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A longtime Eye of the Flyer reader had a rather confusing chat with a Delta customer service representative yesterday.
“Lillian,” (we’ll call her) chatted with Delta rep “Kathy” (also a pseudonym). Lillian asked a question many people are wondering: when Medallion members’ roll over Medallion Qualification Miles (MQM) can be converted to Medallion Qualification Dollars (MQD) and/or redeemable SkyMiles. (I adjusted a few numbers to further protect their privacy.)
Lillian: Hi Kathy. I was wondering when I get to decide how I get to rollover my extra MQMs? I know I can convert to MQDs or miles. Not sure how the policy works thanks.
Kathy: Delta will be emailing the information to you in late January to advise on the rollover will be done to convert MQMs to MQDs. Please watch for the email.
So, we have that information. Great!
Lillian then asked how many MQM she has. That’s when things get a little strange.
Lillian: Oh great thank you! Do you know how many I have by any chance?
Kathy: My pleasure! Thank you again for your loyalty. You show 2023 MQMs of 163,133.
Lillian: So will 75K be removed for my platinum or do I get to convert all?
Kathy: The rollover wil {sic} 10MQMs {sic} will equal 1 MQD.
Lillian: I mean will I roll over the entire 163?
Kathy: No. First, Delta will subtract 75000 from 163133. You will need at least 100,000 remaining to convert. Your remaining balance is 88133. You need at least 100000. You will not have any mileage to convert to MQDs.
Wait, what? That’s not what Delta says.
Lillian: You are kidding. I thought 100K is for continued status.
Kathy: I apologize
Lillian: I lose them? Completely? That’s BS. I flew those miles!
Kathy: You do not lose the mileage. You have no mileage to convert to MQDs to qualify towards a status for 2024. You will need to have 12000 MQDs in flights flown to earn status for 2025.
Well, right. It’s too late to earn 2024 Medallion status.
Lillian: I lose 86K MQMs right? That sucks. And really (does) not reward loyalty. I’ve been platinum for almost 15 years and I am a million miler. I feel like this new policy is really [redacted]. I know it is not your fault.
Kathy: No. i apologize for the confusion. You have not lost any mileage earned for the flights that you flew. Your total mileage in your account is 730,618.
Is Kathy confused between MQM and SkyMiles?
Lillian: I know that. But MQMs I legitimately earned and would have rolled over are now trashed.
Kathy: Delta is no longer using MQMs to qualify for status. It will only be MQDs that earn status.
I confirmed with a Delta spokesperson that you do not need a minimum of 100,000 rollover MQM to convert into MQD or SkyMiles.
Yes, it’s 100,000 MQM per year to extend your 2024 Medallion status, should you choose to go that route. But we’ll also be able to convert MQM to MQD at 10:1 ratio and/or SkyMiles at a 2:1 ratio.
Don’t worry!
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Why wasn’t this new feature available on January 1?
@FNT – We are still under the old medallion year. The new year does not start until 1FEB each year. Delta has alerted us after 1FEB we will be able to choose.
New year for earning, old year for status. I understand why they do it, but it’s hella confusing.
@M – Yeah agree.
February 1 can’t come fast enough.
If one hypothetically has 400,000 rollover MQMs on January 1, 2024, has earned Diamond status for 2024, and chooses to extend Diamond status for two years, what are one’s options for the remaining 75,000 MQMs after 125,000 MQMs are deducted for 2024, and 200,000 MQMs are deducted to extend status for medallion years 2025 and 2026? Thank you.
You can convert the remaining MQM to redeemable SkyMiles at a 2:1 ratio.
Chatted at length with Delta yesterday via my Diamond account and after deducting for my Diamond next year I have enough MQM’s to extend two more years plus about 70k to convert. I was trying to find out how they would handle (or if there was any purpose in keeping my Delta CC) any MQD’s earned for the next three years and was told, after asking a few different ways, that they would clear the balance to zero at year end and that for at least the next two years earning MQD’s is worthless.
Still a lot of loose ends to it all!And is the IT dept really ready for all of this??
Here is a question. Say I have 299,000 miles starting in 2024(after my diamond miles are removed for 2024 status. I’ve would supposedly get 2 extended years of diamond status with 99k miles left to convert.
1. When do they convert? In year one when I don’t need them? This they are c useless…Or…
2. After my two extended years are complete and used for the the year when I have to work for status.?
Hopefully this quotation makes sense.
Because you have until the end of the year, you they should tack on after whatever you earn for 2025 expires.
Hypothetical scenario…
299000k miles on 1231/23.
● use 200k to extend status 2 years. 99k left.
When does the 99k convert? After the two year extension when you can use them to help get a leg up on mqds for 2027? Or…
ln 2025 when they are worthless since I don’t need any mqds for 2 years.
Hope I’m making sense. Because then it would be no choice but to convert to miles right?
Hope I’m making sense.
You can convert everything before 12/31/2024.
On a related topic, do you know when the $2500 MQM’s for having a delta platinum or reserve card will be place in our account’s?
Should be some time in February.
Chris, great article. So if you made Diamond for 2024, but have less than 100k MQMs remaining to convert (cannot extend status), you can convert them to MQDs OR miles from anytime between Feb 1,2023-Dec 31, 2024?
Separately, why does my new Diamond card in my profile show that I have status until Jan 1,2026, not 2025? Seems wrong, not that I am complaining. Thoughts?
Thanks, Ryan, for your kind words.
“So if you made Diamond for 2024, but have less than 100k MQMs remaining to convert (cannot extend status), you can convert them to MQDs OR miles from anytime between Feb 1,2023-Dec 31, 2024?”
You can do either or both. For example, if you have 75,000 MQM, you could convert, like, 50,000 to $5K MQD and the 25K to 12.5 SkyMiles
“Separately, why does my new Diamond card in my profile show that I have status until Jan 1,2026, not 2025? Seems wrong, not that I am complaining. Thoughts?”
So, your app says status is good through 1/2026, my app shows that mine is good through 1/2024, even though I’m (allegedly!) set through 1/2025. Delta IT, man.
Another hypothetical. 265k MQM. After 24 diamond= 140. So diamond in 25. But what if we qualify independently for diamond again this year? Is that 1 year rollover now lost if not converted to regular skymiles?
Hi, Dave. Just so I’m clear: You already qualified for 2024 DM status and will roll over 140k MQM. You could extend your 2024 status another year for 100K MQM and be set for 2025. But you might earn it organically and wonder what’ll happen if you extend it now.
If that’s the case, I’d wait until close to the end of the year to decide if you want to convert your MQM to another year of DM or into SkyMiles (or both).
(Disclosure: I’ve worked crazy hours for a client the past few days, so please LMK if I’m missing something.)
thanks chris. You got it. Exactly what I was looking for. Which kind of sucks. (Assuming I re-qualify organically). But agree. Wait until end of year to make that decision. Have a good rest of your weekend.
hi Chris, what is recommended to do – MQD or miles conversion with the rollover MQM? I only have 30k. thanks
What are your status goals?
can only hope to be silver from now on….:(
Remember that four Delta Amex cards will get you $2,500 MQD each starting next month. That’s enough for Gold. If you roll over 30k MQM to $3k MQD, you’re at $13,000 before spending a dime on airfare. That’s only $2k away from Platinum.
Oooh!! Thanks!
hi if you are now a lifetime diamond member 3/4 million miles , it will be best maybe just to exchange, mom for miles? also you could gift mom with amex reserve, will you be about to gift anything, im in sky club at jfk ,and had to explain to them I could come in , which they did?? thx Craig
If you’re lifetime Diamond, I see no reason to exchange MQM for MQD.
You’re not able to gift anything with the Reserve card anymore.
Is there still a way to see how many MQMs we have to roll over? I cannot find this on my SkyMiles status mage any more; it just shows MQDs.
@Brent – There used to be a way to see the “raw data” file on Delta.com but they killed that as of the 1st. I have not yet found anything other than calling and asking to see the data.
End of year screen shot (for end of 2023, it’s too late), but keep that in mind for the future.