New Delta Elite Rules

05 March 2014, 03:33

Any comments on the new rules to qualify as elite? Basically, the dollars you spend on tickets are now used instead of miles.

Diamonds get 11 miles per dollar spent, so to quality for Diamond you must spend $11363 or a little than $1000/month on tickets. One of my employees does, but I sure don't.

Platinum will take $8333/year in spend (assuming you are now Platinum).

Might just start buying 1st class tickets; not worth the hassle. On the other hand, buying a b class ticket just sounded better. Do a business meeting in Joberg, write off the ticket, and get nearly enough to make Platinum in one shot.

05 March 2014, 05:05

Orvar

Quite a few moved to a more $-based system in the last few years, as they want to a) find a Win : Win, that links profits for them to returns for the FF. and b) allowed better returns to FF's only doing very frequent short-haul the ability to get status.

06 March 2014, 02:40

Bob Bixby

Thats not totally accurate... You still qualify for elite status by meeting two of three elements (one of which has to be spend).

Silver needs 25,000 MQM or 30 MQS
AND $2,500.00 dollars spend

Gold needs 50,000 MQM or 60 MQS
AND $5,000.00 dollars spend

Platinum needs 75,000 MQM or 100 MQS
AND $7,500.00 dollars spend

Finally Diamond needs 125,000 MQM or 140 MQS
AND $12,500.00 dollars spend

What you heard recently was Delta is changing the way we earn miles.

Non Elite earns 5 X Price of ticket (minus taxes)
Silver earns 7 X Price of ticket (minus taxes)
Gold earns 8 X Price of ticket (minus taxes)
Platinum earns 9 X Price of ticket (minus taxes)
Diamond earns 11 X Price of ticket (minus taxes)

So, this year an economy ticket to JNB that costs $1,613.10 will earn 16,866 MQM and 37,948 RQM for a Damond.

Next year that same ticket, for the DIamond Elite will cost $1,613.10 and will earn 16,866 MQM and only 17744 RQM.

In Business class though... that ticket to JNB costs $8,744.10 will earn 16,866 MQM and 75,000 RQM for a Damond.

My numbers did not take into accout the taxes, so the values will be slight ly less. But the 75,000 is the max that can be earned on a given trip. Minus the taxes, the business ticket is still maxed.

New earning definately skewed to the highest paying flyers...

Wouldn't take many paid business class tickets to JNB to earn a ticket... Like two!!!

06 March 2014, 03:46

AnotherAZWriter

quote:
Originally posted by Bob Bixby:
Thats not totally accurate... You still qualify for elite status by meeting two of three elements (one of which has to be spend).

Silver needs 25,000 MQM or 30 MQS
AND $2,500.00 dollars spend

Gold needs 50,000 MQM or 60 MQS
AND $5,000.00 dollars spend

Platinum needs 75,000 MQM or 100 MQS
AND $7,500.00 dollars spend

Finally Diamond needs 125,000 MQM or 140 MQS
AND $12,500.00 dollars spend

What you heard recently was Delta is changing the way we earn miles.

Non Elite earns 5 X Price of ticket (minus taxes)
Silver earns 7 X Price of ticket (minus taxes)
Gold earns 8 X Price of ticket (minus taxes)
Platinum earns 9 X Price of ticket (minus taxes)
Diamond earns 11 X Price of ticket (minus taxes)

So, this year an economy ticket to JNB that costs $1,613.10 will earn 16,866 MQM and 37,948 RQM for a Damond.

Next year that same ticket, for the DIamond Elite will cost $1,613.10 and will earn 16,866 MQM and only 17744 RQM.

In Business class though... that ticket to JNB costs $8,744.10 will earn 16,866 MQM and 75,000 RQM for a Damond.

My numbers did not take into accout the taxes, so the values will be slight ly less. But the 75,000 is the max that can be earned on a given trip. Minus the taxes, the business ticket is still maxed.

New earning definately skewed to the highest paying flyers...

Wouldn't take many paid business class tickets to JNB to earn a ticket... Like two!!!

Bob:
Thanks for pointing out all of this. I did neglect to add the new dollar based rules don't apply until 2015.

06 March 2014, 04:44

jdollar

it's interesting that the miles earned from ticket price is MINUS the taxes. if you look at any ticket price breakdown, taxes amount to almost 1/2 OF TOTAL TICKET COST on a coach ticket!!! in other words, the miles you earn are much less than you think- this system screws the average ticket buyer.../..

06 March 2014, 16:28

stradling

no jdollar the government is the screw er

not the business you are just paying one more double or triple tax to boma and company

06 March 2014, 17:51

DonW28

I'm not sure if I like the new rules or not but Delta had to do something because too many flyers were earning top status. Although I can't claim it happens frequently I was flying domestic one day last year and grumbled about not getting an upgrade as a diamond medallion. Turns out the guy next to me in the exit row and the guy across from us were both diamonds as well. Bottom line for me is that top tier frequent flyers are so common now that there is little benefit and I think Delta wants to change that. I know one change I like already is the new Global Upgrades for Diamond that allow you to upgrade an international economy fare to business class without it having to be a Y,B or M class like the old system wide upgrades. That is a big improvement in my book. Guess time will tell how this works out for Delta and for us.

Regards,

Don

06 March 2014, 20:30

AnotherAZWriter

quote:
Originally posted by DonW28:
I'm not sure if I like the new rules or not but Delta had to do something because too many flyers were earning top status. Although I can't claim it happens frequently I was flying domestic one day last year and grumbled about not getting an upgrade as a diamond medallion. Turns out the guy next to me in the exit row and the guy across from us were both diamonds as well. Bottom line for me is that top tier frequent flyers are so common now that there is little benefit and I think Delta wants to change that. I know one change I like already is the new Global Upgrades for Diamond that allow you to upgrade an international economy fare to business class without it having to be a Y,B or M class like the old system wide upgrades. That is a big improvement in my book. Guess time will tell how this works out for Delta and for us.

Regards,

Don

I purposely avoided Diamond this past year so I could roll over max miles for 2014. The mile rollover isn't helping, nor is the AMEX card.

If I get an exit row seat, I am happy. But I do miss the old NWA - always got upgraded as Platinum. They even had a policy of giving you 1000 miles if you didn't get upgraded.

I am traveling less and less each year and sure don't miss it.

15 March 2014, 05:14

AnotherAZWriter

quote:
Originally posted by DonW28:
I'm not sure if I like the new rules or not but Delta had to do something because too many flyers were earning top status. Although I can't claim it happens frequently I was flying domestic one day last year and grumbled about not getting an upgrade as a diamond medallion. Turns out the guy next to me in the exit row and the guy across from us were both diamonds as well. Bottom line for me is that top tier frequent flyers are so common now that there is little benefit and I think Delta wants to change that. I know one change I like already is the new Global Upgrades for Diamond that allow you to upgrade an international economy fare to business class without it having to be a Y,B or M class like the old system wide upgrades. That is a big improvement in my book. Guess time will tell how this works out for Delta and for us.

Regards,

Don

I bought a ticket last night to Alaska. I could buy coach for 800 or first for 1800. In the current scheme, it isn't worth the extra money; I normally get upgraded and even if I don't, I already have a poor man's upgrade: an exit row aisle.

Fast forward to 2015...now buying the coach ticket gets me 8800 miles but the erste classe nets 19,800. Now the extra money isn't that big of a deal, since if I buy six of those, I am Diamond. I would have to fly twice as much in coach.

Business class travelers who fly a lot will get Diamond in a snap. But the whole concept of getting status based on miles is likely to result in many people buying 1st class tickets, resulting in even fewer upgrades.

15 March 2014, 18:14

Tim Herald

I understood that MQM's were still calculated on actual miles flown, but regular sky miles are on the new system of 9x $ticket cost for Platinum. Is that not right? No matter what, they are finding any way possible to nickel and dime us or just flat out screw us. Are other airlines this bad?