Like many carriers, Delta Air Lines has a frequent flier program to reward its most loyal customers. The Delta SkyMiles Loyalty Program has four elite status tiers: Silver, Gold, Platinum, and Diamond — the latter being the highest. (There’s also one “secret” tier above Diamond called Delta 360°, but membership is by invitation only.)
As a Diamond Medallion, passengers receive numerous perks, including complimentary upgrades, free checked bags, priority seating, waived fees for ticket changes, and bonus award miles (SkyMiles) on Delta flights. Furthermore, they also qualify for complimentary CLEAR Plus membership.
To earn any form of status with Delta, whether it’s Silver or Diamond, travelers must fulfill two main criteria: a flight requirement and a spend requirement. Both requirements must be accomplished within a calendar year to qualify for status the following year. For instance, it’s essential to complete both buckets by the end of 2023 to qualify for status during the 2024 Medallion Year. (Delta’s Medallion Year operates differently than a standard year. It begins immediately upon qualification, covers a whole calendar year, and concludes at the end of January of the following year. Thus, the 2024 Medallion year would finish on January 31, 2025.)
Delta Diamond Medallion Flight Requirements
In terms of flying requirements, frequent fliers must reach one of two benchmarks within a calendar year: Medallion Qualifying Miles (MQM) or Medallion Qualifying Segments (MQS).
Medallion Qualifying Miles (MQM)
To achieve Diamond status, SkyMiles members must earn 125,000 MQMs in a calendar year. MQMs are typically accrued by traveling on Delta or a SkyTeam partner flight. The total number of MQMs earned for each flight is determined by the distance flown, with bonuses available for bookings in premium cabins (First, Premium Select, and Delta One). Importantly, MQMs are not accrued on basic economy fares.
MQMs can also be awarded as “Status Boost” bonuses for SkyMiles members who meet certain spending thresholds with a qualifying Delta SkyMiles American Express Card. The specific number of MQMs and the spend threshold depend on the particular card, varying from 10,000 for every $25,000 spent in a calendar year (up to twice a year) to 15,000 MQMs for every $30,000 spent in a calendar year (up to four times a year). Further details can be found regarding eligible personal cards here and eligible business cards here.
Delta’s SkyMiles program allows for the rollover of any MQMs beyond the threshold of your elite status level from the previous year. Thus, if you secured Delta Diamond Medallion status in 2022 for the 2023 Medallion Year with 150,000 MQMs — which is 25,000 MQMs above the Diamond threshold — those 25,000 MQMs will roll over into your flight requirement bucket for the 2024 Medallion Year.
Medallion Qualifying Segments (MQS)
SkyMiles members must complete 140 segments — individual flights — on Delta or SkyTeam partners to satisfy the MQS requirement for Diamond status. For flights that include layovers, each one-way journey will count as two segments based on the separate flights taken. As with MQMs, MQSs are not accrued on basic economy flights.
Delta Diamond Medallion Spend Requirements
Similar to flight requirements, SkyMiles members must achieve one of two benchmarks for spending within a calendar year. It’s worth noting that the spending requirement is waived for members living outside the U.S.
Medallion Qualifying Dollars (MQD)
SkyMiles members need to earn $20,000 MQDs in a calendar year to achieve Diamond status. On Delta flights, MQDs are calculated based on the flight price, excluding taxes and fees, at a rate of one MQD per dollar spent. While MQDs are not earned on basic economy tickets, they are accrued on Award Tickets (tickets booked with SkyMiles) at a rate of one MQD for every 100 SkyMiles.
For SkyTeam partner flights, MQDs are awarded based on a percentage of miles flown, with this percentage differing by fare class — they range from 5 percent to 40 percent of miles flown. Consequently, on certain flights, you may earn more MQDs than the ticket price itself in cash.
MQD Waiver
If you possess an eligible Delta SkyMiles American Express Card and charge $250,000 on that card within a calendar year, Delta will waive the MQD requirement to earn Diamond status.
