How To Get Delta Air Lines Medallion Elite Status (And Is It Worth It?)

Having airline elite status can make flying so much more enjoyable. It could mean no more cramped middle seats or being the last one to board. Delta Air Lines’ loyalty program is called SkyMiles and its elite Medallion status levels offer lots of benefits and perks such as free checked bags and upgrades that will appeal to any Delta flyer.

In this post, we’ll show you exactly how to earn Delta elite status plus we’ll go over the benefits of each level. Finally, we’ll answer the all-important question — is it even worth it?

Delta Air Lines Elite Status

As a Delta SkyMiles member, you’ll be able to earn Medallion status based on a few criteria. Before we get into the nitty-gritty of how to earn Delta Medallion status, there are a few terms you’ll need to understand.

Medallion Qualification Miles (MQMs): MQMs are based on the fare class of your ticket (excluding Basic Economy) and the actual number of miles flown. These are different than miles earned for award travel which are based on ticket price and Medallion status level. Delta SkyMiles don’t expire, but MQMs reset at the beginning of each year.

Medallion Qualification Segments (MQSs): MQSs are based on the number of flight segments you take (excluding Basic Economy). For example, a nonstop flight from San Francisco to Miami would qualify as one segment. However, if you had the same flight, but with a connection in Atlanta, that would qualify as 2 segments.

Medallion Qualification Dollars (MQDs): MQDs are for U.S.-based SkyMiles members only and are based on how much you spend on Delta flights and select partner airline flights. For Delta-marketed flights (with “DL” in the airline code) this includes the base fare and carrier-imposed surcharges but excludes other taxes and fees. For select partner flights, you’ll earn 1/5 of the “redeemable” miles you earn for that flight.

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. If you spend at least $250,000, the MQD requirement for Diamond Medallion status will be waived.

Qualification Period: The qualification period runs on a calendar year, so you have from January 1, 2023, through December 31, 2023, to earn elite status for the 2024 Medallion year.

Medallion Year: Each Medallion year runs through January of the following calendar year. For example, if you meet the status qualifications on October 18, 2023 (for the 2024 Medallion year), your status will be valid through January 31, 2025.

How To Earn Delta MQMs With Your Credit Card

Thankfully, if you hold select Delta American Express credit cards, your path to elite status is a bit easier. In addition to earning bonus MQMs, you’ll get an MQD waiver when you spend at least $25,000 in a calendar year on select cards.

The following cards help you earn MQMs and an MQD waiver:

Delta SkyMiles^® Platinum American Express Card

Delta SkyMiles^® Reserve American Express Card

Hot Tip: The Delta Platinum card, Delta SkyMiles^® Platinum Business American Express Card, Delta Reserve card, and Delta SkyMiles^® Reserve Business American Express Card will earn an MQD waiver for Silver, Gold, or Platinum status after spending $25,000 in a calendar year. If you spend $250,000, the MQD waiver is valid for Diamond status.

How To Earn Delta Air Lines Elite Status

To earn elite status with Delta Air Lines, you’ll need to meet minimum MQD requirements plus either MQM or MQS requirements. An MQD waiver earned from credit card spending will fulfill the MQD requirement.

MQD + MQM or MQS = Delta Medallion Status

The SkyMiles member (whose name and SkyMiles number are on the ticket) who is flying earns the MQMs, MQSs, and MQDs regardless of who purchased the ticket.

Bottom Line: Delta Medallion status is earned through a combination of MQDs plus either MQMs or MQSs. For example, the base-level Silver Medallion status is earned with at least $3,000 MQDs plus at least 25,000 MQMs or 30 MQSs.

How To Check Your Progress Toward Delta Medallion Status

You can easily check your progress toward Delta Medallion status online by clicking the drop-down arrow next to your name. For a more detailed look, click on Profile and then My SkyMiles. This information is also available in the Fly Delta mobile app (iOS, Android).

Delta Medallion Status Benefits

There are lots of benefits that come with having Delta Medallion status. While each level of status has its own perks, there are some benefits you’ll enjoy no matter what level of Medallion status you achieve:

Delta Silver Medallion Status Benefits

Delta Silver Medallion status is the base elite level in the Delta program, but it still offers lots of value.

Delta Gold Medallion Status Benefits

As a Delta Gold Medallion member, you’ll enjoy all of the benefits offered at the Silver level plus these additional perks:

Delta Platinum Medallion Status Benefits

In addition to the benefits at the Silver and Gold levels, Delta Platinum Medallion status holders can enjoy these benefits.

Hot Tip: All Delta Medallion benefits are excluded from Basic Economy (E) fares.

Delta Diamond Medallion Status Benefits

Delta Diamond Medallion status is the highest level of Delta status you can earn and it comes with tremendous value. In addition to the benefits offered at all of the other levels, Diamond Medallion members get these special perks.

Choice Benefits

Choice Benefits are unique perks offered to Platinum and Diamond Medallion members only and allow those flyers to choose what’s most important to them.

Choice Benefits options include the following:

Delta 360° Benefits

Delta 360° is an invitation-only status reserved for only the top Medallion members. There isn’t a published set of requirements but Delta does state that it’s based on how much you spend on flights, not necessarily how often you fly. Membership is annual, meaning you can earn it one year but not the next, regardless of your spending and activity.

Since the benefits of Delta 360° are unpublished, it can be hard to pinpoint all of the perks. But, based on crowdsourced data, Delta 360° members can look forward to perks like these:

• Custom luggage tags
• Delta Sky Club Executive membership
• Potential for private gate transfers
• Potential upgrade priority

Hot Tip: If you have elite status with another airline you can request a status match with Delta Air Lines.

Million Miler Status

Delta Million Miler Status is based on the total Medallion Qualification Miles (MQMs) earned throughout a member’s lifetime.

Bottom Line: Delta has 4 main levels of elite status — Silver Medallion, Gold Medallion, Platinum Medallion, and Diamond Medallion. Delta 360° is an invitation-only status without published requirements or benefits. Million Miler Status is earned after flying at least 1 million miles in a lifetime.

Is Delta Elite Status Worth It?

We’ve gone over the value and benefits of each level of Delta Medallion status in detail so we’ll just look at some basics here:

Complimentary Preferred Seating: Preferred seating charges vary by flight but can range from as little as $5 to $85 or more. Let’s say you take 6 round-trip flights per year. Assuming an average of $40 per flight segment, this perk could save you $480 each year!

Waived Baggage Fees: The basic Delta baggage fee is $30 for the first bag and $40 to $100 for the second checked bag. Even if you only check 1 bag per flight and fly an average of 6 round-trips per year, this Medallion status perk could save you $360. Your savings will only increase the more you fly. Note that you could also get the first bag free by having an Amex Delta credit card.

Bonus Miles: As a Delta Medallion member, you’ll earn 2 to 6 extra miles for each dollar you spend with Delta. Let’s say you fly 6 times a year and spend $500 on each ticket, which totals $3,000 (the minimum spending requirement for Silver Medallion status). You would earn 6,000 to 18,000 extra miles, depending on your status level. Since Delta miles are valued at 1.2 cents each, you’d be getting an extra $72 to $216 in value.

Even just looking at 3 of the benefits of Delta Medallion status using conservative numbers, you’ll easily be able to get close to $1,000 in value — and that’s not even taking into account all of the other benefits. So, the answer for most Delta flyers is yes. Delta Medallion status is definitely worth it if you travel on Delta Air Lines even just a handful of times a year.

Final Thoughts

Medallion status is the elite status program for the Delta SkyMiles program. There are 4 levels of membership — Silver Medallion, Gold Medallion, Platinum Medallion, and Diamond Medallion — plus an invitation-only status called Delta 360°.

Status is earned by meeting minimum spending requirements plus either a mile or segment requirement, however, a spending waiver earned from select Delta-branded credit cards can fulfill the minimum spending requirement.

Each level of the program comes with lots of benefits and perks to make all aspects of flying on Delta more comfortable and enjoyable.

For rates and fees of the Delta SkyMiles^® Platinum American Express Card, click here.
For rates and fees of Delta SkyMiles^® Reserve American Express Card, click here.
For rates and fees of the Delta SkyMiles^® Platinum Business American Express Card, click here.
For rates and fees for the Delta SkyMiles^® Reserve Business American Express Card, click here.