Something interesting appeared in my email yesterday, a survey invitation from American Express about my Delta SkyMiles Platinum Amex card.
The survey took about 20 minutes, and was thorough. It’s focus was on the benefits received from the card, and cardmember knowledge of them. I realized about 19 minutes into the 20 minute exercise that I should have been taking screen shots of some of the questions. One of my favorites was whether I was spending more or less on the card than last year. After hitting bonus MQM thresholds 2 years in a row, here’s where Boardingarea’s Managing Director of SkyMiles Apologism is on spend as of August 1, 2015.
I’ve spoken to a couple of Delta Amex users I know, and neither of them received the survey. They have both spent their way to MQM bonuses this year. I don’t know if that $0 spend figure in the image drove my receiving a survey or not? I was offered the opportunity to share why I was spending less on the card. I wrote that while I appreciated the opportunity to earn additional elite qualifying miles, changes at SkyMiles mean that I am getting better value overall for my spend with other cards. The end.
I suppose I may fold like a cheap suit when it really hits me that I will live in Atlanta and not be at least Platinum Medallion next year, but I don’t think I will. Being off the elite status hamster wheel has been oddly freeing. Frankly, given the choice between being elite status poor and cash rich, I’ll take the money every time.
Something tells me that American Express is seeing some trends in its SkyMiles product line that it does not like. Did you receive the survey? Would love to hear what you said in comments.
-MJ, August 1, 2015
Will hit 25$k this statement and cancel DL plat. But no survey for me. I did receive a Delta/Atlanta Braves survey basically comparing whether Delta reflected poorly on the team a. A sponsor/partner.
“now we’d like you to do something a little different and imagine if Delta Airlines as if it came to life as a person. which of the following statements best describes how close you would feel about Delta Airlines as a person?”
The word is out and the image has shifted…
[…] Did You Receive a Delta Amex Survey? […]
“Something tells me that American Express is seeing some trends in its SkyMiles product line that it does not like.”
I’m thinking that it might be people cancelling their DL AmEx cards because of the changes in SkyMiles. If that’s the case, I’m not sure that there’s much AmEx can do, other than making the DL cards more rewarding in terms of earning miles, which will lead to DL devaluing even more (eventually).
Would be interesting to know if the zero spend DID drive the survey to you. I have 1 personal, 1 business and I am an AU on my wife’s card – all Reserves and we have hit maximum spend for MQM on all but her card and that will happen very soon. Yet no survey for us. Without looking I would estimate $200K in spend on 3 cards.
BTW I like your new title. MDofSMA LOL. Keep on keeping on MJ, it’s all good.
@Graydon,
That’s datapoint three that points towards the survey going to those whose spending habits have trended down. Good on ya’ for maximizing MQM benefits! I’m taking a little time “off” to see where things settle down.