Most of us now know that the only way to earn Delta Air Lines SkyMiles elite Medallion status starting next year (for Medallion year 2025) is through earning Medallion Qualification Dollars (MQD).
MQD are earned through spending cold, hard cash on Delta flights (and Delta Vacations, etc.) and co-branded Delta SkyMiles® American Express Cards.
For those who want a refresher, here’s how many MQD it’ll take to reach the various Medallion tiers.
- Silver: $5,000 MQD
- Gold: $10,000 MQD
- Platinum: $15,000 MQD
- Diamond: $28,000 MQD
Earn Gold Status After One Flight!
There are people who’ve never flown a Delta flight — but their business could be far more valuable to Delta than yours. Even if you’ve gone out of your way to spend several thousand dollars each year on Delta flights and tens of thousands of dollars on Delta Amex Cards. Because you’re genuinely loyal and appreciate a good product.
I searched for a Delta One flight from Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) to London Heathrow (LHR).
I found this.
That one trip earns more than enough MQD to make someone a Gold Medallion.
They could be as loyal as Judas. Delta would rather have them in the loyalty program than you or me: longtime Medallion members who drank the Kool-Aid.
Sure, this is sort of an extreme scenario. To Delta’s point, this illustrates how simple it is earn Medallion status. But it shows what kind of a slap in the face it is to people who travel dozens of flights over time to earn their status. People who put their everyday spending on Delta Amex cards to earn MQD Waivers while flying Delta whenever they could simply don’t matter anymore.
I know Delta is a business — and businesses need to make money. But, wow. The bandage has been ripped off.
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You also just paid them $12k for two flights as opposed to others who may have paid the same, but for 60 flights. If I were Delta, I’d reward the former over the latter. 🙂
Why don’t you ever allow me to post comments??
@Sam – That’s exactly what Delta is doing now.
I could see why Delta would value that one passenger who paid out 12k for one ticket rather than others who fly all year and don’t spend as much. But, they also have to look at how that will trickle down. My husband and I fly for work, and that means when we travel for fun, we book Delta. If our kids come with us, they are on Delta too and if they fly on their own somewhere, they use Delta. So sure, one person in our family might not spend that 12k in a year but that one medallion member may be causing tons of other Delta purchases that are not reflected in their personal total.
In a vacuum, it makes sense to focus on the customer willing to drop 12k on one international round trip flight. However there must be 100x-1000x more customers that are loyal customers the old fashioned way with the dozens of flights approach. Essentially they are alienating their large base of domestic business travelers that, for example fly a ton up and down the east coast at $500 a pop. So the calculus is are there enough big spend business customers to make it worth losing a % of their existing loyal customers, which I would imagine make up a larger part of their business in the aggregate. I’m sure they have had teams of people run the math and multiple models. They also know they have large populations of captive flyers in their big hubs who have no choice but to remain loyal. I think Amex is the one at risk to take the biggest hit here. As an Atlanta based flyer, I know I have little choice unless I want to switch to Southwest for my business travel which is not happening. However, I am willing to drop my Platinum card in an instance because the Sky Club is a nice to have, but I won’t spend the annual fee to barely get me out of January. I’ll just hang out at a restaurant…I can expense the food anyway. From that perspective, the establishments in the terminal are also a winner with these changes.
“I’m sure they have had teams of people run the math and multiple models. They also know they have large populations of captive flyers in their big hubs who have no choice but to remain loyal. I think Amex is the one at risk to take the biggest hit here.”
Exactly.
This outcome is utterly disillusioning for all of us who enjoy flying and especially the hobby :/
I don’t think airlines are interested in those of us who enjoy the hobby.
Dude who the f wants to spend almost $13k for a single flight???
let’s not post this as a shortcut which it clealy is not a viable one
I know people who only buy first class. It might not be viable for you and me. But it’s viable for some.
Also, my point was to illustrate that people who go out of their way to and spend a bunch of time on Delta flights aren’t nearly as valued as someone who can simply spend some money and get there right away.
I’ve noticed that AMEX has quietly removed the MQM status boost tracker for the Reserve card that appeared when you login to your AMEX account, and showed you your progress towards the next status boost, presumably now because rollover MQMs have instantly become almost worthless. Wondering if others noticed this as well.
I just checked and mine still shows how much for the next status “boost”.
Shana Tova! You can still earn status boosts this year.
Hmmmm , it’s such a sad news.. We may not have much choice for we live in ATL . Delta is the ONLY flight going to LOS direct for us so we are forced to kind of still like them . Other international flights , will start looking into Turkish and Qatar. Their biz classes are the best anyways ..
There are not much competition for Delta here in ATL! Sad!
Btw, I cancelled my Delta Amex reserve .. don’t see much use for it for renewal is next month . Will keep the Amex platinum for a bit . Delta broke my heart!!
18k for platinum !! Have to stop trying!
Chris and Rene have opened my eyes and you all can laugh BUT as someone who flies ATL -LAS monthly for pleasure, I just booked Spirit Airlines “BIG FRONT” seat with one checked bag departing Thursday evening and returning Sunday noonish for $629.00( for the next three months) versus a Delta flight that was comparable in times being offered for $2169.00! Free Agent all the way. Thanks guys!
You go to Vegas every month for pleasure?
As my sister would say: I’m so peanut butter and jelly. (Jealous.)
This is requisite listening whenever I’m en route to the airport for a Vegas trip: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=actrlnrSBZc
GREAT video, miss “that” Vegas, but very similar to my “addiction” (I hate to use that word) of SkyMiles. Platinum with MGM and Delta and I feel “compelled” to use their comps as my fear is they will go the way of SkyMiles.
Never made “Diamond”, although Rene shined the “mileage” runs for “MQD’s. I’ll be happy to let you know how the “Flying Banana” goes. If only I could upload the Cosmopolitan “Sake” tub from last month.
Great summary by the way, I’d lower the “MQD” thresholds for Silver, Gold, and Platinum, but RAISE Diamond!
Those who fly frequently but cheaply add value too. A full airplane is better than one with only people paying $12,000 for a ticket.
Going strictly by the amount of money spent with the airline makes Skymiles even more of a conflict of interest for business flyers who control their travel bookings and fly on the company dime than it already was. Business travelers love the perks of elite status and have come to expect them. If taking a higher cost flight over a cheaper one makes it easier to get status, that’s a huge incentive to pick the more costly flight especially considering the huge increase in the sums required for elite status. The number of Zoom meetings will likely fall in favor of finding a rationale for in-person meetings. Delta is exacerbating the conflict of interest that already exists.
Sometimes I visit more than one Skyclub at ATL, DTW, MSP etc. On connecting flights, it is common to visit a Skyclub at the departure and connection airports. Will each of those visits count as one Skyclub visit going forward? If so, holders of the applicable credit cards could blow through their visits in two or three trips.
What’s a valued Delta medallion?
A customer is one who pay a business in exchange for their products or services. It’s only natural to measure a customer’s ranking in the eyes of a business by the amount of money he/she spent, and how likely a business can profit from the transactions. On the other hand, I never believe a customer should be “loyal” to any business. You pay for something and all you need to care is how much you get back from the money you spent. I prefer to use Reward program instead of Loyalty program because the true nature of such program is always the more you spend, the more valuable you are to the business, thus, the business would reward you for your spending. No more, no less.
AMerican Express needs to be in the hot seat for disrespecting their PLat Amex clients…..HOpe they get a lot of neg feedback….
Honestly, I don’t know how much of it is American Express.
I am very upset about Delta’s changes. Having worked hard and having been very loyal to Delta and American Express for years, building up my Elite status from Silver to Gold to Platinum, it looks like I will be significantly downgraded to NO ELITE AT ALL!
Maybe Delta made a typo and meant 2:1 conversion for spend dollars on their Delta AmEx to MQD’s, rather than 20:1??
To say the least, I am NOT a happy camper at all!
@Vicki the 2:1 MQMs conversion is MQMs to Skymiles next year. If you want MQDs for your rollover MQMs that is 20:1
Hi René:
Not clear on that rollover deal. Is the 20:1 offer only for what we’d rollover for this year’s travel or is it the total rollover miles in the account (even if that is 1 million or more)?
Thanks,
@Chuck -Your year end total minus whatever level reached by year end. Example you earned Diamond and end year 200k MQMs. Thus 75 left to convert.
Hi Rene, thanks for responding. I’m confused. In the past, I often achieved my Platinum medallion status partly by the option of the “waiver” of MQDs by spending $25,000 on my Delta AmEx. But, as I understand the new rules, this waiver will no longer be available, and (other than $ spent on buying actual Delta tickets, hotels, cars, etc) I will earn 1 MQD for every $20 I spend on my Delta AmEx, meaning in the future, i will need to spend 20 x $18,000 (the new Platinum qualifier MQD’s level) =$360,000, on my Delta AmEx in order to maintain Platinum elite status.
is this correct? Please advise if I’m eight or wrong. If correct, this is a huge negative change.
@Vicki – You are correct. Yes it’s horrible.
That would be one way. But assumes you don’t fly.
You need $18k of spend so if say 5 of that was on plane tickets you need 13 x 20:1 on the Platinum card. $260k
If you flipped your hotel bookings to Delta vacations and forgave the hotel points and status then maybe you spend $6k there and that chips further away.
Rented a car for $1k. Further still.
But the $25 spend waiver is gone.
A lot of us useless Diamond, Platinum, Gold, and even Silver medallions who directed our travel to Delta no longer have incentive to do it anymore. And we don’t have incentive to brag about Delta to our friends and family and coworkers… which every Delta person I know did. When we leave all those normal flights, it’s going to take a lot of gullible people to pay $10k or whatever absurd Delta One prices exist to make up for loss of revenue when we try other airlines for our domestic travel. Never underestimate the power of a rejected Medallion member. Good luck Delta. Closing my useless Reserve Amex, and my husband will close his Platinum Amex. That’s only like $100k or more in spending per year. At least I can now buy those easier itineraries that often offer better options, since I won’t be chasing non-existent status perks, which all were declining anyhow. And has anyone actually been in DeltaOne? I have, and it has never been particularly special. Angry, old, ent it led crews. Bad food. A fully flat coach seat in a pod, sure. But it’s not Qatar or Singapore or JAL. Good riddance Delta with your bs marketing and fake fluffing up of your medallions and million milers. You did a good job of hoodwinking us.
In my opinion, Delta One is not all that. If I am comparing to Emirates, Quatar and Turkish airline Biz classes . Done those 3 at least once but because I have been enslaved to Delta will always choosing Delta one to get MQM and MQD. No more now… Sincerely I feel like I am free from the bondage of Delta! but since we are in ATL , we may not be completely free but I have to be open to go to Dubai, Doha or Istanbul before getting to my final destinations.
But what does Medallion get that ticket holder.
A better upgrade. Oh there in the best cabin.
Lounge access. Oh wait. They are on D1 they get lounge access.
Same day change. Comes with the ticket.
That ticket buyer can be a free agent and book on Virgin or BA or AA or United and get similar products. In fact Virgin might be who flies that passenger because Delta only cares about the dollars and green.
I get what you are saying but surely someone that is willing to and can afford to pay $12100 for one ticket is likely to keep on doing so. There will be people that fly once and get status but there are probably a lot of people like this with over $100K in MQD. Sadly I am not at the moment someone who can afford to pay $12.1K for one ticket!