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My Frequent Traveler University Presentation on Delta - Status, Upgrades, Awards

Brian Kelly
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Brian Kelly is the CEO of The Points Guy. Need I say more?
May 01, 2013
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3 min read
FTU Pres 1
My Frequent Traveler University Presentation on Delta - Status, Upgrades, Awards
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In addition to my seminar on the best credit card deals, I gave a second talk at Frequent Traveler University this past weekend on why Delta is still an airline program of value entitled, “Making the Most of Delta – Status, Upgrades and Awards.”

The whole point is that there are still plenty of ways to pull some great values from your Delta miles and elite status despite some very big, recent, negative changes to the program.

It was a packed room at FTU this weekend!
It was a packed room at FTU this weekend!

The mood in the room was somber because of recent changes such as the new revenue-based Medallion qualification rules that require flyers either to spend $25,000 per calendar year on a co-branded Delta Amex credit card or spend a certain amount (between $2,500-$12,500) on the airline in order to qualify for elite status at the various tiers; and the airline’s new and more restrictive policy on Same Day Confirmed Changes and Same Day Standby.

In my opinion, there are probably still a lot more changes to come and I suspect the majority of them will be negative. However, as I mentioned in last week’s post debating the merits of going for Delta versus American elite status, there are still plenty of good reasons to remain loyal to Delta SkyMiles including the ability to rollover miles and lucrative Medallion bonuses. In the end, a lot of us are still on Delta’s loyalty hamster wheel, so we might as well maximize our status and the benefits.

My presentation was just a high-level overview of the SkyMiles program including the Medallion program and its new requirements and benefits; the best Delta credit card deals out there right now; Choice Benefits for elites who go above their tier qualification requirements; the basics of using Systemwide Upgrades and miles to upgrade; and what opportunities there still are to get some great redemption values as I just did for my upcoming trip to Spain and Italy.

Here’s my presentation slideshow:

Let me know your thoughts and comments, and feel free to ask anything below that you’d like me to cover in the future.

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Featured image by It was a packed room at FTU this weekend!