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In May we learned Delta will, this coming fall, MASSIVELY change the way your companion is treated when traveling with you on the same reservation. They will, in effect, become elite-lite when with you, that is, a no status SkyMiles person could basically become Diamond Medallion in terms of upgrades and this is HUGE. This truly is a massive positive change for the Medallion program.
This also means reaching the top elite level with Delta is so important for many folks. It also shows how immensely valuable the MQM bonus from the current increased Delta AMEX Platinum cards offer is that ENDS in two days:
Platinum Delta SkyMiles® Credit Card from American Express <—LINK
Platinum Delta SkyMiles® Business Credit Card from American Express <—LINK
But for me I also hold the Delta AMEX Reserve card (the business Delta AMEX Reserve card in my case). I showed you all how it took me about two weeks, when really pushing it, to meet the first spend goal to be MQD exempt. But Then I got a bunch of new travel cards and had to shift my spending around a bit. Now, I have completed the second goal, that is, spending $60,000 for the year and thus I had the chance to either keep or gift the second 15.000 bonus MQMs.
How to do this is really simple. First, I met the spend needed. Next, I saw the 15,000 SkyMiles post to my account and that is the key trigger to know your MQMs are ready to be spent or harvested. Now you can have and hold BOTH the personal and the business Delta AMEX Reserve cards so you have to choose on Delta.com what card you are harvesting points from (see E18 posts). A key point is it is ONLY the MQMs you can share not the SkyMiles as you get those.
Then, as you can see from the opening screen shot, I got a confirmation that in my case I had successfully gifted my MQMs to a very close friend of mine. Shortly thereafter I also got an e-mail confirming this had been accomplished and the points were in the correct account.
Other bits to know, both with the Delta Reserve card. If you apply for a new card the new card bonus MQMs can NOT be sent to anyone other than the SkyMiles number used on the application. Only the bonus MQMs can be sent to others or kept. Now with the Delta Platinum card you do NOT have the ability to send the points to anyone when you reach the $25,000 and $50,000 spend goals. With the latter card it automatically goes to the SkyMiles member number used on the application.
Either way I am thrilled the amazing chances holding Delta AMEX cards gives us to not only be MQD exempt all the way up to the very top level of Diamond Medallion but also the shot at earning so many elite points in this way! – Rene
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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.
What happens if there is 1 upgrade left and you have 2 people in your party? Will they not upgrade you and move on to the next person?
@Eugene – Tie breakers kick in like time of ticketing etc and yes one gets it other not
Will Diamond companions also get upgrades on award reservations?
Does this new policy affect the upgrades which are usually given 5 to 6 days out? If so, will both get upgraded 5 to 6 days out?
Thank you!
@Sam – Yep
@EUflyer99 – My understanding is on awards your individual elite status still matters but we shall see.
Would this apply also to the upgrades 5 to 6 days out? Thanks
When is the new companion upgrade policy going in to effect?
@Adam – Fall
[rant/on] If a PM or even DM misses an upgrade because someone’s companion who DID NOT EARN the status… would that be remotely fair? And you know that Delta will get reamed out.
Rene, you are always harping on how FF status should be earned… why is your wife (or golfing buddy or..) who couldn’t be bothered to earn their own status suddenly special?
So help me out – please explain why you get to benefit from ‘shenanigans’ and those of us who travel solo don’t?
p.s. yes, I’m still a bit cranky over winning one of your giveaways that you never contacted me about…
@Rick – As talked about before (to death) the very few times my wife is with me will not likely be a time most business folks are in the air so no UG gone from them. As far as giveaways go I contact folks over and over but can not control when my emails go to their spam or if they type a bad email . I give folks a week or so and I think that is fair. Best – Rene
I was wondering I just got the platinum delta card and really have no use for the bonus MQM’s from the sign up offer but my significant other does. Can I gift the bonus MQM’s from the sign up offer to my partner?
This brings Delta’s companion upgrade policy in line with their competition i.e. AA and UL. good move from that standpoint.
So… wait.
Let’s say there’s 1 seat open in J, and the list is at
#1 – John Doe, DM, party of 2
#2 – Jane Smith, PM
Would John get upgraded and his companion just remain on Y? Or would Jane be upgraded? (in this case, if I’m John, I’d give it away to Jane obviously because I prefer to sit next to my companion ALWAYS)
Lastly, I think it’s totally fair to upgrade companions (kind of replying to Rick) – it is an edge case, imho.
(Totally understand your giveaway policy. My gf has a blog, and I know your feeling Rene!)
@Tom – Yes it can result in your situation where you spit one in Y an one in F but I always have my wife take F seat and I turn right.
Question about gifting MQMs, can I gift the one time sign up bonus MQMs I get from the Delta Platinum card to my significant other?
@Kendall – No. They go to the SkyMiles number used in the application.
Thanks, @Rene — Sorry to be cranky on a holiday weekend – it just hits a hot button for me… every overseas flight, it seems, somebody wants me to swap my aisle seat for a middle so people can fly together even if they booked last minute plus how indignant they can be. My very last flight I got UG on the last leg & chose 1C. 1D boarded and put his wife in 1C and demanded I take her seat… It was 2D so no biggie but 1D kept asking why anyone wouldn’t sacrifice to keep a couple together. I would have swapped happily if asked… but they acted entitled.
Again, sorry to be cranky on a holiday weekend –
p.s. it’s not worth hassling over 2 HOOU coupons so no worries. (your email was not in spam & I double-checked my addy. Probably karmic retribution for my angering our galactic overlords at Google? LOL )
@Rick – Txs. I am happy to get a few HOOUs off to you. Will reach out (check you mail shortly) 😉
Great post. I just hit my first spend threshold on my Reserve. I do have a question. Do you plan on updating your “Should you go for X status or drop just short.” Would love to see them updated now with the C+ changes.
I’m a frequent traveler (probably not quite as many as you all) but my travel is mostly in group travel (I’m the group leader) where things like upgrades are few and far between unless you get a good check in agent because they have to hit “PUT THEM ON THE LIST” when the prompt comes up when they print our boarding passes ahead of time. I have tried to make good relations with at the group checkin folks out of our main hub (DTW). The C+ change as a completely new fare class left me and several of my colleagues who also have medallion status in the dust. At least I could move myself up within my window but now I can’t even get into C+ if I wanted to because it’s an upgrade unless I want to risk a middle seat. It was the small things that made traveling with and organizing for 40-90 people a bit more fun but now there is no benefit and I almost get hurt for being in a group, despite 1. Medallion status and 2. Probably paying more (group tickets tend to be a lot more than just buying 1 or 2)
@Amanda – Thanks I will give that some thought as well as with the changes to +1 status for upgrades this fall. Let’s wait till that rolls out so only one round of changes.
René, what kind of MS did you do to his the spend on both cards so quickly?
Thanks so much, and keep up the great blog.
@Jarrett – See linked post: http://renespoints.boardingarea.com/2016/01/01/2016-how-to-earn-your-delta-mqd-exempt-waiver-to-avoid-mqd-spend-requirement-for-elite-medallion-status/