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As the year wraps up, some of us must face the #FirstWorldProblem of plotting courses for our airline elite status plans and any associated credit card spending.
Mrs. Carley and I made our decisions — and feel pretty good about them. So, here’s our plan. (And we’d love to hear yours, too. Please share in the below Comments section.)
Dropping Down Delta Status Levels
We’re both Platinum Medallions. I was Diamond before our daughter was born. My wife enjoyed “Diamond-lite” status when traveling with me. But now that we’re three travelers, things are a bit different.
I could’ve hit Diamond again a few years ago but instead gifted her the Status Boost MQM from my Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Cards. Plus, we like holding the same status levels. This makes family travel easier for us.
We’ll finish the year with more than enough MQM to both be Diamond. But neither our MQD nor our Delta Amex Spending Waiver totals will bring us anywhere near the required amounts ($25,000 and $250,000, respectively).
I’m close to re-qualifying as a Platinum simply through MQD earned flying Delta. But I’ll likely begin 2023 as a Gold Medallion(!) — and roll over enough MQM for at least Platinum status.
Mrs. Carley is a whole’ nother story.
MQD-wise, she’s halfway to Silver. We have one trip planned next month that’ll bring her $600 closer. She might take an MQD status run. Or we may use points and vouchers to pay for another trip or two to push her over the hump.
Do you mean you didn’t hit the Delta Amex MQD Waiver this year? Some people may ask me.
Nope. Not even close.
We put most of our spending on transferrable/flexible points credit cards such as the Chase Sapphire Reserve®, Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card, Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card, and American Express® Gold Card.
However, we also added new credit cards to our arsenal and were busy meeting minimum spending requirements. (More on that in a minute.)
Why We Stopped Spending on Our Delta Reserve Cards — for 2022
If we worked hard and got creative, we could probably still meet the Delta Amex MQD Waiver before the end of 2022.
But then we’d lose a bunch of MQM that otherwise would roll over to start 2023. We want to begin the year with an MQM stockpile.
So, that’s why we stopped spending on our Reserve Cards.
When January 1, 2023, hits, we’ll each spend $25,000 on our Reserve cards (actually, $30,000 so we can earn the Status Boost MQM) ASAP. Then, we’ll be (at least) Platinum for the rest of 2023, all of 2024, and through January 2025. (For those interested: she carries the personal/consumer Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card; I hold the Delta SkyMiles® Reserve Business American Express Card for my corporation.)
A couple of my clients blessed me with a bustling first quarter of 2023. Nearly all of that work is in Los Angeles (where I live), so I won’t have much time to travel. (I painfully declined several MQD run invitations from friends.)
By the time I wrap up those projects, we’ll likely be close-ish to the $25,000 MQD Waivers. (And I’ll be in desperate need of a vacation or four.)
Our Credit Card Plan for the Rest of 2022
One reason I didn’t go nuts on my Delta Business Reserve Amex is I was busy meeting spending requirements on new credit cards.
The latest to find homes in my wallet were the Capital One Savor Cash Rewards Credit Card and Barclays AAdvantage Aviator Business Card. I’m due again to apply for a new card in late December. I’m not sure if I will or not.
As much as we like Delta, their redemptions for international business class trips are (for the most part) awful.
So, we’re branching out.
We love Delta domestically — but until their premium cabin redemption rates drop to something more affordable, we’re loading up on transferrable points on other cards.
Our 2023 Credit Card Plan
Our priority is to hit the $25,000 MQD Waiver on our respective Reserve cards. Then we’ll reevaluate our budgets, schedules, and goals. We might go nuts and pursue Diamond. Or, we’ll shift our spending to other cards.
The rewards credit card world constantly changes, so who knows what’ll be in store when that time comes?
Final Approach
My wife and I decided to reach enough Delta MQD to start 2023 at lower Medallion levels than we have now. We’ll roll over a bunch of MQM — and have a great head start on status for the next two years.
So, we put our Delta Reserve Amexes away for the rest of the year. We’re instead focusing on new credit cards and using others with transferrable or flexible points.
What are your plans going forward? Please tell us in the Comments section!
To see rates and fees for the American Express® Gold Card, please visit this link. Terms apply.
To see rates and fees for the Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card, please visit this link. Terms apply.
To see rates and fees for the Delta SkyMiles® Reserve Business American Express Card, please visit this link. Terms apply.
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.
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Pursuing Diamond status on Delta is not worth it, unless you are a very frequent traveler for the upgrade priority. Once the GUC’s were downgraded I lost a lot of interest in Diamond (and they weren’t even that great to begin with given GUCs usually waitlisted). As to redeeming on delta premium cabins domestically, I don’t see the value there either unless coast-to-coast, as not that much difference between a 3hr flight in Comfort+ v First. So my strategy is simply Platinum. And I burn most of my SkyPesos on domestic main cabin with immediate auto-upgrades to Comfort+. As for card strategy, gotta review mine. Need to get rid of my Citi Premier (to start the clock again) and replace with Amex Green, get one or two of the Chase Avios cards, see what happens with Virgin (and the likely devaluation) once they join Skyteam… and not sure what else!
Best strategy with rollover is to accumulate late 2022 expenses and charge $25,000 or $30,000 all in early January to get TWO full years of Platinum Medallion status.
“Plus, we like holding the same status levels.”
Okay, Chris. That’s stupid.
Okay, Courtney. Please tell me why.
You are paying $1000+ (combined) for the personal/business Reserve Cards. To receive the bonus MQMs on each card, you’ll put $60k of spending at a 1X earn rate. If you put that spend on the Everyday Preferred Card, you’d earn 1.5X, which is 30k more points, which is worth (say) $400. That’s an opportunity cost. Now add in the cost of MQM runs – let’s say $1k. After all of that, is the higher status translating into $2500 of received value?
I’ve turned away from tier status. I just buy domestic first and receive (nearly) all of the benefits that tier status provides.
…and pay $2000 a FC flight. Good deal…
Thanks Lee for this explanation, I have been wondering if this tier status makes sense… cant wrap my brain around it.
Do you provide a service that can look at my cards and miles and advise me on what to adjust for 2023?
We don’t do anything formal but you can feel free to email me: Chris at eyeoftheflyer dot com
I really appreciate your points blog. Well thought out with good explanations.
Thank you for the kind words!