Time is short, but if you think youre not quite going to make the earning threshold of your elite status tier, there are still some good options out there to put you over the top. So, you should only apply for the program when youre ready (and planning) to start flying again. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer. However, if you or your business use the service anyway, it might be a good option to bypass all the other requirements and go straight to the top. Here's a look at the current offers for the Delta Platinum and Reserve cards, and their business equivalents: Related: Delta SkyMiles Reserve Amex card review. Does that mean I have this status for just December of 2021 (the remainder of the year)? Deltas Medallion elite status works much the same as other major U.S. carriers like American and United, with spending minimums for each tier and a whole bunch of acronyms like MQMs and MQDs. So, an award ticket that costs 40,000 SkyMiles earns $400 MQD toward elite status once you complete the flight. When does Medallion status end? : r/delta - Reddit Delta Medallion elite status is typically valid through Jan. 31 of the year following the calendar year in which you earned the status. If you're short of your goal, here are some ideas for earning the Medallion qualifying miles (MQM), segments (MQS) and dollars (MQM) you need before the end of the year. You want a travel credit card that prioritizes whats important to you. Related: 3 TPG staffers reveal their favorite elite status perks. You only earn MQDs towards your account when purchasing a flight for yourself. However, there is one major exception to keep in mind. However, the number of Medallion Qualification Dollars earned from partner flights is not based on the cost of the ticket but rather as a fraction of the miles flown. The article is rather confusing; the first section How to earn silver medallion status states you need to fly 25,000 miles. To earn this status, you must have MQDs of at least: Lest you think a Medallion Qualification Dollar is just a dollar, Delta makes it a little more complicated. For travelers who fly frequently on Delta and its partners, Medallion status can provide both savings and comforts. You can earn status by flying and spending enough within a single calendar year, and once earned youll keep it through the following calendar year. This is good for all flights, both domestic and internationally. Most partners offer their own combination of benefits to these two groups. Personally, I dont feel this is very achievable with even just a little bit of flying as I travel to at least one new country annually, and take 6-8 weeks off a year for travel, yet would struggle to fly 25,000 miles in a year. So, if your ticket costs $500 $100 of which are taxes and fees youll earn 400 Medallion Qualification Dollars. However, some basic requirements must be met to qualify. How much is Delta Medallion status worth? Have elite status from another qualifying airline. Keep up with your favorite financial topics on NerdWallet. How to gift airline and hotel elite status - The Points Guy Free baggage, free flight changes, free upgrades, complimentary, In Deltas status universe, you cant game the system by taking several long, cheap flights (as you can on. ) last-minute elite status qualification on United. These are high spending thresholds, but you might also be spending more on your cobranded credit card than you realize. Megan Lee joined the travel rewards team at NerdWallet with over 12 years of SEO, writing and content development experience, primarily in international education and nonprofit work. But on the bright side, you can still leverage partner fares to earn MQD quickly. Especially if you can earn elite status in the long run and take advantage of its value. Yes, they still send credentials out, a friend of mine just hit Silver a couple months back and got card in the mail a couple weeks later. Hi Tim. If you have your eye set on the Companion Pass, you should try to qualify as early in the year as possible to get close to two full years of free companion flights. Improve earnings, maximize rewards and track progress toward dream trips. Are MQDs earned any time you purchase Delta flights on your Amex Delta Reserve Card for your friends and/or family or only when purchasing Delta flights for yourself? This site does not include all credit card companies or all available credit card offers that are on the market. How long does it take to update Medallion Status? - FlyerTalk Hot Tip: The Silver Medallion phone number is 800-323-2323. It all depends on the type of airport youre in: CLEAR is a program that allows you to speed through the ID and boarding pass verification process before entering the metal detectors at U.S. airports. Basically, you should never truly count on upgrades with Delta Silver status - especially if you live in a busy Delta hub. Last-minute strategies for earning Delta Medallion elite status, This post contains references to products from one or more of our advertisers. Today's post will focus on Delta Medallion status, but check out our guide to last-minute elite status qualification on United too. Safe travels! When youre at the airport, youll have access to dedicated priority queues to help check you in faster. A Diamond Medallion on a lower fare will always receive an upgrade over a Platinum Medallion on a higher fare. Most airlines provide multiple ways or have more than one requirement to earn elite status. You can also participate in a 1-time status challenge if you have status with another eligible airline and want to start flying Delta. So, when considering whether to book a partner flight through Delta or through the partner itself, you should compare the number of Medallion Qualification Dollars (and miles) youll earn in each scenario. Delta offers a unique choose-your-own benefit option for both Platinum and Diamond Medallion members. Beware as Delta changes its basic economy rules again, 3 TPG staffers reveal their favorite elite status perks, I just earned airline elite status for the first time and Im never going back, Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information. Even though the year is coming to a close, theres still time to level up to the next tier of Delta Medallion elite status. This example itinerary takes you from New York to Johannesburg via London's Heathrow Airport (LHR), which clocks in at 18,143 miles round trip. Medallion Qualification Miles are based on miles flown, while the Medallion Qualification Dollars are based on the number of miles used divided by 100. He has spoken about travel rewards at CardCon, the Altitude conference and AwardWallet's Award Travel 101 podcast. In the meantime, your status should be reflected on your profile and printed out on boarding passes when you check in. Many of the credit card offers that appear on this site are from credit card companies from which we receive financial compensation. If you have not achieved Silver status at the time of the flight then youll receive 5x miles per $1 for your flight. So youd need to rent 5 times from Hertz to even receive 1 of these free flights. One of the more expensive costs of travel is checked bag fees. Editorial disclaimer: Opinions expressed here are the authors alone, not those of any bank, credit card issuer, airline or hotel chain, and have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any of these entities. This varies slightly from airline to airline but describes the period during which your elite status is valid. Waiting for Your Delta MQMs to Roll Over? Don't Worry, Read This However, also remember that MQD requirements are going up next year for Gold, Platinum and Diamond Medallion status. But, as mentioned above, some carriers dont use a calendar-year qualification period. Silver medal - Wikipedia Find the right card for you. It's important to log in to your account and read any notices from the airline to ensure you have the most up-to-date information. With enough spending on your JetBlue Plus Card or JetBlue Business Card, you could earn Mosaic status from home. Even the lowest tier of Delta Medallion status, Silver Medallion, can offer hundreds of dollars in value by saving you on, You want a travel credit card that prioritizes whats important to you. 1. Delta also has a program called Reclaim My Status, a Delta Medallion Benefit that helps you return to status. SkyTeam Elite is the lower of the 2 levels and offers the most basic benefits. Medallion Qualification Dollar (MQD) Waiver: If you make at least $25,000 in purchases in a year on select Delta American Express credit cards, your MQD requirement for Silver, Gold, or Platinum Medallion status will be waived. One quick note: Because Delta has rolled over MQM from 2020 to 2021 and later from 2021 to 2022 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, we're going to focus on partner MQD mileage runs for this edition. Your status is determined by the Loyalty Points posted to your account for the 12-month period starting on March 1 of each year. He's been a miles and points fanatic since 2014 and previously wrote for Upgraded Points and Credit Karma. Customers needing assistance or additional time to board, Active-duty U.S. military personnel with ID, Virgin Atlantic Flying Club Silver members, $50 savings on vacations of $1,250 to $2,499, $100 savings on vacations of $2,500 to $3,999, $150 savings on vacations of $4,000 to $6,999, $300 savings on vacations of $7,000 or more, Fly 6,250 Medallion Qualifying Miles OR 8 Medallion Qualifying Segments, Spend $750 Medallion Qualifying Dollars, or participate in the Medallion Qualifying Dollar Waiver by spending $25,000 on an eligible American Express co-branded credit card, Unlimited rollover Elite Qualifying Miles (EQMs), 7 miles per dollar earned on all purchased tickets, Unlimited complimentary upgrades to Delta One on the day of departure, Unlimited complimentary upgrades to first class beginning 24 hours prior to departure, Unlimited complimentary upgrades to Delta Comfort+ beginning 24 hours prior to departure, Unlimited complimentary upgrades on select routes for companions, Unlimited complimentary upgrades to Class Premier on select Aeromexico flights, 1,000 miles per qualifying rental with Hertz. Jamie first got hooked on miles and points during a high school choir trip to Europe, where he flew in Lufthansa first class (thanks to his dads then US Airways miles) because economy was sold out. Moving into one of these seats gets you additional legroom, but also allows you to continue to upgrade to the first class cabin, which has even better seats. is a former senior editor at The Points Guy covering loyalty programs. Delta's top-tier Diamond Medallion status is not nearly as valuable as the boffo $29,000 that NerdWallet estimates. If youre trying to purchase a ticket on a particular flight, Silver Medallion customers can get on a priority waitlist if their particular class of service is not available. His obsession with travel rewards started with a business-class flight to New Zealand on Emirates, which earned him instant Alaska MVP Gold status. For example, a flight from Atlanta (ATL) to Salt Lake City (SLC) to Los Angeles (LAX) is 2 segments. We take your comments very seriously as they really help us to improve the site. 4. As mentioned above, American Airlines AAdvantage switched to Loyalty Points in March 2022. Editorial disclaimer: Opinions expressed here are the authors alone, not those of any bank, credit card issuer, airline or hotel chain, and have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any of these entities. MQM (150% in W, S, K or H fare classes): 27,214. What Is the Value of Delta Silver Medallion Status? Here's a look at the spend thresholds: Of course, this is not the cheapest option for earning Delta elite status. For more information on our advertisers and how we make money, see our advertising policy here. This site does not include all credit card companies or all available credit card offers that are on the market. Sign up and well send you Nerdy articles about the money topics that matter most to you along with other ways to help you get more from your money. Unlike most other airlines, Delta lets you earn elite status on. To be upgraded on Aeromexico, you must have your SkyMiles number in your reservation and youll automatically be added to the upgrade list. We really appreciate it! Related: Credit cards that can help you earn airline elite status. We only recommend products we either use ourselves or endorse. There are a number of credit cards with lounge access if thats important to you. Many of the credit card offers that appear on this site are from credit card companies from which we receive financial compensation. The simplest but most expensive way to rack up a few thousand extra MQMs quickly is simply to buy them from the airline. If you're a high-spender, you can stack the MQM bonuses from both cards to earn even more MQM. The most important thing is to know where you stand now, and how short youll be after accounting for the rest of your planned travel for this year. We'll run a soft credit check to find special offers, but it wont affect your credit score. Youre going to be granted a 3-month period of the status you previously held, no strings attached, but will need to keep up certain requirements to have that status extended for the remainder of the year. Silver Medallions will get to experience complimentary upgrades, access to reservations agents before general members, and priority check-in privileges, among other benefits, making it very useful for enhancing the travel experience. This post contains references to products from one or more of our advertisers. The Reclaim My Status is only available to Medallion members, so as a Silver Medallion, you can certainly partake. Get more smart money moves straight to your inbox. You will still need to reach the MQM threshold. As of Jan 15, I only needed 1,024 more MQMs and $10k Im spending to achieve Silver status. Silver Medallion members receive priority boarding privileges. For example, although upgrades begin clearing for Diamond members 120 hours prior to departure as the above table describes, this only means that they get the first crack at seats that are available at that point. To fully understand when your airline elite status expires, you should consider two sets of dates: Most of the major U.S. airlines used a calendar year as their qualification period.