The Life of Diamond – Why Elite Status Matters

Bucket List Item #1: Get Diamond Status ✓

I went to the mailbox this week and found an envelope nestled inside. It wasn’t just any envelope, but the envelope that’s going to make traveling 10x better (well 2.2x better, but you get the point). It was the Delta Diamond Medallion welcome kit & credentials.

DeltaDiamondEnvelope

Ok…so why the big deal? Because this changes everything. Let’s start with what’s inside:

DeltaDiamondPackage

  • 3 Delta Diamond Medallion credentials (or #bragtags as they call them). 2 of the tags are metal which is a nice touch and reminds me of an AMEX Black Card. They even come with 2 metal straps so you don’t have to waste any time attaching to your bag.
  • 4 certificates to reward great Delta service. This is one of my favorite things that Delta does is allow you to reward any Delta employee that provides great service. If you’re in flight, just hand it to the flight attendant or if you’re giving to someone over the phone – simply give them the code. What do they get? Points that can be redeemed for prizes and gift cards. There’s nothing better than surprising a wonderful flight attendant at the end of a flight!
  • A nice letter reminding me that I’ll now receive enhanced benefits like free upgrades, late checkout & free internet at Starwood hotels through the Crossover Rewards program.
Drinks aboard Delta One on a LAX - JFK flight.

Drinks aboard Delta One on an LAX – JFK flight.

Now for the perks…and there’s plenty:

  • Starting with the miles. General SkyMiles members receive 5 miles per $1 spent on Delta flights. Diamond Medallion members receive 11 miles per $1 spent – 2.2x the miles! This really makes a difference. Take a $250 flight for example, I would normally receive just 1,250 miles – now I’ll receive 2,750!
  • Diamonds receive complimentary access to the Delta SkyClub. This is a very valuable perk – but I already received access from the Delta Amex Reserve card. If you don’t have access then this will save you a $450 annual fee!
  • Unlimited complimentary upgrades to First Class a full 5 days before departure (based on availability of course)
  • Unlimited complimentary upgrades to Delta Comfort+ at booking. As soon as you book, you’re be immediately upgraded to a Delta Comfort+ seat which gives you extra leg room, premium snacks & free drinks.
  • Selection of 2 choice benefits: 
    • 4 Global upgrades to Delta One or 2 Global upgrades & 4 regional upgrades
    • 8 regional domestic upgrades to First Class
    • 2 Global Entry vouchers
    • 25k bonus SkyMiles
    • Ability to gift Gold Medallion status
    • An upgrade to a Delta SkyClub Executive Membership
    • $200 gift card to Delta or Tiffany’s
  • Next up is the VIP phone service. Gone are the days are calling and waiting on hold for an hour. As a Diamond Medallion, you receive a special phone number that connects you immediately with the Diamond desk with the absolute best service – they never cease to amaze me. Whatever you need, they’ve got your back.
  • Access to SkyPriority which gives you access to the SkyPriority check-in, priority baggage handling, SkyPriority security line & advanced boarding. Gold & Platinum medallions get SkyPriorty boarding, but Diamond Medallion members board with the premium cabin – even in the rare chance your upgrade didn’t clear. You’ll also receive SkyTeam Elite Plus status for enhanced benefits when flying on a SkyTeam partner like Air France or KLM.
  • One of my favorite perks is the Waived Same Day Confirmed ticketing fee. This allows you to change to any flight without paying the $50. Say you booked a 4pm flight, but you’d really like to leave at 10am. Just give the Diamond Desk a call and they’ll get you switched over immediately. If the flight isn’t available, they’ll add you to the standby list, but don’t worry because Diamonds go to the top of the list.
    • TPS Pro Tip: Diamonds also are eligible for free co-terminal changes which isn’t advertised. This allows you to switch to a different airport if a city has multiple airports i.e. JFK, LGA, EWR. This can really save you a lot $ because you just need to book the cheapest flight regardless of airport or departure time and then you can simply same day confirm 24 hours before. There’s a little risk to this if your flying on a peak travel day, but just be sure you’re physically able to take your original flight just in case.
  • You’ll also get Waived Award Redeposit ticketing fee. If you use miles from your account to make an award booking, then you can change or cancel the flight without the $200 fee up to 72 hours prior to departure. This really becomes valuable when the value of an award booking drops – you can just call and they’ll refund you the difference.
  • The newest perk is a complimentary CLEAR membership to bypass the TSA lines (which if you’ve traveled lately will know that not even TSA PreCheck can help you). CLEAR lanes are only available in select airports, but now that Delta owns 5% of CLEAR they’ve promised to expand to Delta hubs making this a nice perk if you hate lines like we do.
  • And last but not least…if you rent cars often, then you’ll be pleased to receive complimentary Hertz President’s Circle status
The SkyPriorty check-in at JFK's Terminal 4.

The SkyPriorty check-in at JFK’s Terminal 4.

To earn Delta Diamond status, you have to earn 125,000 Medallion Qualifying Miles (MQMs) or 140 segments and $15,000 Medallion Qualifying Dollars (MQDs).

How’d I do it? Semi-hard work. Let’s start with the MQMs:

  • I was able to rollover nearly 40k MQMs because I strategically rolled over MQMs from last year when I was a Platinum Medallion. That leaves me with 80k to go.
  • Next up: The Delta Amex Reserve card gives you 15k MQMs when you spend $30k & $60k on your card – up to 30k total MQMs. Now I’ve got 50k to go.
  • The remaining 50k were earned by flying – which if you think about it is pretty reasonable to earn top elite status.
    • TPS Pro Tip: If you’re a Gold, Platinum or Diamond Medallion then you can switch from a non-stop flight to a connection flight using same day confirmed for no cost. Why would you do this? More MQMs. Instead of flying from Atlanta to New York City, consider a quick stop over in Minneapolis because you’ll earn significantly more MQMs (and an extra segment if you’ll hit that way).

Now for the MQDs:

  • You have to options: either spend $15k on Delta flights or spend $25k on your Delta Amex to receive a MQD waived. I chose to put $25k on my Amex to exempt myself from the $15k in flight spend.
  • If the Amex is not an option, you’ll need to be sure that your pre-tax cost of your tickets add up to $15k in a given year.

Remember: When you earn status during the middle of the year, it’s good for the remainder of the year, the following year and January of the following year. In this case, I’ll be able to keep my Diamond status until January 31, 2018!

You can read the official overview of Delta’s Medallion status here. We’ll keep you posted on our experience as a top elite status flyer. Happy flying (in first class)!

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