NEWBIE LOUNGE: Ask DL and Skymiles Newbie Questions Here - Flame-Free Thread - FlyerTalk Forums (2024)

zeke3

Join Date: Mar 2021

Posts: 334

Comfort+ and First are eligible for medallion upgrades on both domestic and international flights. Premium Select and Delta One upgrades are limited to domestic flights only, but also Delta doesn’t fly those classes of service to the Caribbean.

Whats The Points

Join Date: Feb 2024

Posts: 57

ATOBTTR

Join Date: Jun 2015

Location: Back in Reds Country (DAY/CVG). Previously: SEA & SAT.

Programs: DL PM 1MM, AA PLAT, UA Silver, Marriott Bonvoy Titanium

Posts: 10,457

In most cases the MQDs from CC spend post within a few days of the spend activity. If you’re making purchases daily you should see MQDs for CC spend posting to your account daily as well.

xliioper

Join Date: Jul 2003

Posts: 23,272

Any spend that posts to your Amex card during the calendar year will count towards this year's MQD totals. If the MQDs don't hit your Skymiles account until January and are for December spend, they will just backdate the MQD activity date to Dec 31st so they count for the prior year. As noted above, the MQDs tend to post 2-3 days after the spend posts to your Amex account.

Whats The Points

Join Date: Feb 2024

Posts: 57

xliioper

Join Date: Jul 2003

Posts: 23,272

You only get a companion cert upon account renewal on the first anniversary of card and thereafter.

Whats The Points

Join Date: Feb 2024

Posts: 57

oh right. Still not sure if I’ll keep the card but do you know if it posts right away and whether the cert can be clawed back if you cancel the account either before or after redeeming the cert?

chipbennett

Join Date: Aug 2022

Location: IND

Programs: Delta SkyMiles (DM), Marriott Bonvoy (Titanium, LTP)

Posts: 591

And, again, this is why the companion cert is getting more difficult to get: people blatantly attempting to game the system.

The companion cert used to post on the card anniversary. Now, it posts after the annual fee payment is due. IMHO, for exactly this reason.

Whats The Points

Join Date: Feb 2024

Posts: 57

Seeing if folks ever figure into their calculus buying a better ticket partly out of the hopes for higher chance at domestic upgrade?

Reading thru the terms at https://www.delta.com/us/en/skymiles...llion-upgrades it looks like someone with a purchased C+ seat will clear before someone at the same medallion tier vs main cabin ticket. So in the case of a lower tiered elite member, say silver or gold, the question would be if you can find a C+ ticket that's not too much more than a main cabin ticket, will spending that (hopefully relatively small premium) for C+ significantly increase your odds at FC upgrade, at least on a flight that isn't a prime time hub to hub Monday or Friday type flight for example? Or is it a waste of money if you'd be likely to just get a free upgrade to C+ anyway that now you have to pay for?

Also, it isn't quite clear to me if a paid ticket will always have priority over any award ticket that are otherwise in the same cabin since they technically have different fare codes? Or does this not matter much in practice?

findark

Join Date: Nov 2014

Location: MSP

Programs: DL PM, UA Gold, WN, Global Entry; +others wherever miles/points are found

Posts: 14,585

Yes, it will increase your upgrade priority.

No, the difference in likelihood of that upgrade is not ever going to be worth the (often comical) differential between Main and Comfort Plus. If you don't have C+ at booking, pay for it because you value the C+ seat, not because it makes a meaningful difference in your upgrade odds.

Whats The Points

Join Date: Feb 2024

Posts: 57

Thanks that's what I figured. So my next question is whether traveling as two on a reservation vs solo is generally likely to get two C+ upgrades next to each other (with a preference for aisle vs window). I have a reasonable chance at gold this year, but definitely not platinum. Half the time I fly solo, the other half with my spouse. Unlike UA and AA, DL makes you be at the 3rd elite tier or higher to book an economy plus product at time of booking, so part of my calculus on gold is, beyond the other tier benefits, whether there's a more meaningful chance of getting C+ upgrades together in the upgrade window vs a silver elite. Thoughts?