To put this in perspective, you’d need to book 25 round-trip economy-class flights from New York-JFK to San Francisco (SFO) at an average price of at least $600 apiece to reach Diamond status.
Diamond Medallion: 125,000 MQMs or 140 MQSs plus 15,000 MQDs.Platinum Medallion: 75,000 MQMs or 100 MQSs plus 9,000 MQDs.Gold Medallion: 50,000 MQMs or 60 MQSs plus 6,000 MQDs.Silver Medallion: 25,000 MQMs or 30 MQSs plus 3,000 MQDs.(Photo by Cooper Neill/Getty Images) In This PostĪs detailed in our guide to Delta elite status, there are some specific requirements to become a Medallion member in the SkyMiles program, involving a set amount of flying - either Medallion Qualification Miles (MQMs) or Medallion Qualification Segments (MQSs) - plus a certain amount of spending - namely, Medallion Qualification Dollars (MQDs). Sign up for the TPG daily newsletter to get points and miles coverage like this delivered to your inbox. Today, we’ll go through exactly how you can earn Delta Medallion status without flying.
Instead, there are simple ways to help your qualification prospects throughout the year. Note that we’re not talking about last-minute strategies you can employ at the end of the year when you’re just shy of a given Medallion tier. And of all the major airline loyalty programs, Delta SkyMiles is probably the easiest to accomplish this with.
Although some carriers have lowered qualification thresholds for this year, those higher-tier status levels can still be hard to reach.įortunately, there are ways to help earn elite status without taking to the skies - which can be particularly appealing in current times.
There’s a ton of value to becoming an elite traveler with your preferred airline, from complimentary upgrades to free checked bags to bonus points or miles. Economy Comfort seats are offered to a companion of Economy Comfort complimentary-eligible customers at no charge.Editor’s note: This is a recurring post, regularly updated with new information.Įarning airline elite status can unlock an array of perks on your future trips. Excess, oversize, and/or overweight baggage fees may apply.Įconomy Comfort seating is limited and may not be available on all flights. Rollover benefit means Medallion Qualification Miles earned in 2012 above a member’s earned Medallion threshold level will roll over to 2013 and count toward 2014 Medallion status qualification.īaggage fee waiver applies to up to 9 people traveling in the eligible member’s reservation. Offers and benefits subject to change without notice. Complimentary Upgrades are not available in markets that are serviced with BusinessElite® product. Medallion Complimentary Upgrades are subject to availability and may not be available on all flights or in all markets. Purchased MQMs will count toward qualifications for SkyMiles Medallion and Million Miler status and will not count toward a member’s available mileage balance for Award Travel.īuy MQMs may only be received into SkyMiles accounts that have been established for at least 10 days and have earned at least one automatically posted mile since enrolling in the SkyMiles program. Purchased MQMs through the Buy MQMs program will only be deposited toward a member’s 2012 MQM balance.
Purchaser must purchase the minimum transaction amount per transaction of 2,500 MQMs. Purchaser may not purchase more than 10,000 MQMs for posting to his or her own account during any one calendar year. All Buy MQMs transactions are final and non-refundable. The Buy MQMs program is a limited-time offer and will be available 12:00 a.m. Please allow 24 hours for the MQMs purchased under the Buy MQMs Program to be posted to a SkyMiles account. Here are the terms and conditions of this offer: Had my priority been domestic upgrades on Delta, buying up to Platinum would have made sense. You have to make a decision whether it would make sense for you to buy some MQM’s under this offer if it allows you to hit higher status with Delta. The main benefit that I get from SkyMiles is the SkyTeam Elite Plus status for business class check in and lounge access on SkyTeam international flights ticketed in economy.
If I don’t buy the MQM’s, all the MQM’s over 50K would roll over to the 2013 and count towards 2014 requalification. I could purchase the required MQM’s to hit the 75K Platinum level, but all I would get is the Economy Comfort on KL flights, if ticketed in economy, and one Choice benefit for hitting 75K level. Right now, I am sitting at 67K MQM’s on Delta’s program for the year. Note that there is a separate offer for joining Delta’s Sky Club and earning 1,500 MQM’s through that purchase. If you are short of qualifying for Silver, Gold, Platinum, or Diamond status, it can make sense to purchase some MQM’s.