Delta Revises Upcoming Changes to Medallion Status & Sky Club Access

In mid-September 2023, Delta announced some sweeping changes to the way members earn Medallion status, and to the Sky Club lounge access policy. The changes were significant, and reaction was negative across the board.

In the wake of Delta’s CEO hinting that the airline would reconsider some of the changes, Delta has walked back on some the changes, and has amended the proposed changes to the status qualification levels, Sky Club access policy, and other features of the program.

Delta’s Revised Medallion Qualifying Dollar Tiers

In 2024, the way you earn Delta Medallion status is set to change to a completely revenue-based model. There will no longer be Medallion Qualifying Miles or Medallion Qualifying Segments, and status will be based solely on Medallion Qualifying Dollars (MQDs).

In mid-September 2023, the new tiers for status qualification were revealed, and they represented a significant increase from the current levels. 

Now, Delta has revised the MQD levels required to obtain Medallion status to the below levels. 

It’s worth noting that these new MQD tiers are much lower than those proposed in September 2023, but still represent a sizeable increase to the status quo. Earning Delta Medallion status as of 2024 will be more onerous than it was in 2023.

As of February 1, 2024, cardholders of the personal or business Delta SkyMiles Platinum American Express Cards, as well as cardholders of the personal or business Delta SkyMiles Reserve American Express Cards, will receive a boost of 2,500 MQDs for the elite status qualification year.

Interestingly, it appears that the MQD boost can stack if you happen to hold more than one of the aforementioned cards. This opens up the opportunity to earn status without ever having set foot in a plane, year after year.

For example, if you hold both the personal and business SkyMiles Platinum cards, you’d have enough MQD to earn SkyMiles Medallion Silver status.

Plus, if you also happened to hold both the personal and business SkyMiles Reserve cards, you’d have enough MQD to earn SkyMiles Medallion Gold status. 

This would also effectively reduce the MQD requirements to reach Medallion Platinum and Diamond status, by 2,500 MQD for each card in your portfolio. Keep in mind that you can also earn MQD through spending on the aforementioned cards, too.

Delta’s Revised Sky Club Lounge Access Policy

Beginning on February 1, 2025, Delta plans to revise its Sky Club lounge access policy.

In the September 2023 announcement, the following changes were proposed:

• Delta SkyMiles Reserve cardholders would be limited to 10 Sky Club visits per year, with unlimited access upon spending $75,000 in a calendar year
• Amex US Platinum and Business Platinum cardholders would be limited to six Sky Club visits per year, with unlimited access upon spending $75,000 in a calendar year
• Delta SkyMiles Platinum cardholders (personal and business) would no longer enjoy paid Sky Club access as a cardholder benefit
• Cardholders with Sky Club access from an American Express card wouldn’t be allowed entry if travelling on a Basic Economy ticket

Delta has now revised the above changes, and Sky Club lounge access will be as follows:

• Cardholders of the Delta SkyMiles Reserve Cards will be limited to 15 Sky Club visits per year, with unlimited access upon spending $75,000 in a calendar year
• Cardholders of the American Express Platinum and Business Platinum Cards will be limited to 10 Sky Club visits per year, with unlimited access upon spending $75,000 in a calendar year
• Sky Club lounge access may be purchased for $50 (USD) per person with any of the above four cards
• One Sky Club visit counts for all visits made within a period of 24 hours. Therefore, you can visit multiple Sky Clubs at different airports within a 24-hour period, and it will only use one of your allotted visits

The restrictions on Delta SkyMiles Platinum cardholders and passengers on Basic Economy tickets will still apply. These come into effect as of January 1, 2024.

Delta’s Revised MQM Rollover, Lifetime Status, & Choice Benefits

In the latest revisions to the program, Delta has also changed its approach to MQM Rollover, the requirements and benefits of its Million Miler program, and the Choice Benefits offered to Medallion Platinum and Diamond members.

More MQM Rollover Options

For Medallion members with Rollover MQMs going into 2024, Delta is now offering more options for what to do with the MQMs. As a reminder, MQMs will no longer be part of the Medallion status program as of the 2024 qualification year.

Medallion members will now have the option to convert Rollover MQMs into MQDs or SkyMiles, or a combination of the two. If converting to MQDs, the ratio is 10:1 (up from the 20:1 ratio initially offered), and if converting to SkyMiles, the ratio is 2:1.

For members with a Rollover MQM balance of over 100,000, you’ll have the option to extend the status earned for 2024 by one year for each 100,000 Rollover MQMs available.

For example, if you earned Diamond Medallion status for 2024, you can extend it through 2025 with 100,000 Rollover MQMs, to 2026 with 200,000 Rollover MQMs, and so on.

New Million Miler Thresholds and Benefits

Delta is also revising its Million Miler program, beginning on January 1, 2024.

Currently, Delta’s Million Miler program is structured as follows:

• At one million miles, you earn SkyMiles Silver Medallion status for life
• At two million miles, you earn SkyMiles Gold Medallion status for life
• At three & four million miles, you earn SkyMiles Platinum Medallion status for life
• At five & six million miles, you earn SkyMiles Diamond Medallion status for life

Importantly, MQMs earned through flying, class-of-service bonuses, and credit card spending have counted towards your Million Miler status.

However, as of January 1, 2024, your Million Miler status will be dependent on lifetime flight miles, and since the program is doing away with MQMs altogether, you won’t be able to earn MQMs via credit card spending.

All existing MQM balances will be honoured at a 1:1 ratio, but as of January 1, 2024, you’ll need to fly to make progress towards Million Miler status.

On the other hand, if you earn Million Miler status, you’ll enjoy a higher tier of status under the revised program, outlined as follows:

• At one million miles, you’ll earn SkyMiles Gold Medallion status for life (up from Silver)
• At two million miles, you’ll earn SkyMiles Platinum Medallion status for life (up from Gold)
• At three million miles, you’ll earn SkyMiles Diamond Medallion status for life (up from Gold)
• At four million miles, you’ll earn SkyMiles Diamond Medallion status for life (up from Platinum)
• At five million miles, you’ll earn Delta 360 status for life (up from Platinum)
• At six million miles, you’ll earn Delta 360 status for life (up from Diamond)

While Miller Miler status will be harder to earn, you’ll enjoy a higher tier of status than under the previous structure, including the invitation-only Delta 360 status. 

Whether or not these changes are positive for you will depend on how you earn miles. If it’s through flying, then you stand to benefit, whereas if you earn via credit card spending, you stand to lose out.

New Medallion Choice Benefits for Platinum & Diamond Members

The last of the revised changes to the SkyMiles Medallion status program have to do with the Choice Benefits offered to Platinum and Diamond Medallion members.

For the 2025 Medallion year, the following Choice Benefits will be available for Platinum and Diamond members to choose from:

• An MQD Accelerator for the following Medallion Qualifying Year ($1,000 for Platinum, $2,000 for Diamond)
• Delta Sky Club membership for Diamond Medallion Members (in exchange for two Choice Benefit selections)
• 30,000 bonus miles for Platinum members or 35,000 bonus miles for Diamond members
• $300 Delta travel voucher for Platinum members, or a $350 Delta travel voucher for Diamond members
• A new Wheels Up statement flight credit

Medallion Status Is Still Harder to Earn than Before

It’s interesting that Delta has reneged on some of the sweeping changes it proposed last month to how members earn status and access Sky Club lounges.

Typically, when changes are made, program members must simply deal with them, and it’s unusual for a loyalty program to reconsider the proposed changes.

However, given how widespread the negative reaction was to the changes, it’s not surprising that Delta has made amendments to the proposed changes in such a short amount of time.

On the other hand, it’s still going to be more difficult to earn Delta Medallion status as of 2024, so it’s not like Delta is doing a complete about-face here; rather it’s just walking back a bit.

When it comes to earning status, the same tiers are now 25–67% higher than before, rather than 50–100% higher from the initial announcement.

When it comes to Sky Club access, cardholders now have a greater allotment of complimentary visits; however, it’s still a reduction from the current unlimited lounge access policy with the cards.

As for the other changes, it’s worth noting that being able to extend status for a year in exchange for 100,000 Rollover MQMs will be well-received by anyone who would have otherwise extended their status this way. Furthermore, the ratios for converting Rollover MQMs into MQDs is better than initially announced.

The changes to Million Miler status are a bit of a mixed bag, since the status will become harder to earn with the loss of MQMs earned from credit card spending counting towards lifetime status. 

On the other hand, the lifetime status tiers are receiving a boost, including up to the invitation-only Delta 360 status. Therefore, if you make it to any of the Million Miler statuses, you’ll be better off than you were before.

If you fly a lot with Delta, then the Million Miler program changes will likely be an enhancement; however, if you were working your way up through MQMs earned on credit card spending, you’ll now have to change your flying patterns to benefit from the program going forward.

It remains to be seen if the damage has already been done, since the initial reaction from many Delta members was largely negative. 

Conclusion

In September 2023, Delta announced sweeping changes to its Medallion status program and Sky Club lounge access. Reaction to the changes was very negative, and Delta has now revised the proposed changes.

While the MQD requirements for status are lower than what was proposed last month, they’re still higher than the current state of affairs, and earning status as of 2024 will be more onerous than it is now.

Likewise, passengers who enjoy Sky Club lounge access through credit cards will receive a greater allotment of visits than initially proposed; however, it’s still a reduction from the current unlimited visits on the cards.

In any event, it’s clear that Delta realizes its changes missed the mark completely, and it remains to be seen if members will continue to engage with the program or if the damage has already been done.