Letting go of an airline status and the Delta Skymiles Credit Card in 2017

Countries I've visited
Countries I’ve visited

Not quite a year ago I wrote a post for this blog where I said “My goal for 2016 is to earn at least Delta Airlines Gold Medallion elite status again, which means I will try for 50,000 MQMs and spend $25k again on my Delta charge card.”

I did not make it.  In fact I stopped having it as a goal about 6 months ago, and this posting is about why.  Times are tough and I didn’t find a job in 2016 like the one I had in 2014.  I still took trips to Vancouver, Amsterdam, and Negril but I didn’t fly close to enough to earn enough miles for status in 2017.  With the reports of Zika breaking out in the nice and warm places I enjoy, there wasn’t a lot of opportunities for me to go somewhere I wanted to go.

I cancelled my American Express Delta Skymiles card, and my elite status will run out soon.  The good news is that when I do decide to go somewhere, I can go on what ever airline suits my schedule and budget the best without feeling like I have to choose Delta or one of their partners.  I also still have elite status with United airlines and have been watching to see if their new CEO can turn things around.  Delta has been getting stingier and stricter with their frequent flyer benefits since they have been in a leadership position in the industry, and don’t need to incentivize travelers as much.

As you can see by looking at the map of countries I’ve visited, I still have a lot to go.  If I take any trips in 2017 it will probably be by using airline points to pay for the tickets.  There’s some places in Eastern Europe and South America I think I might like to visit soon.