yes
no
Yes. Better than nothing. Just keep expectations low.
No.
Yes, better than a sharp stick in the eye.
Yes, better than nothing. However, this is my last year as a Delta medallion.
NOOOOOO
Yes. Silver is worth it. Preferred seats are the new upgrade sure but occasionally an F upgrade occurs. I miss my platinum days but silver is not worthless. If you’re close I say go for it!
No way. If flying that little, I would not be loyal with FO “benefits”. Would rather pay the $95 for Delta AmEx Gold card to get essentially same benefits.
Yes. Better than nothing,
YES. I scored several F class upgrades during 2015 as Silver on minor routes, and minimally got C+ seating. I’m gold this year and enjoying it more!
Undecided – if Delta keeps stinking then its a NO for sure, but if they start acting like they care about us again, then it is a YES for sure. I am still upset about recent schedule changes that are stupid and serve no one, so for today its a resounding NO!
After my next flight, I will be Silver for life as a million miler, so it has no real value going forward.
Becuase of work travel locations, I will always likely be at Gold or higher on Delta.
No!
Yes & No, Some status is better than nothing, but with many “perks” being offered for just holding the Company Credit card it almost dosent feel worth it to be Loyal to any specific company if one is not traveling 50k or more a year.
Better than no status, thought barely. As a Million Miller, I have lifetime Silver Status (that is, until Delta #keepdescending takes it away).
Not really
Rene is the best! Thanks for the great reads
I would not put extra effort or resource into sliver of gold. There is a huge difference in PM and DM even with the reduce Benfits. I’m captive in a delta market so I make the best of it. Have the delta Amex reserve has paid for its self many times over and it makes a real difference in upgrades and other competitive benefits.
Yes, barely: Delta has effectively gutted it into a “Participated” award for playing the Skymiles game anymore, but [free checked bag; rollover MQM; free exit/C+ seat choice] is still better than no status at all.
No, The benefits are quite minimal. Silver is the new Tin Medallion
Silver is almost worthless; but better than nothing. My son got Silver for 2016, and received a First Class upgrade last week (plane was almost empty). He’s happy, but I wouldn’t go out of my way or pay more for a Delta ticket just for SM.
No
Yes on Silver, I got upgraded 4-5 times to First Class last year, and other opportunities to Comf+, although center seat so I declined. I often travel with pets, and can’t be in a center as the carrier won’t fit underneath well enough.
Yes-ish. If you fly somewhere that constantly has first class seats available (MSP->YXE), then without Silver, no bumps up.
Nope.
No Gold is the start of perks
Yes for Silver. Over the past 6 month I have averaged 40% upgrades and most of the rest is Comfort +
Yes, because some status is better than No status
NO.
Not worth it. Too many elites and being a lowly silver good luck on upgrades. If only we could go back to the days when I was US silver / gold. Upgrades all the time.
Yes…you have to take your first baby step before you’re a full fledged road warrior.
Yes
I because silver for the first time last year, I did get many upgrades but with the changes coming in May. I am not that hot about the idea. I had enough miles to become a platinum but I did not have the spending (yes, I know but I found your blog way too late in the year). So the answer is barely yes.
No!
No
YES. But wouldn’t go out of way to get it.
Yes. Worth it for exit rows alone
Yes , better than no status at all
Nope 🙂
Yes, I like to have at least silver with everyone for the seat selection, boarding, and checked bags.
Yes, even with reduced benefits