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New Changes For Delta Awards Program
10 February 2015, 01:23
Opus1New Changes For Delta Awards Program
New dollar points program goes into effect as of Friday 6 February.
quote:
Delta SkyMiles 2015: What to Expect
by Virginia C. McGuire on February 2, 2015
Delta SkyMiles 2015: What to Expect
Delta Airlines is shaking things up in 2015 with a revamped rewards program. SkyMiles now awards miles based on the amount the traveler spent on the ticket, not the number of miles flown. This move makes Delta the first full-service airline to base awards solely on the dollar amount of the ticket, although some discount airlines like JetBlue use a point system that is also based on ticket price.
In exchange, SkyMiles participants will find it easier to spend their miles. They’ll be able to use miles to pay for any Delta flight, with no blackout dates and no limits on the number of seats per flight than can be purchased with miles. Customers can also pay more easily with a combination of miles and money, so they won’t have to wait until they’ve saved up the requisite number of miles to use them toward a ticket.
Holders of Delta-branded travel rewards credit cards will not see significant changes to the rewards they can earn. They’ll still accrue double miles when they use the card to buy Delta tickets, and the company promises a better experience for cardholders when they go to redeem miles.
Miles still matter
The number of miles flown still counts for something, however. Delta still uses miles as part of the qualification requirement for elite status. To reach the top status tier, called the Diamond level, a traveler would have to rack up 125,000 miles’ worth of flights and spend a minimum of $15,000 in a year.
Business travelers who aren’t paying for their own plane tickets may not be bothered at all by the changes. Other people who are savvy about finding extremely low plane fares may miss the days when the length of the flight determined the size of the SkyMiles reward. But for many, the ability to redeem miles more easily may make the program changes worthwhile.
People who already have Delta credit cards or who frequently travel to and from airports serviced by Delta will probably be content to hang on to their cards, despite changes to the program. But people who have been considering applying for a credit card from Delta may be better off looking at all their options before they make a decision. Some of the best travel cards are not specific to a single airline, so if you don’t like the changes to a specific company’s rewards structure, you can simply use their competitor to redeem your points instead.
United Airlines is following Delta’s lead and instituting similar changes to its rewards program, but time will tell whether most carriers head in this direction. For now, SkyMiles members will be watching whether they earn rewards more slowly under the new program as they look to see where they can get the biggest bang for their buck.
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Just Remember, We ALL Told You So.
10 February 2015, 02:28
Tim HeraldJust another way to screw frequent fliers and save themselves money. Less service and more cost...this whole thing is skewed toward people who fly short legs regularly, and it really hurts those of us that take long flights. The kicker is that they only count the price of the "ticket", no taxes, fuel charges, etc. that we have to pay. So on an $1800 ticket to JNB, they may only count $1000 of that toward your reward miles. Every year they make it harder and harder, and take more and more away.
Good Hunting,
Tim Herald
Worldwide Trophy Adventures
tim@trophyadventures.com
10 February 2015, 13:26
Opus1With the airlines making so much money these days through added fees, fully booked flights, and less competition, the big boys like Delta are less likely to give a flip about awards programs. I am sure this is just the next step towards ending the practice altogether.
___________________
Just Remember, We ALL Told You So.
10 February 2015, 19:18
AnotherAZWriterI paid for a first class fare for a flight next week and will get less miles for it than I would have received under the old system flying coach.
I have been Platinum for 17 years now but I am going to move over to United; I am Gold for life there. Delta can go screw themselves.
10 February 2015, 20:00
Opus1The only problem is, if Delta can get away with it, everyone else in the industry will follow suit.
___________________
Just Remember, We ALL Told You So.
10 February 2015, 23:06
NevadanUnited advised me of this late last year to begin, IIRC, next month.
So much for being a loyal customer for well over 20 years!! Brand loyalty means nothing in todays economy.
As usual, they really are "killing the goose who laid the golden eggs."
Don
Life Member SCI &, NRA
11 February 2015, 03:06
AnotherAZWriterquote:
Originally posted by Nevadan:
United advised me of this late last year to begin, IIRC, next month.
So much for being a loyal customer for well over 20 years!! Brand loyalty means nothing in todays economy.
As usual, they really are "killing the goose who laid the golden eggs."
Don
The other "troubling" thing is the rise of the discounted first class fare. Delta now sells their first class seats for only a few hundred more than coach sometimes. If they all do this, then it will probably be worth it to say to hell with them all and just buy the cheapest first class fare. I used miles last year to get MsAZW a first class ticket to Hawaii and bought a coach ticket that I could upgrade right away to first with my status. This year I gave my daughter and my ex two free tickets to see my ex father in law, who we thought was on his deathbed, but he pulled through.
When I do get upgraded on Delta, I always give my seat to any uniformed service member (army has dibs) on the flight. During Iraq/AFG I must have let 200 of them fly that way. If I pay, I won't be giving it up.
11 February 2015, 20:58
Duckearold news over at flyertalk.com
It really kills folks buying their tickets to Africa. Intl flights rack up half the miles or less now since it is ticket price and not miles flown.
Short, expensive, domestic hops will generate the most miles under the new rules, it seems.
Hunting: Exercising dominion over creation at 2800 fps.
11 February 2015, 21:03
surestrikequote:
If I pay, I won't be giving it up.
Wow what hero you are! If it actually costs you something your gratitude and generosity suddenly vanishes? You are famous for your self serving conceited comments, but this tops the list.
11 February 2015, 23:30
AnotherAZWriterSurestrike:
I am sorry I offended you; I don't recall ever saying anything negative about you and had no idea you felt that way. And I certainly had no idea I was famous for self serving conceited comments. I have not heard that from anyone else. Perhaps you could shoot me a PM giving me examples so I can correct myself. I would invite other posters to do the same.
I have never seen a pilot (or flight attendant) offer his or her seat in FC to a service member either on Delta or your airline, United. Have you? How many times have you done it? After all, it costs you nothing.
My motives for talking about this is to get others to consider it. I am anonymous here so it doesn't do anything for me personally.
As far as money goes, you have no idea what I have given to soldiers who are incapacitated, either in miles (free tickets) or cash, but the cash number is in the thousands. If I am going to donate cash to soldiers, it won't be to let a cook or mechanic fly in first class, it will to help those who don't have arms and/or legs. Guys like Brendan Marrocco.