Delta Air Lines and I have had our issues over the past year.
I’ve dealt with operational meltdowns, mechanical issues and SkyMiles devaluations. Still, I find Delta consistently offers the best experience of the major U.S. carriers and fits my needs as a frequent business and leisure traveler in New York City. So when I noticed that my Medallion qualification dollar balance was going to be about 5,000 MQDs short of requalifying for Diamond Medallion at the end of the year, I knew I had to do something.
Spending more than $5,000 on airfare was out of my budget, so I started looking for partner MQD runs to help me earn them at a discount. This is the same strategy I used last year when I booked a relatively cheap Aeromexico business-class ticket to Europe to close the gap from Platinum Medallion to Diamond Medallion.
This year, I ended up settling on a partner-operated ticket to South Africa that helped me earn nearly 5,500 MQDs at a fraction of the cost. Below you’ll find details about my criteria, what I booked, my experience on the flights and getting them credited to my SkyMiles account. It wasn’t the most straightforward MQD run of the year, so let’s take a closer look at how it went.
What I booked to keep Diamond Medallion for 2023
I spent countless hours looking for a partner MQD run that would earn at least 5,000 MQDs, be in my budget of roughly $2,000 and let me briefly visit a new country.
I looked at a variety of destinations in Asia, Africa and Europe. Still, I found it difficult to find a year-end premium economy or business-class fare that fit my budget. Travel is back in full swing, and airlines know they can get top dollar for many of these routes — especially at the end of the year when many Americans take time off work to travel.
I eventually found a flight from New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) to Johannesburg’s O.R. Tambo International Airport (JNB) via London’s Heathrow Airport (LHR) in Virgin Atlantic premium economy for $2,013. The itinerary wasn’t perfect — more than 16 hours in premium economy is tough, and the return flight had a long layover in London — but it fit the core of my requirements.
All Virgin Atlantic premium economy fares earn the following when you credit to SkyMiles, regardless of the fare class booked. Percentages are based on physical miles flown. You can view partner earning rates for all Delta partner airlines on this landing page.
| Medallion qualification dollars | Medallion qualification miles | Base SkyMiles earned | Bonus SkyMiles earned | Total SkyMiles earned |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 30%. | 150%. | 100%. | 50%. | 150%. |
So, I booked the ticket and paid with The Platinum Card® from American Express to earn 5 points per dollar on flight purchase (on up to $500,000 on these purchases per calendar year) when book through Amex Travel. This gave me a whopping $201.30 in value per TPG’s valuations and is more than enough to book a one-way domestic ticket when leveraging transfer partners like British Airways Avios or Avianca LifeMiles.
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Also, as it turned out, the long layover in London didn’t happen. I booked my flight well in advance, and Virgin Atlantic had a schedule change on my return leg. Because of this, I could rebook my return leg to have just a three-hour layover without paying extra.
The most important part of the journey is the elite status and mileage earning — and it was quite the haul. I earned well more than 45,000 redeemable SkyMiles with the 50% cabin bonus and 120% Diamond Medallion bonuses, almost 5,500 MQDs and just more than 27,000 MQMs. I didn’t need the MQMs since Delta has rolled over MQMs since the start of the pandemic, but they will help me next year since Delta rolls over anything beyond your status tier to the next elite year.
| Medallion qualification dollars | Medallion qualification miles | Base SkyMiles earned | Bonus SkyMiles earned | Total SkyMiles earned |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 27,216. | 27,216. | 18,144. | 30,844. | 48,998. |
Issues crediting the flights to my SkyMiles account
As with most things in the points and miles world, this mileage run didn’t go 100% according to plan.
Upon arriving back in New York, a few days went by and I noticed the miles from my trip hadn’t been posted to my account. I initially submitted a mileage request online that was met with no response. After two weeks, I started to get a bit concerned, so I reached out to Delta support via iMessage.
Turns out, when I rebooked my ticket after the schedule change, my entire itinerary was reticketed with a new ticket number. So, the representative asked for the right ticket number and submitted a request on my behalf. The miles were in my account two days later — crisis averted.
Virgin Atlantic’s premium economy is (mostly) excellent
As for the experience on board, I was a huge fan of Virgin Atlantic’s hard and soft products.
My flights between JFK and LHR were operated by the airline’s flagship Airbus A350, while the legs between LHR and JNB were operated by its Boeing 787 aircraft.
The A350 was the star of the show. The aircraft’s new premium economy seat was comfortable and had excellent inflight entertainment. Plus, it had reasonably priced, fast and stable Wi-Fi throughout the transatlantic hop from New York to London.
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Virgin Atlantic’s A350 premium economy seat. ANDREW KUNESH/THE POINTS GUY
In fact, the A350 provided one of the best inflight Wi-Fi experiences I’ve had to date with very little downtime. Wi-Fi cost 20.99 British pounds ($25.36 at the time of writing) on the flights between JFK and LHR, which I think is reasonable for a stable connection.
Meanwhile, the Boeing 787 product is nice too, but starting to show its age. The inflight entertainment selection is largely the same, but the inflight Wi-Fi didn’t work properly on my way to or from Johannesburg. I purchased a messaging plan — which only included 20MB of data — on the jaunt from LHR to JNB, but I couldn’t send or receive messages. The data cap disappeared within minutes of connecting.
Service on all four segments was top notch. I liked the traditional British food options, especially the full English breakfast. Plus, there was a grab-and-go snack counter in the galley filled with snacks and drinks to keep you full throughout the flight. Given the flights between JNB and LHR were more than 10 hours, this was much appreciated.
Thanks to my Diamond status, I could access the Virgin Atlantic Clubhouses in JFK, LHR and JNB. They’re all excellent and offer many food and drink options delivered right to your table.
Want to learn more about Virgin Atlantic’s premium economy? Check out TPG’s full reviews of the Airbus A350 and Boeing 787 products.
Was it worth it?
So, was it worth spending more than $2,000 and a weekend in Johannesburg to keep my elite status? Absolutely.
I had a mostly positive experience as a Diamond Medallion in 2022. I was upgraded on more than half of my flights, and I used all of my Global Upgrade Certificates despite their devaluation earlier this year. Plus, the Delta SkyClub guest pass (which I pick annually as another Choice Benefit) has been great when traveling with my partner or friends since they can access the Sky Club with me.
With all of the operational difficulties this year, having faster access to support has been a godsend. I’ve been rebooked due to weather, had hotels reimbursed by the carrier and had a generally good experience with Delta’s Diamond Medallion line. This support has been extremely valuable, and as a frequent business and leisure traveler, it has helped me keep my sanity more than once.
On top of all this, the 48,998 SkyMiles I earned on this trip are worth $690.87 based on TPG’s valuation of 1.41 cents per SkyMile. That’s a nice rebate on my spending, and the miles funded a flight home to Chicago for the holidays.
Of course, visiting Johannesburg for a few days was a blast too. Now I’m even more excited to return next June when I take a two-week trip through South Africa.
Related: What is Delta Air Lines elite status worth?
Bottom line
While getting the flights credited to my account took some work, I’m glad I booked and flew this year-end MQD run.
I get more than $2,013 in benefits from my Diamond Medallion benefits yearly, so this mileage run made sense. Though I wish it hadn’t been such a hassle to get the flights credited to my account, Delta’s support was most helpful over iMessage. I wouldn’t hesitate to do the same next year if I find myself short on MQDs at the end of the year.
Should you do a similar MQD run? It depends on how often you fly, what status tier you’re running for and how much you want to fly Delta in the future. If you’re looking to close the gap between Platinum and Diamond, I think it’s worth the funds if you have the time to spare.
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