Your Complete Guide to Delta SkyMiles Medallion Status
by Krish Patel
If you’re a frequent traveler, being an airline elite member can make the travel experience more smooth with several benefits. However, deciding which airline to try and reach elite status with might be difficult, as you’ll want to enjoy as many perks as possible such as complimentary upgrades, lounge access, earning bonus miles, and priority check-in and boarding. In this guide, we’ll discuss how to achieve Medallion status with the Delta SkyMiles program, discuss the benefits, and see if it’s worth it.
What Exactly is Delta Medallion Status?
Delta Air Lines awards loyal travelers with elite status every year. Earning MQDs (Medallion Qualification Dollars) should be the sole objective to focus on when trying to achieve status. MQDs can be earned in a variety of ways such as booking Delta flights, spending on select Delta co-branded credit cards, or by booking a vacation package through Delta Vacations.
Elite status is earned once a certain threshold of MQDs is reached within the calendar year and lasts through the end of January of the following year. For example, if you reached Silver Medallion elite status in September of 2024, you’ll hold that status for 2025 through January 31, 2026.
Excluding Delta 360, which is an exclusive, unpublished level of status that’s invite-only, there are four tiers of Medallion elite status:
Silver Medallion
Gold Medallion
Platinum Medallion
Diamond Medallion
Silver Medallion elites enjoy SkyTeam Elite status, while members of the three higher tiers enjoy SkyTeam Elite Plus status.
Delta Air Lines A321neo from Cancun to New York JFK
What are the Qualification Requirements to Reach Delta Medallion Status?
In order to earn elite status with Delta, you’ll need to reach a certain threshold of MQDs. It’s more difficult to achieve elite status for 2025 than it was for 2024. You’ll need the following amounts of qualifying dollars to reach status:
Silver Medallion: 5,000 MQDs
Gold Medallion: 10,000 MQDs
Platinum Medallion: 15,000 MQDs
Diamond Medallion: 28,000 MQDs
What are the benefits of Delta Medallion Elite Status?
Each tier of elite status comes with its own benefits, some of which are listed below. The higher the tier, the more benefits you’ll receive. The higher tiers of status also come with the same benefits from the lower tier.
Silver Medallion
Free upgrades to Delta One (flights within the U.S.) on the day of departure
Free upgrades to First Class (flights within the U.S.) from 24 hours before departure
Upgrades to Comfort Plus within one day on departure
Priority check-in and boarding
One free checked bag
Earn 7 miles per dollar spent
Gold Medallion
Free First Class upgrades from 72 hours prior to departure
Upgrades to Comfort Plus within three days of departure
Waived same-day confirmed changes
Sky Priority
Two free checked bags
Earn 8 miles per dollar spent
Platinum Medallion
Free First Class upgrades from 120 hours before departure
Upgrades to Comfort Plus at the time of booking your itinerary
Three free checked bags
One Choice Benefit
Earn 9 miles per dollar spent
Diamond Medallion
Three additional Choice Benefits
Complimentary membership with Clear Plus
Higher Priority for Upgrades
Earn 11 miles per dollar spent
Is Having Medallion Status Worth it?
When trying to obtain Delta SkyMiles Medallion elite status, it’s critical to consider how much you’ll be flying Delta. While the benefits that come with status are sweet, you’ll have to spend a lot of money with the airline or on a co-branded credit card to obtain status. Pursuing to earn elite status with an airline that requires a lot of money to be spent is typically an effort that is not worth it.
However, if you regularly fly Delta, or live near a major Delta hub, such as Atlanta, Detroit, or Minneapolis, then earning elite status might be important to you. It’s important to consider the benefits and the drawbacks when pushing to earn status with Delta or any other airline, for that matter.
Delta Air Lines Boeing 767-300 at JFK's Terminal 4
With airlines such as United and American, it's easier to earn elite status, as you won’t be required to spend considerable amounts of money on flights or on a co-branded credit card.
At the end of the day, earning elite status is a personal preference that’s up to you and it depends what you’re looking for as a traveler.
You may also enjoy reading: