I’m letting my Delta Gold Status Go…and I’m happy about it!

Don’t tell Rene at DeltaPoints. Last year, I earned Delta Gold. I enjoyed my time, and had a good time. Delta has a well run operation, and I respect them for that. However, after hearing about the SkyMiles 2015 program, and coming to the realization that flying Delta out of Washington DC wasn’t exactly the easiest or smartest of options, I decided to let Delta go for American.

I don’t regret my decision for one minute. I’m so happy I moved my flying to American – I’ve been treated better as a passenger, have experienced more competent agents, and received more upgrades. In general, American brings back the good ol’ days of flying.

I continue to receive my Medallion statements for this year, and each time I open them, I always am reminded of how my Delta Gold status will expire at the end of the year. Though, I’m happy with my flying on American, and my status there, it’s always a difficult thing loosing a status – since it took so many hours (and dollars) to earn.

As you can see, I didn’t spend much on Delta this year. I didn’t switch to American until February, and had a few flights already booked in the first few months of the year. While I have a Delta Reserve American Express card, I don’t put that much spend on it to qualify me for the exemption.

It’s always sad looking at this chart, knowing I’ll forever leave Delta behind come January 1. It’s the right decision for me, though, and it’s something I don’t think I’ll regret.

Are you giving up your Delta status at the end of the year and switching to a new airline? Why or why not?