Earning elite status with airlines can bring a variety of benefits to frequent travelers – and Delta Air Lines Medallion status is no exception. Last fall, however, the carrier announced major changes to how you earn elite status in the SkyMiles program, and those changes are now live.
In short, there is now only one measure of qualification: Medallion Qualification Dollars. And in making this change, Delta has also overhauled the way credit cards can help you pursue status.
Related: The 5 Delta SkyMiles Amex Changes I’m Most Excited About
Here’s how you can achieve Delta Medallion status in 2024 without even stepping foot on a plane.
Status Requirements for Delta Medallion
As previously noted, you are now eligible for Delta status based solely on MQDs (gone are Medallion Qualifying Miles and Medallion Qualifying Segments). Delta’s original announcement included high thresholds, although these were softened slightly for 2024 in response to customer backlash.
Here are the current requirements to earn Delta Medallion status in 2024:
- Silver medallion: 5,000 MQDs
- Gold medallion: 10,000 MQDs
- Platinum medallion: 15,000 MQDs
- Diamond medallion: 28,000 MQDs
On most tickets sold by Delta, you will earn 1 MQD per dollar spent (minus taxes), but you will not earn on basic economy fares. You can also earn more than 1 MQD per dollar on partner-issued tickets credited to Delta SkyMiles. However, these earning percentages have largely been reduced from January 1. Be sure to check Delta’s website to find out how many MQDs you’ll earn when you fly a partner-offered flight.
Related: The Best Credit Cards to Achieve Elite Status
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Earn Medallion status with credit cards
In previous years, select Delta credit cards allowed you to earn Medallion qualifying miles based on your spending. Now that MQMs have been discontinued, the carrier has overhauled how you can use these cards to accelerate your progress toward status.
In short, Delta now offers you the opportunity to earn MQDs on four of its cobranded cards with American Express. The exact details vary from card to card, but there are two general ways to use these cards to accelerate your progress towards Medallion status.
MQD lead
In early February, Delta rolled out a new benefit called MQD Headstart for the following cards:
For each of these cards in your wallet, you will now receive a one-time deposit of 2,500 MQDs at the start of each qualifying year. This will get you halfway to Silver Medallion status, but if you have two cards you will automatically hit Silver Medallion before you even set foot on a Delta plane.
Additionally, travelers with the Delta Reserve card received an additional 1,000 MQDs before February 1 this year. I currently have that card and I received an email on February 1 with the subject “Updates to your Delta SkyMiles® Reserve Card” and the following details:
This means that existing Reserve cardholders will have received a total of 3,500 MQDs in 2024 – although this will drop to 2,500 MQDs from 2025.
However, the opportunity to earn status on these cards doesn’t stop there.
New status boosts
As previously mentioned, Delta Platinum and Reserve card holders could previously earn bonus MQMs based on their spend. That benefit ended on January 1. Instead, you can now earn MQDs based on your spend:
- Delta Platinum and Delta Platinum Business cards: Earn 1 MQD for every $20 spent.
- Delta Reserve and Delta Reserve Business cards: Earn 1 MQD for every $10 spent.
The terms of this benefit indicate that it may take eight to twelve weeks for the MQDs to appear in your account. However, I noticed it went much faster as my first purchases of 2024 (both on February 5) were posted to my SkyMiles account just two days later.
These status boosts (combined with the MQD Headstart) mean you can effectively spend your way to status each year, as there is no limit to the MQDs you can earn each year from these four cards.
For example, let’s say you have a personal Delta Reserve card. Every year you receive 2,500 MQDs. You can then earn 1 MQD for every $10 you spend on the card. This means you can unlock Medallion status with the following spending thresholds:
- $25,000: Silver Medallion (2,500 MQDs from expenses; 2,500 from the lead)
- $75,000: Gold Medallion (7,500 MQDs from expenses; 2,500 from lead)
- $125,000: Platinum Medallion (12,500 MQDs from spend; 2,500 from lead)
- $255,000: Diamond Medallion (25,500 MQDs from expenses; 2,500 from lead)
There’s no doubt that all of these numbers represent a lot of spending. On the low end, it’s still over $2,000 per month, while reaching Diamond status requires over $21,000 in monthly expenses! Additionally, these Delta cards offer relatively poor earning rates on most purchases. When it comes to earning valuable rewards, you’re probably better off with a top-tier credit card for your everyday expenses.
Nevertheless, the majority of Delta cardholders likely fly the airline at least somewhat frequently. In that context, spending on your Delta card can close the gap to a higher status level.
Should you get a Delta credit card to spend your way to status?
If you’re not currently a cardholder, the opportunity to earn status from your spending can be a powerful incentive to get one.
For example, let’s say you spend $7,000 a year on Delta flights, combining business and leisure travel. Without a Delta card, you’re looking at Silver Medallion status, as $7,000 in spend translates to 7,000 MQDs. However, if you apply for the Delta Reserve card, you’ll get a one-time boost of 2,500 MQDs, leaving you just 500 MQDs short of Gold Medallion status. You can earn these MQDs with just $5,000 in spend on the card, as you earn 1 MQD for every $10 spent.
Plus, now’s a good time to consider one of these cards, as they’ve launched limited-time, increased welcome offers (coinciding with a review of their benefits):
Related: Best Delta Credit Cards
More ways to earn Delta status quickly
Besides obtaining (and using) these four Delta cards as a shortcut to Medallion status, there are a few other ways to earn MQDs outside of flying.
Use a status challenge
In early 2024, Delta launched a new status challenge for elite travelers on other airlines. If you have not participated in a Delta Challenge in the past three years and earned status with another carrier last year, you may be eligible for complimentary Medallion status (up to Platinum) for three months. If you then collect a certain number of MQDs during that three-month period, your status will be extended through January 31, 2026.
Earn on award trips
When you book Delta flights (or partner flights) with SkyMiles, you’ll earn 1 MQD for every 100 SkyMiles you redeem. This means that a 20,000 mile award ticket will give you 200 MQDs.
Please note that as a Delta cardholder you also receive a 15% discount on Delta-operated award flights.
Earn with Delta Holidays
Last year, the Delta Vacations platform was revamped and you now earn 1 MQD for every $1 spent for the entire package (excluding taxes and fees). When you book this way you also earn redeemable miles.
Limited-time MQD offers
Finally, Delta will occasionally offer temporary methods to earn MQDs for certain activities. For example, through February 29, you can earn 1 MQD for every dollar you spend on hotel stays and car rentals booked through Delta Stays (with a check-out date on or before May 31).
Please note that this is a third-party booking site, which means you are not eligible to earn hotel points or take advantage of elite benefits by booking a property that is part of a major hotel loyalty program.
In short
There are many ways to earn Medallion status without boarding a plane. You can work your way up to multiple levels of elite status through the airline’s cobranded credit cards.
While most travelers will likely combine the above credit cards with actually flying, it’s nice to know that you can use multiple Delta American Express cards to boost your Medallion qualification prospects.
