As expected, Delta Air Lines is radically changing the way SkyMiles elite status is earned and also further restricting Sky Club access to credit card holders who fail to spend big on their cards.
Big Changes Coming To Delta SkyMiles Program, Sky Club Access In 2024
News leaked early via what appears to have been an inadvertent posting of the press release (since removed) that was quickly picked up by One Mile At A Time. Let’s examine the changes and then I will offer my analysis on what these changes means for you.
Delta SkyMiles Elite Status Will Become More Difficult Through “Simplification” That Encourages Significantly More Credit Card Spending
Effective January 1, 2024, Medallion Qualifying Dollars (MQDs) will be the sole factor for obtaining elite status in the SkyMiles program. Medallion Qualifying Miles (MQMs) and Medallion Qualifying Segments (MQSs) will no longer play a role in the SkyMiles program. More MQDs will be required for elite status:
- SkyMiles Silver Medallion status – 6,000 MQDs (3,000 MQDs currently)
- SkyMiles Gold Medallion status – 12,000 MQDs (8,000 MQDs currently)
- SkyMiles Platinum Medallion status – 18,000 MQDs (12,000 MQDs currently)
- SkyMiles Diamond Medallion status – 35,000 MQDs (20,000 MQDs currently)
Delta-AMEX co-branded credit card spending will now count toward MQDs at the following rates:
- Delta AMEX Reserve Card – 1 MQD for every $10 in spending
- Delta AMEX Platinum Card – 1 MQD for every $20 in spending
- Delta flights + Delta Vacations – 1 MQD per $1 in spending
MQDs on partner airlines will continue to be calculated based on distance flown and fare class.
Rollover MQMs earned this year can be converted into MQDs at a 20:1 ratio or into redeemable miles at a 2:1 ratio. That’s pathetic.
Further Restrictions To SkyClub Access For Credit Card Holders
American Express and Delta co-branded credit card holders will see SkyClub access restricted… starting on February 1, 2025:
- American Express Platinum (personal or business): 6 annual visits for cardholders
- Delta SkyMiles Reserve American Express Card (personal or business): 10 annual visits for cardholders plus two annual guest passes
These visits will go fast. If you’re traveling from Los Angeles to Amsterdam via Detroit on the same day and want to use the SkyClub in both locations, that will count as two visits.
Those who spend more than $75,000 on any one of these will be exempt from the 10-visit limit for the remainder of the current Medallion year, plus the following Medallion year.
Furthermore, effective January 1, 2024:
- No SkyClub access for Delta basic economy fares
- No $50 SkyClub access for Delta Amex Platinum Card (personal or business) cardholders
These changes will seriously throttle the value of these pricey credit cards for those who are not big spenders.
No Changes On Redemption Side…Yet
I had hoped that along with the changes above, which were largely in line with expectations, we might see an improvement on the redemption side (simply to bring Delta more in line with its competition) or at least a greater discount for those with elite status or who hold a co-branded credit card.
This announcement does not include any changes to how you can earn or redeem SkyMiles.
What I Make Of These Changes
While these changes are in line with expectations and I really don’t have a horse in this fight since I do not collect Delta SkyMiles, I think Delta has thrown down the gauntlet and it is too early to tell what long-term consumer reaction will be.
On the positive, Delta has incentivized more credit card spending on its co-branded cards and those who already spend will likely spend more.
On the negative side, I’ve already heard from many of you that you plan to cancel your Delta or American Express cards on the basis of these lounge restrictions. That certainly makes sense if you do not have a way to spend vast amounts on your credit cards each year.
Delta is not 100% wrong for targeting “quality not quantity” but I do wonder whether this will 1.) solve the lounge crowding issue (doubtful), 2.) thin the herd of elite members (maybe), and 3.) bring value to the AMEX-Delta portfolio (questionable).
I always advise caution to those making threats so soon after news like this is announced: we haven’t heard what United will do with its elite program next year yet and with elite status now easier to obtain via credit card spending, some will benefit handsomely from these changes. We’ll need to wait a bit for the dust to settle.
Once again, though, I really do not see a lot of value in the Delta SkyMiles program and will continue to credit my SkyTeam flights to Flying Blue, the loyalty program of Air France – KLM.
CONCLUSION
Delta seemingly accidentally published changes to SkyMiles program and Sky Club access a day early, but there really are no surprises here. I’d say the changes are most negative for most customers, but they will foster more spending on Delta credit cards for many Delta loyalists, which I suppose is the goal here.
Will these changes impact how you spend money on Delta?
image: Delta Air Lines
Credit card spend will NOT count at the following rates??
W and T are two keys apart! 😉
@ Mathew — I expect something quite similar is coming from United. Any inside scoop on what date an announcement is forthcoming?
I’m not hearing anything yet, but I (very sadly) suspect you are correct.
@ Matthew — Oops, sorry for misspelling your name!
35,000 to hit Diamond Medallion? Is that for real?
And Skypesos are still worthless.
And I just saw reader John sent me this news FIVE HOURS ago and I missed his email until now…sigh.
But thank you John! Keep sending things over!
18k MQDs for C+ on booking?
UA only requires 8k PQP (7k PQP) for Gold, which gets E+ on booking (same as C+ except no booze)
HoeLeeFock, UA has way too much room to raise elite status thresholds now.
Btw, I 100% predicted death of MQM and conversion of rollover on your previous post. I also predicted 12.5 : 1 card spend to MQD ratio, almost right.
So how much longer until Alaska is forced to switch to dollar-based earning too?
I’m a humble government employee, but even so, it seems to me that $60,000 to qualify for silver status via credit card spending is not a great value. For that kind of spending, one can get much better perks from a different card.
As a general economic observation that ties into this, I read that a sizable percentage of Americans are putting ordinary expenses on rollover credit card accounts at massively high interest along with car loans. One guy said that there were Tesla owners getting $140,000 cars with only $20K down AND high interest then going in and trying 2 years later do a “trade in” for a new model and griping that the newer models are cheaper hence they can’t get a bank to underwrite their trade-in since such a person would be “underwater” in their car. What this means is that there are folks out there driving $140,000 cars who can’t afford them.
So… where I’m going with this is I suppose that there may be millions of folks out there who are willing to blow $60 grand on a credit card to get silver status. I wouldn’t.
@ All — It is just $50,000 spend on a BofA Spirit card to earn Spirit Gold status. If ony the BFSs would recline…
Who cares about stays anymore. The perks aren’t worth the loyalty.
I don’t fly Delta all that much. I have the Amex Platinum card. I probably won’t cancel it over the 6 visit limit. Anyone know if I can still pay to bring in my child when they travel with me?
.
Well, guess 2024 will be my last platinum year on delta..
Question is.. do I retain my delta platinum Amex? Or try another card with different perks?
I would switch to the Amex Plat card. Good perks and you can transfer to Skymiles if you are playing the award game.
Sorry but converting MR to SkyMiles is among the worst things you can do to MR points, and I say this as someone who values SkyMiles a tad bit higher than most bloggers
This trend could be potentially good news for those of us based outside of the USA, as the frequent flyer programmes there become radically different from those in the rest of the world and there’s less competitive pressure/incentive for things like devaluations.
With a bit of luck, they will also chase some of the lower spenders away from the miles game, possibly opening more award availability on transatlantic routes etc (e.g. at the moment it’s a lot easier to find redemption opportunities from/to Mexico as opposed to the USA- which means that access to Central America is only really available on SkyTeam and if Aeroméxico have award space available).
Just from rumblings on r/Delta and FT in the last month I knew something big and bad was about to happen, but I didn’t imagine it would be this severe. Yep, this shut up the “too many elites” and “too many people in SC” complaints – this will thin the herd alright.
Also, note that they will have the option to convert rollover MQMs this year, for next year. into MQDs at a 20:1 rate, and since many of these guys have been sitting on MQMs (thanks to 2 years of covid), the glut of Platinum’s now will be a glut of Diamonds in 2024 and 2025, lmao. And now DL wants pax to hit 3k of ticket spend AND 30k of AMEX spending just so they can keep silver?
It’s rough, no other way around it.
I actually want to hear (read) what someone like Santastico, or a similar annual Diamond guy, have to say about this.
Yes, I’d like to hear that too, though it sounds like Santastico’s company buys him paid business class tickets, so status ultimately matters much less beyond his family vacations upgraded with systemwide upgrades.
Elites earn more miles per dollar spent so this news is a devaluation. I am Urine Elite and proud that I ditched loyalty to Skymiles in 2016. I only fly them if I have to.
This sucks big time. I have been Diamond or 360 for over 10 years. With my current work it will be impossible to hit 35,000 MQDs in a year on Delta flights. Need to process these changes a bit but they look horrific.
I know you’ve complained about “too many DMs” but on FT there are very well a good amount of people who can convert their rollover MQM to MQD starting in 2024, enough to get them DM status for the rest of 2024 and all of 2025. 2026 is when the crowd will fully be culled (if they stick to these rules)
I just flew MSP-DEN this week. As a Diamond medallion I was #33 to upgrade to first class and #30 to Comfort+. I ended up in middle seat at row 30 in regular economy. As a Diamond!! What sucks is that I don’t see myself spending $35k on Delta flights in a year. I usually spend $25k. Pre pandemic, I spent over $100k per year on Delta flights. Work has changed so this is probably my last qualification as Diamond. What sucks is that I still think Delta is by far the best among the big 3 and since I live in a Delta hub I have no choice but to fly Delta.
You’re probably smart to keep flying Delta, but are you not allowed to pay a little extra for Comfort+?
Yea, I am. However, for some reason this flight was completely sold out in Comfort+ when I booked it 2 weeks ago. All ígneas available was middle seat and that never changed until boarding. I flew 3 times to Europe this year in paid Delta One but still not enough to spend $35k per year. This year I will end around $25k which was perfect for Diamond but not anymore.
As for flying Delta, they are by far the best out of MSP. They invested a lot to make that a fantastic airport and I can basically fly anywhere I need non stop from there. That together with their service, clean planes, etc… makes it a perfect choice for me. Now, losing Diamond will be bad for other reasons. The 4 global upgrades every year are a nice perk when traveling with family and having someone pick up the phone within a minute when you call is awesome.
1.8 million miler here. I’ve been a Diamond since 2014. This year, I’m at $23,000 MQD with about $6,500 in outstanding spend for the year.
Here are my thoughts:
1) Unless you’re doing transcontinental or international Delta One business-class at least 5-7 times a year, who spends $35,000 on domestic flights in the Lower 48? I buy first-class on flights over 2 hours. Depending on the route, that’s $650-$1,500. If I wait to a couple weeks out maybe it’s $2,000 for a 3-hour flight in first. Seldom more than that. I don’t know how anyone could hit $35,000 on domestic alone. I think what Delta is doing is making it impossible to get an upgrade because EVERYONE will be a platinum. The number of diamonds will be significantly reduced. That means fewer upgrades and more seats in premium cabins to sell. It also means fewer global upgrade certificates.
2) What happens to 360? Someone spending $35,000 until now in some markets was eligible for 360.
3) How does Sky Club access work for diamonds? Delta hasn’t announced that. I better get a membership as a benefit if I’m spending $35,000 on flights. And what happens to the Sky Clubs once the exclusive Delta One business-class lounges open up? A good number of customers that presently crowd the Sky Club in markets like Atlanta, New York, Boston and Los Angeles will move over to the Delta One lounge. I’m really interested to see what happens on this front.
4) I spoke to a client. She’s the CEO of an enterprise that makes hundreds of millions of dollars. She is a Diamond and Reserve cardholder. She is done. She flies first every time on a paid ticket. If she’s done, what about other key corporate clients? If I was United I would rethink what I’m doing and purposely go after the Delta customers who spend $20,000 to $25,000 in MQDs every year.
This is a very risky strategy.
The US economy is weak, inflation is still an issue and business travel has not recovered.
Look at Hyatt. They think business travel domestically is never coming back like it was. They are pivoting to resorts and all-inclusive for growth and profit. Delta seems to think the opposite. Both of them can’t be right.
I am the same boat. I have been Diamonds and 360 for over 10 years. Now when I fly to Europe with a connection there because I am flying Delata, I will definitely look to other airlines connecting somewhere in the US. No more loyalty. As for 360, being based at MSP, I was only offered that in years I spent over $100k per year. Not after the pandemic with working from home. Last, I will have to review my credit cards. If as a Diamond I still don’t get access to Delta lounges, what’s the point? There is no way I am spending $350k per year on a Delta card. A lot to digest but they actually just made my life easier as I will be free to try other options.
I appreciate your feedback as well!
If the CEO is PAYING for 1st class tickets regardless, why is she “done”? She’s not losing anything. Since she’s paying for these flights, retaining appropriate status for lounge access should be zero problem since the first class tickets earn MQDs at 1:1 per dollar of ticket cost.. It shouldn’t be hard at all for a frequent flyer that only books 1st to earn Platinum or Diamond.
This to me seems like a big play into the corporate market. Those people paying for $10k business class tickets will still easily reach Diamond and now will benefit more on their personal travel with easier upgrades and fewer people in the clubs.
I think it’s a smart way to attract more of those really high value customers that may be flying AA or UA, though the cost of alienating other loyal DL flyers may outweigh that.
They are all going that way. Nothing really surprising here. This isn’t about DL’s over crowded and generally mediocre lounges (but for the new / upgraded ones). The industry’s base of revenue has shifted to leisure/leisure premium and away from core business, and core business isn’t coming back to pre-COVID levels. Delta is fundamentally just like AA and UA. They just do it with more gimmicks to create the illusion that it is a better product.
The only lure is to Business Card small business owners w/addl users to hit the $350 spend number.
Sad reality is that C+ to D1S don’t really offer the service or benefits of days gone by anyway. This might also kill off many of the referral whores.
It will be interesting to see whether the SM Partner Elite Plus benefits change too.
Cancelling two of my SkyMiles cards today. With all of the restrictions, I’ll likely shop airlines from now on. I have been Delta only for 15 years. That ends December 31.
Why? Do you not have status through 24? I qualified for platinum ’24 a few months ago.. After that though? I agree with you.
This is the 3rd time that I’ve read something on the web about an unruly 1st class passenger and for some reason their identities aren’t disclosed.
Wrong article.
Lol Diamond is only attainable for 1%ers making around $1 MM.
Imagine a very fortunate top-2% couple earning $500k. $160k taxes, $120k housing, saving 20% for retirement. Disposable income is $220k but probably much less after child care. No way that spending is all going on the same DL card.
I know these numbers may sound crazy to those of you outside NYC/SF Bay but this ballpark is fairly common for double income couples.
Folks earning DL Diamond are either going to be earning in top 1% or flying tons of employer paid travel
Which is probably the intent. Many DL flyers on the internet have been complaining non stop for 2 years about the lounges being a zoo, people in shorts or sweats/pajamas breathing the same air as them inside a SkyClub, too many pax on upgrade priority list etc…
Oh the humanity!! People wearing shorts!! ANYTHING BUT THAT.
Yeah I get the logic on raising the effective price of lounge access. Want it to be expensive enough to make fancy people feel fancy. But I don’t get “charging” so much for the mediocre lower-tier statuses. Suppose my normal DL spend is 6k MQD. I can buy a lot of C+ upgrades for 2.625% cash back on $120k incremental card spend necessarily for Plat.
I’ll be very curious how this works out. I suspect Delta and AmEx have worked this through carefully but smart people don’t always get things right. Just a few thoughts:
DL has made it very easy to qualify for elite status and get in to SkyClubs; clearly there needed to be some thinning of the heard and no one wants to think they aren’t the important one but sorry – most of us aren’t that important.
Delta is making a play for the small group of ultra-high value customers with their DeltaOne lounges in JFK and LAX (would be shocked if there wasn’t one in BOS soon and I have to think the new P/S ATL is somewhere in the mix here too…).
That said, when the target group is small, a miss is a big deal. Delta isn’t the only option for these customers and there are some weaknesses in their operations (TPAC is the most glaring although they are trying to build that up).
Anecdotally I know three people who have cancelled Corporate reserve cards today; each of them put $280k-$320k per year so that’s a million in spend that just got moved. To them “the juice just wasn’t worth the squeeze” Now I don’t move in high net worth circles much but a million here and a million there and pretty soon you are talking about real money.
I’d like to see them move to a model like the Four Seasons – no membership/loyalty program, just an excellent product top to bottom and if you want it you pay for it. There’s probably no way that concept translates to an airline the size of delta but it would be curious to see some sort of hybrid model. Keep some kind status for us plebes in the back so we don’t have to pay for every luggage charge or seat assignment, can take a few family vacations per year and get IRROPS priority while premium cabins are separate “you get what you pay for” products.
One of the worst things about this is how they are handling rollover MQM. I always thought that was a unique benefit to flying with Delta and kept me in their bubble but now they’re screwing us with the conversion rate. Back to going for 2MM status with United. Hopefully they won’t change how that works.
I opened a chat with Amex and complained. I caved in and upgraded to a Reserve card. *sigh*
Anyone know if the 6 visits to a lounge per year applies only to American Amex Platinum? For example, the restrictions for Centurion lounges only apply to American Amex Plat holders, not those from other countries.