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So many readers have been asking about my Medallions status with Delta (and for good reason) that I thought I would give a quick update on my progress and plans for the next few years.
Please note that Delta Air Lines SkyMiles no longer awards Medallion Qualification Miles (MQM) or Medallion Qualification Segments (MQS). Some of the offers in this post may be expired. This post remains published for reference and historical purposes. (Terms apply to American Express benefits and offers. Enrollment may be required for select American Express benefits and offers. Visit americanexpress.com to learn more.)
During COVID, I dumped all my Delta Amex cards and went to cash back cards. It has proved to be a very wise move — and cash has held up way better than the almost daily diminishing “value” of Skymiles.
But despite giving up the quest for Diamond, I have a rather large stash of Delta MQMs that I hate to see go poof so I recently picked up a Delta SkyMiles® Platinum Business American Express Card and have now knocked out the $25,000 spend to get both the 10,000 MQM boost but also have the waiver for up to Platinum Medallion accomplished as well.
It is, however, taking quite some time for the Amex number to sync up with Delta. What I am seeing is about a one-week lag time from my charges and number to update at Amex until they update on Delta. Not just that, but my bonus points from spending on my card each month are taking a VERY long time to post (like, over a month or more). I have no idea why they are so slow but right now, I have little confidence in Delta IT so I am not surprised.
Now, some may note I am a Million Miler — so, why bother with all this since I have lifetime, err “annual,” Silver Medallion status gifted to me from Delta? The reason is this gifted status does NOT protect my MQMs from disappearing each year. I still must EARN enough to be at least Silver in both MQMs and spending to keep what I have banked in elite points.
Since I have zero intention of spending $3,000 or more on Delta tickets this year, the spend waiver was the simplest and cheapest option. And I will do so again at the beginning of next year, that is, before the second year’s now $350 annual fee bills (you have 30 days after it bills to cancel and get it back, FYI). (See Rates and Fees.)
Have you 100% given up on any Delta status for 2024 or are you, like me, looking at ways to slow walk away from the Medallion race? – René
For rates and fees of Delta SkyMiles® Business Platinum American Express Card, please visit this link.
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Only through Partner Airlines to earn DM and then using KLM to burn the GCs on their seasonal flight on the A333 to Miami which has no Premium Economy class yet to which to upgrade from Coach so straight to Business. Another option is to burn them on a miles tckt in Prem Ec with a decent price (very rare)using Skymiles which usually has to be done originating outside the US. Usually in MEX or YYZ.
Hey Rene. I’m in the same situation with you. And I’m using the straight same strategy to keep my MQM’s. So I’ll probably retain my platinum status for as far as the eye can see. I like the fact that it gives me three check bags of 70 pounds each. And I usually select the original upgrades for my Choice benefit each year. And I use the Delta AMEX card to pay my estimated taxes each year which I figure cost me about $200 in net tax payment fees (I value delta sky miles at one cent per point.).
Since Delta now awards MQM‘s on award tickets, I’m having a tough time depleting my MQM’s.
@Preston – Too many MQMs is kinda a good problem to have! 😉
I have more than enough MQMs to hit Diamond this year and Platinum the next. My issue, like many others, is that I don’t plan on $20k spend with Delta or $250k on Delta/AmEx CC spend. If I get within $5-7k short of the the $20k between business and personal travel I might consider an MQD run on aeromexico or LATAM.
Anyone have experiences with a LATAM MQD run? I was looking at a route of MIA:LIM:MVD, MVD:SCL,MIA that would have earned close to 3x MQDs and allow for 24 hours in Santiago, a city I haven’t visited in 15 years.
Yes. I paid 2K for a Latam Biz class ticket and got $5,786 MQMs on Delta
Thanks Jr!
It is a bummer but I am walking way from Delta as fast as I can. Ridiculous fares and punitive treatment of loyal fliers are the key reasons. I have 3m+ miles and was Diamond they year they created that level. While they do treat me well on occasion the systematic degrading of value at the level of flying leaves me better off buying first class tickets on United than battling with Delta on many flights out of my home airport in Salt Lake City.
It’s incredibly painfully slow for Amex spend to realize as miles on delta and the bonus mqms take even longer. However my spouse will only fly delta or parter and I spend a lot on the business (250k spend on delta reserve card) so I managed to get her to diamond for the last few years and she is already diamond next year. The global upgrades are worth it for us.
I flew Aeromexico from LAX to Santiago in December of last year. One way business class was about $1000. And the Delta MQD exactly as expected. Very nice flight as I planned for a 14 hour layover in Mexico City which allowed me to stay at the terminal two airport hotel.
I am in a similar situation. I have enough and Q arms to get diamond status for the next three years. But no way I’m gonna spend $250,000 on a credit card or spend $15,000 flying Delta. I’m not into mileage runs at all, so I’ve just resigned myself to be happy with platinum status For the foreseeable future
Preston, Delta jacked up the DL spend requirement from $15k to $20k starting in 2023 (for 2024 status year) for Diamond status…
Always like seeing your posts. I am curious do you have a strategy for next year since it looks like you will burn through your MQM balance this year?
@Jack – Have enough for two years. Thanks.
I’ve become quite dissatisfied with Delta Air Lines over the past 3-4 years. As you’ve posted in previous blogs – every level of service at Delta has hit the bottom of the barrel.
1. The Diamond Medallion Line is full of new agents who lack the experience and knowledge about Delta’s programs for its most loyal followers. I often have to call back 2 or 3 times to get an agent who at least appears to know what he/she is doing.
2. The new crop of flight attendants is so unseasoned and unprepared that flight experiences (in first class on Domestic flights) no longer feel premium.
3. The gate agents I have come across in certain hub cities seem to have been trained with a sense of entitlement and (dare I say: bigotry/racist attitudes) towards certain minority groups. Yuck.
I have no interest in spending $20,000 with Delta Air Lines this year. I have already achieved Platinum and plan to stop there. Delta has let too many of us down.
I just got the Delta Reserve card, which had a 100k bonus after $4k spend. My first statement posted and I’m over $4k. I need the 100k miles to post for a trip I’m planning, so I called Amex today to see how long it will take, and they told me 8-12 weeks. Is that how long it usually takes? It seems long.
Separately, they told me my spend threshold was $6k, not $4k, and I couldn’t get the rep to dig in why it was showing $6k.
If anyone has thoughts on how long the 100k will take to post, I’d appreciate the thoughts.
Thanks.
Geez Louise. Out of curiosity, how far over the $4,000 are you? I’m sure you know this (I recognize your name from not only a good movie but commenting on this blog before) but annual fees don’t count into the minimum spend requirements.
I’m at $5.3k.
Today I made an online payment of $6.7k. That covers the $6k threshold and the annual fee. I’ve done this in the past with cards that I needed to get the spend threshold ASAP; I made a payment of the threshold amount, and I’ve always got the miles/points bonus before I actually spent the amount. Hopefully it works this time.
Would you please let us know what happens?
My wife and I both have held each of the Delta business cards and, in each case, Amex took just about the entire 12 weeks.
I recently noticed NONE of my miles from Amex were showing up in my Delta account. Looks like about 2+ years worth. I have a ticket open, but no updates yet. Pretty upset.
@Tony S – 2 years? Really??
Yep, but to be fair, I don’t do a ton of spending on that card just because of the poor redemption, so I didn’t really think much of it. I just received a retention bonus, but never saw it hit my account, despite Amex crediting it – so I went digging. And the further I dug, the worse it got.
The only reason I know it’s at least two years is because I had an old statement from Feb of 21 and those miles were never credited either.
Delta told me “7 days” like two weeks ago. I’m not confident this will be resolved, but I’m pretty positive that this problem is on Deltas side given what Amex has told me. Not to mention, my balance listed on Delta is reflected on my Amex account.
Last year with Delta Air Lines I was short $150 to 200 to get make sure I have the money for the 50,000 to be gold delta got me stuck in Minnesota for two days and then when I try to call them for them to help me they wouldn’t it took three days to get them to do anything and they promised they were going to let me waive it and let me be up and go gold because I think it was only $250 that was short because I was scheduled to go on another trip but I got stuck in in Minnesota during the storm winter time there was I couldn’t go on the other trip so they penalize me. I got 100,000 miles already with them and it seems like Delta‘s not like it used to be is change so much and I’m really thinking about starting to deal with AmericanAirlines and United because you’re getting better service that you getting it at Delta when you call Delta for the service they don’t know or they put you on hold for two and three hours or they never call you back the customer service stinks
I also gave up at the end of last year, though I have several hundred of MQM banked and qualify for years that way as DM, not going to put 250k on the card or spend $25k+ to qualify for DM. Platinum is fine as the perks of DM died quickly when the global certs changed and became far less flexible, using other cards after I hit the threshold on D Amex. Held DM status for 10 years+. I too am noticing the time to get credit on DL from Amex has increased greatly. Another, perhaps larger, challenge is any partner miles or SkyBonus credits, seeing both of those fail to come through and require chasing and multiple requests. Feel like we went through a time warp and are back to the days of saving receipts and ticket info to manually check them. Sadly, no such thing as painless and seamless experiences both on DL metal and Skyteam.
There’s an opportunity cost to putting $25k of spend on Delta cards instead of other cards. Use other cards and put the opportunity savings toward premium cabin tickets. Adding to that, there’s an intangible value to a certain premium cabin seat versus an uncertain upgrade. With all that one receives with a premium cabin ticket, I got off the tier status hamster wheel.
What if you gave up having any tier status? Let your MQMs go. Heresy?
$15,000 or $20,000. I’m not gonna get anywhere near either of those. It cost me about $500 to get $25,000 and spend for estimated tax payments. For that I get 25,000 Delta miles which I value at about $250 to $300. Plus I’ve got the annual fee of $250 so for $500 I get the companion ticket, three check bags, and economy Comfort seat selection at time of reservation, for original upgrade certificates, and a bit better treatment.
The 10,000 MQMs that I get from the spend or essentially worthless to me.
For me it’s worth it right now. I fly about 15 times a year on Delta. But if I was flying 5 to 10 I’d probably seriously reconsider. I currently have almost 350,000 MQm . Would love to be able to give some of those to my wife.
I too have noticed the loooong delay with Amex spend posting to Delta. On the topic giving up on Delta status for 2024, I am jumping ship. As a long time Delta loyalist and DM, Delta no longer values me, my loyalty or spend and I will send it elsewhere. My DM status has been earned (in the past), with personal and, not business expense spend. So yes, I am looking at ways to slow walk away from the Medallion race and find a new partner that values my spend as a Customer. Thank you for all the time you and Chris spend on the blog to keep us informed.
Not sure what we are doing but $20,000 seems not achievable now!!
Are there any updates on why it’s taking AMEX card spend to reflect accurately on our skymiles accounts? It’s much longer than a week….over a month if you ask me.
No updates yet. I’m close to my 25K — but the Fly Delta app still says 14K.
I have not received credit yet for my 100lk bonus, or any of my monthly statements of my Delta Reserve since my last post above.
FOR TWO MONTHS?!
Unfortunately, yes two months.
That’s unacceptable.
I just got the 100k mileage bonus on June 19. Oddly it was deposited as two at 50k. So this took over two months.
I got my 15K bonus MQM within a day or two of hitting the mark. It took much longer for my MQD Waiver status to update with Delta.