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The conversion deadline for rollover Delta SkyMiles Medallion Qualification Miles (MQM) is only hours away. If you haven’t executed your choice, do it now.
(Terms apply to American Express benefits and offers. Enrollment may be required for select American Express benefits and offers. Visit americanexpress.com to learn more.)
Where Can You Convert Your Delta MQM?
I’d go to the Fly Delta app. Select “Account” at the bottom of the screen, then tap “SKYMILES.” Scroll until you see “You have Rollover MQMs that can be converted by December 31, 2024.” Then tap “Convert Now.”
Convert Delta MQM to MQD and/or SkyMiles
You have at least two options for converting your rollover MQM:
- Convert them to redeemable SkyMiles at a 2:1 ratio
- Convert them to MQD at a 10:1 ratio
Plus, Medallion members with at least 100,000 MQM may extend their 2024 status for 100,000 MQM per year. For example, if you have 300,000 MQM — you can enjoy whatever status you had to start 2024 through January 2028. These extensions start February 1, 2025, regardless of what status you earn during 2024. There is the possibility of having “status overlap.” You can’t get any status extensions to start in 2026.
There are prescribed redemption amounts from which you can choose:
- 100% MQD
- 75% MQD + 25% redeemable SkyMiles
- 50% MQD + 50% redeemable SkyMiles
- 25% MQD + 75% redeemable SkyMiles
- 100% redeemable SkyMiles
What Should You Do?
This, of course, depends on how many MQM you have, what your Delta travel plans are, and how much you want which tier of status.
Million Milers get lifetime Medallion status. 1 Million Milers receive Gold, 2 Million Milers enjoy Platinum, and 3 Million Milers get Diamond. 5 Million Milers and higher receive annual invitations to Delta 360. So, it doesn’t make much sense for 3 Million Milers and up to convert their MQM to MQD. Redeemable SkyMiles is the way to go.
You might be happy with your current status level (or not chasing status anymore) and be happy converting your MQM to SkyMiles. For example, I know someone who earned Platinum Medallion through Delta airfares and Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card purchases. She doesn’t have enough rollover MQM to make Diamond, so she’s choosing 100% redeemable SkyMiles.
What if after your MQM-to-MQD conversion, you’re still short of your desired tier level?
You have a couple of options that you should get on right now.
The first, easiest, and most affordable is getting at least one of the four Delta SkyMiles® American Express Cards that give cardholders $2,500 per card:
- Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card (Current annual fee: $650. For rates and fees of the Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card, please visit this link. )
- Delta SkyMiles® Reserve Business American Express Card (Current annual fee: $650. For rates and fees of the Delta SkyMiles® Reserve Business American Express Card, please visit this link.
- Delta SkyMiles® Platinum American Express Card (Current annual fee: $350. For rates and fees of the Delta SkyMiles® Platinum American Express Card, please visit this link.)
- Delta SkyMiles® Platinum Business American Express Card (Current annual fee: $350. For rates and fees of the Delta SkyMiles® Platinum Business American Express Card, please visit this link.)
Those cards also come with Companion Certifcates in the second year of card membership.
Let’s say you’re between $2,501 and $5,000 MQD short of your desired Medallion status tier. You could get the personal/consumer Delta Platinum and Business Delta Platinum. That’s $700 in annual fees and you get $5,000 MQD. That alone gets you Silver Medallion status.
- For rates and fees of the Delta SkyMiles® Platinum American Express Card, please visit this link.)
- For rates and fees of the Delta SkyMiles® Platinum Business American Express Card, please visit this link.
SkyMiles members can earn up to $10,000 MQD each year for holding those Delta Amexes. In other words, $2,000 in annual fees for having one of each of the above cards earns you $10,000 MQD. You’re basically “buying” Gold Medallion status for two grand.
(If you’re like me and downgraded some of your Delta Amexes during the more dire times of the COVID-19 pandemic, you can upgrade those cards.)
Happy Early New Year!
For rates and fees of the Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card, please visit this link.
For rates and fees of the Delta SkyMiles® Reserve Business American Express Card, please visit this link.
For rates and fees of the Delta SkyMiles® Platinum American Express Card, please visit this link.
For rates and fees of Delta SkyMiles® Platinum Business American Express Card, please visit this link.
Advertiser Disclosure: Eye of the Flyer, a division of Chatterbox Entertainment, Inc., is part of an affiliate sales network and receives compensation for sending traffic to partner sites, such as CreditCards.com. Some or all of the card offers that appear on the website are from advertisers. Compensation may impact how and where card products appear on the site. This site does not include all card companies or all available card offers. Opinions, reviews, analyses & recommendations are the author’s alone, and have not been reviewed, endorsed, or approved by any of these entities. Some of the links on this page are affiliate or referral links. We may receive a commission or referral bonus for purchases or successful applications made during shopping sessions or signups initiated from clicking those links.
Responses are not provided or commissioned by the bank advertiser. Responses have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by the bank advertiser. It is not the bank advertiser's responsibility to ensure all posts and/or questions are answered.
I’m still not clear on what you can do with MQDs or skymiles when you convert them. Will skymiles be redeemable for purchasing tickets like MQMs are now? It’s my understanding that the MQDs are strictly for status. Is that correct? Thanks
MQD go toward status only. Redeemable SkyMiles can be used toward award tickets and Pay With Miles or other SkyMiles redemptions. MQM earning died on January 1, 2024.
Hey Chris,
Regarding the $2,500 MQD bonus (per card) on the AMX SM Platinum and AMX SM Platinum Business, do you have any idea how quickly the bonus would be added to an account? I’d apply today if it was confirmed to be deposited on or before 12/31. Thanks.
Mike
It takes up to 8 weeks but, according to Amex, applies retroactively.
Real life example to this question… I applied and received approval for my Platinum AMEX on 10/8 this year. I just checked my skymile account activities log; and it shows that the 2500 MQD Headstart was applied on 11/22 – 1.5 months later.
@RS —- thanks much for the data point!
So if I made a big purchase on my delta platinum card today, the mqds won’t apply to this year 2024?
As I read it, it should count toward this year.
Per the Delta Platinum Amex’s Ts and Cs:
Hi Chris – i currently have platinum medallion status and have $13500 of the $15000 spend that would get me to platinum for 2025. I have 71,120 MQM to convert and one of the options is the following: $1,778 MQDs + 26,670 miles. If i do that conversion, would it get me over the $15,000 threshold i need to get platinum for 2025?
Thanks
$1,778 + $13,500 = $15,278. So, yes, you’d have juuuust enough to make it.
I finally converted this weekend after confirming my questions with Delta. I had already achieved Diamomd status for 2025. If you are in similar situation, the only choice that makes sense is to convert all to MILES. I had 220,000 MQMs. If I applied for two year future Diamond, I would double pay for 1 year of 2026 status as all upgrades MUST start February 1st 2025. Same for MQDs being wasted for 2025 because I have earned status. Top customers suffer over this deal because you lose all benefits of conversion to achieve status. Take the miles!
I’m an infrequent traveler. I’m at 4002 MQD’s for this year. I have 51000 MQM’s. If I do a 25% conversion of my MQM’s to MQD’s ( 1300 MQDs or so) does this get me silver medallion for 2025. The FAQ is definitely confusing.
Yes, that should give you Silver.
Diamond through 2030 here.