Delta SkyMiles suspended status matches in September and it was anticipated this was related to a revamp of the elite program.
Well, that became a debacle with Delta rolling out major changes and facing such a huge customer backlash that they partially and temporarily pulled those back.
Status matches are supposed to be returning this month. Already the corporate match program has become available.
- You get status for 6 months, matched to the status you have with a competing airline
- And you get a 3 month period in which to earn qualifying dollars to keep that status
- If you do, your status is valid not until the end of 2024 – it’s valid until January 31, 2026.
Moreover with this match you’re eligible as long as you haven’t had a match within the past two years, which is generous.
Sadly, the co-brand qualifying dollar ‘head start’ doesn’t count towards the match requirements for keeping status.
Eligility: For this match your company needs an eligible corporate sales agreement or mid-market sales agreement with Delta, and you need to have traveled on a Delta non-basic economy ticket booked through the company travel portal within the past year or have travel booked within the next 90 days. (“Please note that while the system allows any Member to enroll, only eligible Members will qualify and receive the benefits under this offer.”)
This offer won’t apply to the majority of y’all, but it is a good guess about what the spending levels for the consumer status match will look like.
(HT: Jonathan B)
Just great – I thought DL was pruning back the number of elites. Glad I’m in an AA captive hub and rarely fly them. Lifetime Platinum here BTW.
Except lifetime platinum is worthless now – I know as I have it.
AA Lifetime Platinum is not worthless— It just seems that way. I still get occasional upgrades, and better coach seats are often possible on both AA and AS. Using foreign lounges is easier.
But I agree that they have yanked most of the good stuff that made this game a lot of fun in the old days. That’s doubly true of ExecPlat: between COVID and the changes to EXP, it just wasn’t worth my effort to keep that one going, at least from SFO, where we are an afterthought. 15 years or more, EXP downgraded to lifetime Platinum, and I guess I just pay what it takes now to get the best connection possible, rather than contorting myself to fly AA. Their loss, not mine.
Don’t the terms literally say :”MQDs earned from MQD HeadStart using an eligible Delta SkyMiles® American Express Card will apply towards required MQDs for the Status Match offer.”
Why does the article say they do not?
EDIT: couldnt update previous comment. But I am checking it on the following link I got from my company sales team: https://deltaglobalsales.my.site.com/smrequest/s/
Generous? You can only match up to Plat and you can’t go any higher even if you exceed the spend for the next level
OPM travel must still be down…
What am I overlooking with the company that argued, “If everyone has status, nobody has status,” and then proceeded to increase the difficulty of achieving status for their loyal customers? let me get this straight, if you already have status with another airline, obtaining platinum status for almost two years requires just one business class ticket within the next three months. It seems like yet another strategy to distance itself from its loyal customer base.
This is from the terms after clicking ‘learn more:’
Once the initial qualifying flight is complete, additional activities to earn MQDs include Delta and Partner flights (excluding Basic Economy tickets), use of qualifying Delta SkyMiles® Platinum American Express Card, or Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card, and Delta Vacation packages. MQDs earned from MQD HeadStart using an eligible Delta SkyMiles® American Express Card will apply towards required MQDs for the Status Match offer.