Medallion Qualification Dollars

A CHANGE TO THE  WAY YOU EARN STATUS.

LEARN MORE ABOUT UPCOMING CHANGES TO THE WAY YOU EARN MEDALLION STATUS.

 Better At Giving You The Best. To create an even more exclusive Medallion program and make it easier for Medallion members to enjoy the top-tier benefits their loyalty deserves, we are introducing a change to status qualification. Beginning January 1, 2014, you will earn Medallion status through a combination of miles or segments flown and your annual spending on Delta flights, which will be measured by Medallion Qualification Dollars (MQDs).

  • Starting January 1, 2014, Medallion status for U.S.-based members will be earned with Medallion Qualification Miles (MQMs) or Medallion Qualification Segments (MQSs) plus a new threshold – your annual spending on Delta flights, which will be measured by Medallion Qualification Dollars (MQDs).

 

  • The MQDs requirement will be waived if you make at least $25,000 in Eligible Purchases in the qualification year with your Delta SkyMiles Credit Card from American Express. Learn more.

 

  • MQMs are still based on distance flown, and MQSs are still based on segments flown. The minimums for both stay the same.

 

  • MQDs (similar to MQMs and MQSs) are earned by the member who is flying (whose name and SkyMiles number are listed on the ticket). This means that even if your company (or spouse, parent, etc.) purchases your ticket, the member who is flying will earn the MQDs.
Medallion Qualification Levels
 

WHAT'S CHANGING WITH THE WAY I WILL EARN MEDALLION STATUS?

WHEN WILL THE MEDALLION CHANGES TAKE EFFECT?

WILL THE CHANGES AFFECT MEDALLION BENEFITS?
 

Beginning January 1, 2014, we will add a new threshold to qualify for Medallion status – your annual spending with Delta which will be measured by Medallion Qualification Dollars (MQDs).  Alternatively, Delta SkyMiles Credit Cardmembers can be waived from the new MQDs requirement if they make at least $25,000 in Eligible Purchases within the calendar year.

 

Full FAQs

The changes to how you earn Medallion status will begin January 1, 2014, and apply to 2015 Medallion status.

Yes, these changes will create an even more exclusive Medallion experience and make it easier for Medallion members to enjoy their benefits, including Unlimited Complimentary Upgrades, Economy Comfort™ access, Preferred Seats and Priority Boarding.

Terms & Conditions

Medallion Status Qualification - Beginning January 1, 2014: Customers qualify for Medallion status in the Delta SkyMiles program based on travel with Delta and select partners during the calendar year. SkyMiles Medallion status is effective January 1 through the end of February of the following calendar year.

Effective January 1, 2014, members with a primary residence in the United States (50 states and the District of Columbia) will begin qualifying for Medallion status based upon the following criteria:

Medallion Status Criteria To Be Met During the Calendar Year

Medallion Tier

Medallion
Qualification
Miles

Medallion
Qualification
Segments

Medallion
Qualification
Dollars

Delta SkyMiles
Credit Card
Eligible Purchases
 

Silver

25,000

OR

30

AND

$2,500

OR

$25,000

Gold

50,000

OR

60

AND

$5,000

OR

$25,000

Platinum

75,000

OR

100

AND

$7,500

OR

$25,000

Diamond

125,000

OR

140

AND

$12,500

OR

$25,000

Medallion Qualification Miles: Medallion Qualification Miles (MQMs) earned through flight activity are calculated based on distance flown and fare class purchased on Delta, Delta Connection®, Delta Shuttle®, SkyTeam® partners, Alaska Airlines and Virgin Australia.  MQMs may also be earned through flight activity on other select partners.

Medallion Qualification Segments: Medallion Qualification Segments (MQSs) are earned through flight activity on Delta, Delta Connection, Delta Shuttle, SkyTeam partners, Alaska Airlines and Virgin Australia.  All paid fare classes eligible to earn MQMs count toward MQSs. 

Medallion Qualification Dollars: Medallion Qualification Dollars (MQDs) are the sum total of the SkyMiles member’s spend on Delta-marketed flights (flight numbers that include the “DL” airline code), inclusive of the base fare and applicable surcharges, but exclusive of government-imposed taxes and fees.

Flight spend for travel on other airlines ticketed through a Delta channel (featuring a ticket number beginning with “006”) will also be included in MQDs.

Certain specialty tickets, including but not limited to unpublished, consolidator, group/tour and opaque fare products will not count toward MQDs. 

Medallion Qualification Dollars (MQDs) Waiver: If a customer does not meet the MQDs thresholds, he or she can still qualify for Medallion status if he or she has earned the required Medallion Qualification Miles (MQMs) or Medallion Qualification Segments (MQSs) and makes at least $25,000 in Eligible Purchases within the qualification year on his or her Delta SkyMiles Credit Card account(s) from American Express issued in the United States.

Eligible Purchases means purchases for goods and services minus returns and other credits. Eligible Purchases do NOT include fees or interest charges, balance transfers, cash advances, purchases of travelers checks, purchases or reloading of prepaid cards, or purchases of other cash equivalents. Additional terms and restrictions apply.

Eligible Purchases by Additional Cardmembers linked to the Basic Cardmember’s account will qualify towards the Basic Cardmember’s Delta SkyMiles Credit Card Eligible Purchase total. Customers with multiple Delta SkyMiles Credit Cards will have Eligible Purchases combined across all cards linked to the Cardmember’s SkyMiles account. The close of the calendar year is December 31, without regard to the time of the year that the credit card account is opened. This means that for the first year of Cardmembership, the Cardmember’s Eligible Purchase period may be less than twelve months. Benefit is limited to Basic Cardmembers (not Additional Cardmembers) with the Delta SkyMiles Credit Card issued in the United States.  

Offer terms and conditions subject to change. Additional restrictions may apply.

Residency: Country of residence is determined by the primary address in the member’s SkyMiles account at the time of qualification for Medallion status.  Documentation may be required for some types of address changes.  Please see the SkyMiles Membership Guide for more information and a list of acceptable documentation.  Delta reserves the right to audit an account at any time for residency requirements, request further supporting documentation and update the address for any member's SkyMiles account using the National Change of Address (NCOA) data filed by relocating postal customers, but shall have no obligation to do so.  Accounts found in violation are subject to penalty, up to and including termination of Medallion status and closure of the SkyMiles account.

Other Terms and Conditions: For more information and full terms and conditions please see delta.com/skymiles.  Qualification requirements for Medallion status will not be prorated or reduced in situations where an account is open for less than the full calendar year.  Travel is identified by those itineraries that include a member’s name and SkyMiles account number attached to the reservation.  Pay with Miles, Award and other tickets not eligible for mileage accrual will not earn Medallion Qualification Segments (MQSs), Medallion Qualification Miles (MQMs) or credit for Medallion Qualification Dollars (MQDs).  Delta reserves the right to modify these requirements at any time without prior notice. All Delta SkyMiles program rules apply. To review the rules, please visit delta.com/memberguide.