Terms & Conditions
SkyMiles Member must meet the applicable Medallion Qualification Dollar (MQD) Threshold listed above to qualify for the corresponding Medallion Status.
MQDs are the sum total of the SkyMiles Member’s spend on Delta-marketed flights in Main Cabin or above (flight numbers that include the “DL” airline code), inclusive of the base fare and carrier-imposed surcharges, but exclusive of government-imposed taxes and fees. MQDs also include select partner airline flights and select exception fares.
Base fare and carrier-imposed surcharges for travel marketed by Core Global and Global Airline Partners and ticketed through a Delta channel (featuring a ticket number beginning with “006”) are also eligible to earn MQDs. For travel ticketed and marketed by Core Global and Global Airline Partners, MQDs will be awarded based on published Mileage Earn Charts at Earning Miles With Airline Partners.
SkyMiles Members can earn MQDs on Delta Award Travel tickets operated by Delta partners, in Main Cabin (or equivalent) or above, when booked through any direct Delta channel, with MQDs calculated based on miles redeemed toward the Award Ticket price divided by 100. Government-imposed taxes and fees do not earn MQDs.
Certain tickets, including but not limited to bulk, consolidator, cruise, vacation packages, inclusive tour and other tickets where the fare is not disclosed, will also count toward MQDs excluding bookings made through priceline.com or hotwire.com where the carrier is not disclosed prior to purchase. Miles and MQDs will be earned based on a percentage of distance flown as determined by the fare class paid as published at the time of travel. Refer to Earning Miles with Exception Fares. For purposes of mileage or MQD credit, “distance flown” means the calculated distance between origin and destination, as determined by Delta in its sole discretion, regardless of the actual distance traveled on any individual flight. Please visit the section regarding qualifying earn on Delta Vacations® packages for specific details of the MQD calculation on those fares.
Delta employee award travel, free, barter, pass travel and other similar tickets not eligible for mileage accrual will not earn MQDs.
Delta One®, Delta Premium Select, Delta First, Delta Comfort and Preferred Seats purchases and paid Premium class upgrades, made through a Delta channel (including delta.com, Fly Delta mobile app, Delta Reservations, Delta kiosks, and select Delta airport locations) are eligible to earn MQDs. If a Delta One, Delta Premium Select, Delta First, or Delta Comfort paid upgrade or Preferred Seat is purchased at the airport in Amsterdam (AMS), or Paris (CDG) for a Delta-operated flight, the Member will not earn miles or MQDs. If a Member purchases a Delta Comfort, paid Premium class upgrade or Preferred Seat and Delta is not able to accommodate the Member in that seat or a similar seat, the Member’s purchase will be refunded and no MQDs will be awarded. If a customer voluntarily changes his/her flight or seat selection once purchased, a refund for the original seat purchase will not be provided and no MQDs will be awarded. MQDs will not be awarded for complimentary access to Delta One, Delta Premium Select, Delta First, Delta Comfort and Preferred Seats. MQDs may only be earned by the Member traveling whose name and SkyMiles number is included in the reservation.
All other ancillary purchases or fees including but not limited to checked baggage fees, Delta Sky Club® memberships, Wi-Fi passes, in-flight food and beverage purchases, unaccompanied minor fees, pet travel fees, mileage purchases, ticket change fees, Direct Ticketing Charge (DTC), same-day confirmed fees, Administrative Service Charge (ASC), and External Reissue Charge (ERC), do not count toward earning MQDs.
Please allow up to 6-8 weeks after completion of a Delta-marketed flight (DL flight number) for miles and MQDs to be deposited in SkyMiles account.
Platinum MQD Boost:
Effective January 1, 2024: Basic Card Members will earn one (1) Medallion Qualification Dollar (MQD) for each $20 of eligible purchases charged to their Delta SkyMiles® Platinum and Delta SkyMiles® Platinum Business American Express Card or any Additional Cards on the Card Account during a Qualification Year. MQDs earned during a Qualification Year are used to determine qualification for Medallion Status for the subsequent Medallion Year for the Basic Card Member. MQDs have no cash value and are not redeemable for Award Travel or other SkyMiles redemptions. MQDs are not transferrable or assignable to any other person and cannot be gifted to another SkyMiles member.
Medallion Status Qualification and Medallion Benefits rules and policies apply and may be viewed at delta.com/medallion. MQDs will not extend or roll over from year to year, and MQD balance will be reset to zero on or about January 1 each calendar year. Medallion Status is calculated annually based on activity during a Qualification Year. A Qualification Year is from January 1 to December 31 of a given year. The close of the Qualification Year is December 31, without regard to the time of the year that the Card Account is opened. This means that for the first year of Card Membership, the Card Member's eligible purchase period for the MQD Benefit may be shorter than twelve months.
Eligible purchases are purchases for goods and services minus returns and other credits. Eligible purchases do NOT include fees, interest charges, cash advances, purchases of travelers' checks, person-to-person transactions, purchases or reloading of prepaid cards, purchases of gift cards, or purchases of other cash equivalents. American Express relies on the transaction date submitted to us by the merchant, which may differ from the date you make a purchase, to determine whether the purchase counts toward the MQD threshold in that Qualification Year. This means that in some cases your purchases may not count toward the MQD threshold in the year in which you made the purchases. For example, if you make a purchase on December 31 and the merchant lists the transaction date as January 1 when they submit the transaction data to us, your purchase will be counted in the Qualification Year which began on that January 1. MQDs will be deducted from the MQD Balance (and may result in a negative MQD Balance) for any returns or other credits, and Delta reserves the right to adjust, remove, or suspend Medallion Status if you return, reverse or charge back eligible purchases in a way that reduces your MQD balance below the threshold of any Medallion Tier for the preceding Qualification Year. To receive the MQDs, your account must not be canceled or past due at the time the MQDs are posted to your account. If Delta and/or American Express determine that you have engaged in abuse, misuse, or gaming in connection with this MQD Benefit in any way or that you intend to do so, Delta may not credit, Delta may freeze, or Delta may take away MQDs from your account or terminate your participation in the SkyMiles Program.
MQDs may take 8 to 12 weeks after the eligible transaction posts to the Card Account to be posted to the Basic Card Member's Delta SkyMiles account. Basic Card Members can confirm their MQD progress for a Qualification Year by logging into their SkyMiles account on delta.com or in the Fly Delta app.
Reserve MQD Boost:
Effective January 1, 2024: Basic Card Members will earn one (1) Medallion Qualification Dollar (MQD) for each $10 of eligible purchases charged to their Delta SkyMiles® Reserve and Delta SkyMiles® Reserve Business American Express Card or any Additional Cards on the Card Account during a Qualification Year. MQDs earned during a Qualification Year are used to determine qualification for Medallion Status for the subsequent Medallion Year for the Basic Card Member. MQDs have no cash value and are not redeemable for Award Travel or other SkyMiles redemptions. MQDs are not transferrable or assignable to any other person and cannot be gifted to another SkyMiles member.
All Medallion Status Qualification and Medallion Benefits rules and policies apply and may be viewed at delta.com/medallion. MQDs will not extend or roll over from year to year, and MQD balance will be reset to zero on or about January 1 each calendar year. Medallion Status is calculated annually based on activity during a Qualification Year. A Qualification Year is from January 1 to December 31 of a given year. The close of the Qualification Year is December 31, without regard to the time of the year that the Card Account is opened. This means that for the first year of Card Membership, the Card Member's eligible purchase period for the MQD Benefit may be shorter than twelve months.
Eligible purchases are purchases for goods and services minus returns and other credits. Eligible purchases do NOT include fees, interest charges, cash advances, purchases of travelers' checks, person-to-person transactions, purchases or reloading of prepaid cards, purchases of gift cards, or purchases of other cash equivalents. American Express relies on the transaction date submitted to us by the merchant, which may differ from the date you make a purchase, to determine whether the purchase counts toward the MQD threshold in that Qualification Year. This means that in some cases your purchases may not count toward the MQD threshold in the year in which you made the purchases. For example, if you make a purchase on December 31 and the merchant lists the transaction date as January 1 when they submit the transaction data to us, your purchase will be counted in the Qualification Year which began on that January 1. MQDs will be deducted from the MQD Balance (and may result in a negative MQD Balance) for any returns or other credits, and Delta reserves the right to adjust, remove, or suspend Medallion Status if you return, reverse or charge back eligible purchases in a way that reduces your MQD balance below the threshold of any Medallion Tier for the preceding Qualification Year. To receive the MQDs, your account must not be canceled or past due at the time the MQDs are posted to your account. If Delta and/or American Express determine that you have engaged in abuse, misuse, or gaming in connection with this MQD Benefit in any way or that you intend to do so, Delta may not credit, Delta may freeze, or Delta may take away MQDs from your account or terminate your participation in the SkyMiles Program.
MQDs may take 8 to 12 weeks after the eligible transaction posts to the Card Account to be posted to the Basic Card Member's Delta SkyMiles account. Basic Card Members can confirm their MQD progress for a Qualification Year by logging into their SkyMiles account on delta.com or in the Fly Delta app.
Delta SkyMiles® Reserve and Reserve Business American Express Card MQD Headstart
Effective February 1, 2024: Basic Delta SkyMiles Reserve and Reserve Business American Express Card Members (each, an “Eligible Card”), will receive two thousand five hundred (2,500) Medallion Qualification Dollars (MQDs) which will be deposited into their SkyMiles account linked to an Eligible Card during each Qualification Year. Additional Card Members are not eligible.
Starting with the 2024 Qualification Year, MQDs will be deposited within 6 to 8 weeks after February 1 for existing Card Members. New Card Members and Card Members upgrading from another Delta SkyMiles American Express Card that is not eligible for the MQD Headstart benefit to an Eligible Card will be eligible for the MQD Headstart benefit. MQDs will be deposited within 6 to 8 weeks after an Eligible Card Account is opened, and thereafter every subsequent year within 6 to 8 weeks after February 1 while the Eligible Card Account is open; however, if a New Eligible Card Account is opened during November or December of a Qualification Year, MQDs will be applied to the Qualification Year in which the Card is opened. MQDs earned during a Qualification Year are used to determine qualification for Medallion Status for the subsequent Medallion Year for the Basic Card Member. MQDs have no cash value and are not redeemable for Award Travel or other SkyMiles redemptions. MQDs are not transferrable or assignable to any other person and cannot be gifted to another SkyMiles member.
All Medallion Status Qualification and Medallion Benefit rules and policies apply and may be viewed at delta.com/medallion. MQDs will not extend or roll over from year to year, and MQD balance will be reset to zero on or about January 1 each calendar year. Medallion Status is calculated annually based on activity during a Qualification Year. A Qualification Year is from January 1 to December 31 of a given year. The close of the Qualification Year is December 31, without regard to the time of the year that the Card Account is opened. Delta reserves the right to cancel, rescind, or void any MQDs or to cancel or downgrade Medallion Status (based on the adjusted number of MQDs earned) if the Card is cancelled or downgraded to a non-Eligible Card within 60 days after the date that MQDs are deposited or within 60 days after the Eligible Card renewal date. To receive the MQDs, your account must not be cancelled or past due at the time the MQDs are posted to your account. If Delta and/or American Express determine that you have engaged in abuse, misuse, or gaming in connection with this MQD Headstart in any way or that you intend to do so, Delta may not credit, Delta may freeze, or Delta may take away MQDs from your account or terminate your participation in the SkyMiles Program.
Basic Card Members can confirm their MQD progress for a Qualification Year by logging into their SkyMiles account on delta.com or in the Fly Delta app. Regardless of the number of Eligible Cards a SkyMiles Member may hold, each SkyMiles Member may only receive one $2,500 MQD deposit per Eligible Card type each Medallion Qualification Year and is limited to a maximum of four deposits across all Eligible Cards each Medallion Qualification Year (for $10,000 MQDs total). Card Members who upgrade from an Eligible Platinum or Platinum Business Card to an Eligible Reserve or Reserve Business Card will not be awarded an additional $2,500 MQD deposit for the Reserve or Reserve Business Card, and Card Members who downgrade from an Eligible Reserve or Reserve Business Card to an Eligible Platinum or Platinum Business Card will not be awarded an additional $2,500 MQD deposit for the Platinum or Platinum Business Card.
Delta SkyMiles® Platinum and Platinum Business American Express Card MQD Headstart
Effective February 1, 2024: Basic Delta SkyMiles Platinum and Platinum Business American Express Card Members (each, an “Eligible Card”), will receive two thousand five hundred (2,500) Medallion Qualification Dollars (MQDs) which will be deposited into their SkyMiles account linked to an Eligible Card during each Qualification Year. Additional Card Members are not eligible.
Starting with the 2024 Qualification Year, MQDs will be deposited within 6 to 8 weeks after February 1 for existing Card Members. New Card Members and Card Members upgrading from another Delta SkyMiles American Express Card that is not eligible for the MQD Headstart benefit to an Eligible Card will be eligible for the MQD Headstart benefit. MQDs will be deposited within 6 to 8 weeks after an Eligible Card Account is opened, and thereafter every subsequent year within 6 to 8 weeks after February 1 while the Eligible Card Account is open; however, if a New Eligible Card Account is opened during November or December of a Qualification Year, MQDs will be applied to the Qualification Year in which the Card is opened. MQDs earned during a Qualification Year are used to determine qualification for Medallion Status for the subsequent Medallion Year for the Basic Card Member. MQDs have no cash value and are not redeemable for Award Travel or other SkyMiles redemptions. MQDs are not transferrable or assignable to any other person and cannot be gifted to another SkyMiles member.
All Medallion Status Qualification and Medallion Benefit rules and policies apply and may be viewed at delta.com/medallion. MQDs will not extend or roll over from year to year, and MQD balance will be reset to zero on or about January 1 each calendar year. Medallion Status is calculated annually based on activity during a Qualification Year. A Qualification Year is from January 1 to December 31 of a given year. The close of the Qualification Year is December 31, without regard to the time of the year that the Card Account is opened. Delta reserves the right to cancel, rescind, or void any MQDs or to cancel or downgrade Medallion Status (based on the adjusted number of MQDs earned) if the Card is cancelled or downgraded to a non-Eligible Card within 60 days after the date that MQDs are deposited or within 60 days after the Eligible Card renewal date. To receive the MQDs, your account must not be cancelled or past due at the time the MQDs are posted to your account. If Delta and/or American Express determine that you have engaged in abuse, misuse, or gaming in connection with this MQD Headstart in any way or that you intend to do so, Delta may not credit, Delta may freeze, or Delta may take away MQDs from your account or terminate your participation in the SkyMiles Program.
Basic Card Members can confirm their MQD progress for a Qualification Year by logging into their SkyMiles account on delta.com or in the Fly Delta app. Regardless of the number of Eligible Cards a SkyMiles Member may hold, each SkyMiles Member may only receive one $2,500 MQD deposit per Eligible Card type each Medallion Qualification Year and is limited to a maximum of four deposits across all Eligible Cards each Medallion Qualification Year (for $10,000 MQDs total). Card Members who upgrade from an Eligible Platinum or Platinum Business Card to an Eligible Reserve or Reserve Business Card will not be awarded an additional $2,500 MQD deposit for the Reserve or Reserve Business Card, and Card Members who downgrade from an Eligible Reserve or Reserve Business Card to an Eligible Platinum or Platinum Business Card will not be awarded an additional $2,500 MQD deposit for the Platinum or Platinum Business Card.
Earning MQDs on Delta Vacations
Beginning January 1, 2024, SkyMiles Members will earn one (1) MQD per US$1 of the Total Package Price for every completed Delta Vacations package when booked through Delta Vacations online, via our vacation experts, or through an authorized third-party travel agency. “Total Package Price” means the total value of the package in USD spent on Eligible Flights, base hotel rental rate, base car rental rate, but excluding taxes, fees, insurance, room service, other booking charges, amounts paid directly to the hotel, car or activity provider, or any element of the booking which is paid or reduced by vouchers or discount codes. “Eligible Flights” means Delta-marketed flights in Main Cabin or above (flight numbers that include the “DL” airline code), flights marketed Core Global Airline Partners that have a Delta ticket number (ticket number beginning with “006”) and SkyTeam-marketed flights operated by a SkyTeam member airline that have a Delta ticket number (ticket number beginning with “006”), in each case which booked through Delta Vacations online, via our vacation experts, or through an authorized third-party travel agency. Eligible Flights expressly excludes flights marketed by airlines that are not Delta Core Global Airline partners or SkyTeam members. Qualifying car rental bookings include rentals at a participating location for one or more days at rates other than travel industry rates or discounts, wholesale of tour package rates or discounts, wholesale tour package rates, insurance/dealer replacement rates, corporate and government rates, group travel discounts, or rentals in conjunction with a frequent flyer car award, or other corporate agreements applicable to the respective car company.
SkyMiles members will be awarded the MQDs as follows:
All passengers listed in the Delta Vacations booking will earn on the flight portion of the package based on the following:
- Flight Option #1: If the sum of all passengers Exception Fares is greater than or equal to the Total Package Price, then the number of flight MQDs earned by each passenger = (Total Package Price/ total # of passengers on the booking itinerary)
- Exception Fares is less than the Total Package Price, then the number of flight MQDs earned by each passenger = MQD’s for such passenger’s flight calculated using the Exception Fare policy.
In addition to the MQDs earned on the flight component (if applicable), the passenger who books the package will earn MQDs on the non-flight portion of the Total Package Price based on the following:
- If the flight MQDs for all passengers were calculated using flight option 1 above: No additional non-flight MQDs earned
- If the flight MQDs for all passengers were calculated using flight option 2 above: The number of additional non-flight MQDs earned by the lead booker = Total Package Price – (sum of all passengers’ Exception Fares)
- If no flight is attached to the booking, only the lead booker earns non-flight MQDs equivalent to the Total Package Price
This calculation does not apply to packages of 8 people or more (“Group Packages”). On Group Packages, each passenger will only be eligible to earn MQDs on the flight portion of the package using the Exception Fares policy.
Generally, posting of MQDs and miles to a SkyMiles member’s account depends on when Delta receives information related to the qualifying purchase. For Delta Vacations miles and MQDs, please allow up to 6-8 weeks after completion of a Delta-marketed flight for flight miles and MQDs to be deposited in SkyMiles account and 8 weeks after completion of eligible car rental or hotel stay for miles and MQDs to be deposited in SkyMiles account. No MQDs will be awarded for any portion of the package not consumed by the passengers in the booking.
Rollover MQMs
As of January 1, 2024, SkyMiles Members will no longer earn Medallion Qualification Miles (MQMs). Medallion Qualification Miles and Medallion Qualification Segments will not be calculated or used to determine Medallion Status qualification. Beginning Feb 28, 2024, SkyMiles Members possessing a Rollover MQM balance after qualification for 2024 Medallion Status will have the option to convert their final Rollover MQM balance (earned up to December 31, 2023, at 11:59:59 PM CST) into miles, MQDs, or, for Rollover MQM balances of 100,000 MQMs and higher, into Medallion Status extensions (or a combination of all, if applicable).
If miles are selected, the Rollover MQM balance will be converted at a ratio of 1 mile per 2 MQMs. If MQDs are selected, the Rollover MQM balance will be converted at a ratio of 1 MQD per 10 MQMs. SkyMiles Members can split their Rollover MQM balance conversion between miles and MQDs based on 25% increments, and subject to the conversion ratios in the previous sentence. For example, a SkyMiles Member can elect to convert 25% of their Rollover MQM balance into miles and the remainder 75% into MQDs.
SkyMiles Members with a Rollover MQM balance at or greater than 100,000 MQMs also have the option to extend their earned 2024 Medallion Status using their Rollover MQMS at a rate of 100,000 MQMs per one year of Status extension. Using the 100,000:1 ratio, Members may select the number of years of Status extension they desire, up to the number for which they are eligible. Medallion Status will not be awarded for partial years; any Rollover MQMs exceeding a 100,000 threshold, and which are not used for Status extension, can be converted into miles or MQDs using the applicable conversion rate above. For example, a SkyMiles Member that has 550,000 Rollover MQMs and who has earned Diamond Medallion Status for the 2024 Medallion Qualification Year is eligible to extend their Diamond Medallion Status for up to 5 years (500,000 Rollover MQMs) and can elect to convert the remaining 50,000 Rollover MQMs into miles, MQDs or a combination of both at the conversion rates above.
If a SkyMiles Member does not make a selection by December 31, 2024 11:59:59 PM CST, all Rollover MQMs will automatically be converted to MQDs. Members will be able to select their conversion preference until the selection window closes on December 31, 2024 11:59:59 PM CST. Miles/MQDs and Medallion Status extension are nontransferable and can only be credited to the SkyMiles Member’s account who was in possession of the Rollover MQMs. Selections are final, irrevocable and not changeable.
