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Delta Air Lines has sparked controversy by cracking down on AmEx cardholders’ access to its Sky Club, but some frequent fliers admitted they don’t hate the new rules.
“If you look back at the history of medallion status, it was an elite club,” Georgia business owner Mike Kirkpatrick said. He has maintained Delta’s top-tier status for the past several years, thanks to his generous compensation. Two Delta credit cards: Delta SkyMiles Reserve and Delta SkyMiles Reserve Business.
“Delta Airlines Allows MQM Rollover Due to Coronavirus Outbreak” [Medallion Qualification Miles]It allowed me to reach medallion status that many never achieved. ”
“Now that’s been taken away from them and they’re upset,” Kirkpatrick said of American Express Platinum, Business Platinum, Delta SkyMiles Reserve and Delta SkyMiles Reserve business card customers.
Starting February 1, 2025, these customers will no longer have unlimited access to the airline’s airport lounges and will instead be limited to 10 visits per year, but unlimited access can be removed by paying $75,000 per year. Masu.
Travelers who lost access to Delta’s Sky Club were furious when the terms update was announced, slamming it as a “terrible management decision that undermines long-standing loyalty.”
Among the many who immediately took to social media to bash the airline, one Redditor said: There’s no reason to fly Delta right now,” another user defended the airline. Reply “There are many reasons to fly Delta,” he said.
“I’m planning on going silver next year, no problem at all,” said another. I have written.
One Reddit user asked for an even more exclusive tier. “I would be very happy if Amex came out with a card that was less exclusive than Centurion and more upscale than Platinum that brought back full lounge access to Centurion Lounges and Delta Sky Club,” he said on Reddit. I am. share.
“What’s the point of an elite club if anyone can join?” Kirkpatrick asked.
Without the restrictions that keep Delta’s popular Sky Club exclusive, “it’s just a perk and nothing more,” Kirkpatrick said in an interview with the Post.
“If my business is stuck next year and I can’t meet my spending and lose my benefits, so be it,” he added.
To achieve his prestigious status, Kirkpatrick pays a $550 annual fee and spends $350,000 a year on personal and work Amex cards.
But this is not difficult for Kirkpatrick. Kirkpatrick said “a lot of the spending is business related” to Hard 360, his game camera and hunting equipment business, and that his family’s day-to-day personal incidentals include personal Delta and his Reserve. That’s 1 out of 5 things you said you use your card for, including groceries and gas.
Kirkpatrick said, “It helps me rack up the miles pretty quickly,” adding that he particularly enjoys the fact that “if you’re buying a main cabin, you get priority upgrades,” which comes with high-spending areas. Ta.
Kirkpatrick’s status, coupled with six-figure annual spending, also comes with unlimited access to Delta Air Lines’ Sky Club, per the Atlanta-based airline’s terms. The terms were updated earlier this month to limit access for cardholders who don’t spend enough for the year.
“We look forward to seeing fewer crowds at the club and more frequent free upgrades,” Kirkpatrick said.
Despite his elite status with Delta Air Lines, Kirkpatrick said he can’t call himself rich, and if cardholders are as spending-wise as he is, the Delta Sky card that comes with the AmEx card would be a great option. He said maintaining access to the club is easy.
“I’ve been told a lot of things in my life, but being rich isn’t one of them,” he says. “Maybe some luck, but I’ve always made good choices financially. The choices I’ve made in life have led me to where I am.”
Kirkpatrick, along with many others on social media, said Delta Reserve and Delta Business Reserve cardholders who pay the $550 annual fee can only get 10 admissions to Delta Sky Club. Expressed satisfaction with Delta Air Lines’ updated Sky Club terms and conditions. per year.
And Amex Platinum and Business Platinum cardholders (who pay the highest annual fee of $695) are further restricted to only six complimentary lounge visits per year.
However, all of these cardholders get unlimited access to Sky Club by paying $75,000 per calendar year on their Amex card.
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