topic Re: Delta AMEX Strategy in Credit Cards

Delta AMEX Strategy

parzivalmx — Mon, 16 Dec 2019 20:10:23 GMT

I have the Delta Amex Gold, with the new changes they getting rid of the Medallion waiver. I was planing to actually use that benefit. What should I do to minimize AFs? My plan was applying to the Plat and before the first AF kicks in for the Gold downgraded for the Blue. I have less then a year with the Gold so I can't upgrade. Is this something possible?

Re: Delta AMEX Strategy

Anonymous — Mon, 16 Dec 2019 20:23:16 GMT

@parzivalmx wrote:
I have the Delta Amex Gold, with the new changes they getting rid of the Medallion waiver. I was planing to actually use that benefit. What should I do to minimize AFs? My plan was applying to the Plat and before the first AF kicks in for the Gold downgraded for the Blue. I have less then a year with the Gold so I can't upgrade. Is this something possible?

You can downgrade gold to blue after first AF hits, it will be refunded after PC.

You may want to wait until a better offer before applying for delta plat.

Re: Delta AMEX Strategy

parzivalmx — Mon, 16 Dec 2019 20:39:16 GMT

Good info, Thanks.

Yeah, but want to apply before the AF goes up to $250. Guess I can wait until 1/30/2020

Re: Delta AMEX Strategy

Anonymous — Mon, 16 Dec 2019 20:56:57 GMT

You can app now, but make sure you find a link with 75k skypesos SUB (The offical sub is only 35k).

btw, I think UScreditcardguide has a running list of good SUBs and some referal links with elevated SUBs.

Re: Delta AMEX Strategy

NRB525 — Tue, 17 Dec 2019 00:10:58 GMT

With the Delta Gold you still get the checked bag fee waiver, so as long as you fly regularly with Delta, that is where your AF benefit comes in. Since you want the MQD waiver, that implies you want Medallion status.

The Gold also introduces a $100 Delta credit when you spend $10,000 on that card in a year.

The Delta Platinum adds more earning categories, and after the first year has the companion pass in the 48 states. Applying for the Delta Plat sets you up for a better Delta experience than Delta Gold, and when the Delta Gold AF posts, you could ask yo PC that to Delta Blue.

Re: Delta AMEX Strategy

mikesonthemend — Tue, 17 Dec 2019 01:37:12 GMT

One round trip flight on Delta washes the AF if checking bags. If you are in search of priveledged flying, the Gold is not the card. You will need to fly far more frequently to make the platinum work for you, but that is where the benefits get real.

Re: Delta AMEX Strategy

Jccflat — Tue, 17 Dec 2019 01:44:13 GMT

Side question
Besides using the sky miles for booking from the delta Acct is there and other value way to use this points for Someone who opened the delta sky miles and has 70k miles ?
Can it be used for diff airline?

Re: Delta AMEX Strategy

Anonymous — Tue, 17 Dec 2019 01:51:06 GMT

@Jccflat wrote:
Side question
Besides using the sky miles for booking from the delta Acct is there and other value way to use this points for Someone who opened the delta sky miles and has 70k miles ?
Can it be used for diff airline?

You can book skyteam airlines, but you have to do it through delta.com.

Re: Delta AMEX Strategy

parzivalmx — Tue, 17 Dec 2019 04:54:38 GMT

Thanks all for the advice. I do fly delta quite frequently I’ll be over 30k MQMs by February, that’s why I want the MQD waiver.

Re: Delta AMEX Strategy

iced — Tue, 17 Dec 2019 15:27:15 GMT

@parzivalmx wrote:
Thanks all for the advice. I do fly delta quite frequently I’ll be over 30k MQMs by February, that’s why I want the MQD waiver.

I find it difficult with that frequency of travel that you won't hit $15,000 MQD by year's end; unless you're trying to do some trick to accelerate Diamond status by a few months or you're taking a lot of ridiculously cheap flights, I'm not sure you're really gaining anything here.

Edit: I may be reading too much into this...but when you say 30k MQM by February, are you saying you have 30K MQM worth of travel in January booked or that you will have a total of 30K MQM between now and February? I ask because the latter doesn't happen - your MQMs reset on Dec 31, exempting any rollover miles for same-tier exceeding you may have done. If the former, my original statement stands - 30K a month puts you on track for over 300k MQM for the year, and NOT hitting $15,000 MQD on that many miles takes a lot of effort and deep, deep discounts.

Re: Delta AMEX Strategy

parzivalmx — Tue, 17 Dec 2019 16:23:07 GMT

Sorry for the confusion. Yeah I’ll have 30kMQMs between January and feb. I live in San Diego and I fly with Aeromexico a lot which give the miles but not to many MQDs if I don’t fly biz. Also I will be taking some international flights that were cheap. And for example if I fly to San Jose I get 2000MQMs but only around 60MQDs. So doing my calculations I’ll be short on MQDs.

Re: Delta AMEX Strategy

iced — Tue, 17 Dec 2019 16:49:36 GMT

I’m a little surprised to hear only 60 MQD on a 2000 mile route. I do BOS-SLC a lot, which is 2100 MQM each way, and even in MC on a cheap ticket it’s good for 150-300 MQD each way. Are you already flying this route and seeing 60 MQD credited, or is this a projection for future flights?

If you’ve flown UA in the past, I’d believe you on the 60 - they’re cheap about cutting everything they can out of PQD calculations. DL not so much, and they even credit upgrades as MQD.

Re: Delta AMEX Strategy

Anonymous — Tue, 17 Dec 2019 17:19:42 GMT

SJC-SAN is indeed very cheap, routingly go for 100USD RT at basic. Delta does give 2000 MQM RT for some reason, even though its only 400 miles one way.

Literally you can fly this route every day of the year and only get 10k MQDs.

Re: Delta AMEX Strategy

parzivalmx — Tue, 17 Dec 2019 19:53:45 GMT

Yes, you get a minimun of 500MQM's per segment so RT SAN-LAX-SJC gives you 2000 MQMs

Re: Delta AMEX Strategy

iced — Tue, 17 Dec 2019 20:04:46 GMT

@parzivalmx wrote:
Yes, you get a minimun of 500MQM's per segment so RT SAN-LAX-SJC gives you 2000 MQMs

That makes some sense on the cost then. You're basically taking a bunch of shuttles and the minimum MQM threshold is what's pushing it higher.

In that case, the waiver may make sense for you provided it doesn't mean you're spending too much to meet it. By that, I mean that if all you take is shorter flights, the benefits of Diamond end up being pretty negligible compared to Platinum, which you would certainly make MQD on (60 * 15 (flights per month to 30K MQM) * 12 (months) > $9,000), so you don't want to spend more getting the waiver for Diamond than you would reap from being Diamond over Platinum. The upgrades and certs don't mean much when all your flights are under a couple of hours, after all.

If you don't want to deal with another card, you can also upgrade a few flights out of pocket so that you hit the $15k mark. If the MC fares are that low, FC upgrades likely aren't more than a couple hundred each. This would make sense particularly if you're having to take spend you otherwise wouldn't take to meet the $250k waiver, or if you were putting spend on the card solely to meet the MQD waiver that could be better placed on a different card to earn a better award return.