Delta has impressively listened to customer outrage and rolled back some of the most stinging aspects of its changes to the SkyMiles program and the to Sky Club access, but make mo mistake: the program remains uncompetitive in terms of chasing elite status.
Delta Air Lines Partially Rolls Back SkyMiles + Sky Club Changes
Last month, Delta announced a series of massive changes to its SkyMiles program, which I outlined here. That prompted such a backlash among Delta loyalists that Delta CEO Ed Bastian promised that Delta would roll back some of the changes. We now have the details and while the changes are both meaningful and show a certain humility, the changes still show a fundamental disconnect between loyalty and elite status.
Lower Elite Status Thresholds
When it comes to earning status, Delta has employed the old “take a lot, give a little” approach to minimum spending levels. SkyMiles Medallion status will still be earned exclusively via Medallion Qualifying Dollars (MQDs), which can be earned flying or using a Delta co-branded credit card, but not as much spending will be required as previously announced:
- Silver Medallion status will require 5,000 MQDs (instead of the previously announced 6,000 MQDs)
- 3,000 MQDs are required this year
- Gold Medallion status will require 10,000 MQDs (instead of the previously announced 12,000 MQDs)
- 8,000 MQDs are required this year
- Platinum Medallion status will require 15,000 MQDs (instead of the previously announced 18,000 MQDs)
- 12,000 MQDs are required this year
- Diamond Medallion status will require 28,000 MQDs (instead of the previously announced 35,000 MQDs)
- 20,000 MQDs required this year
Even with this slight rollback, Delta is still raising the spending qualification to achieve Platinum status by 50% and Diamond status by 40%, which represents a concerted effort to thin the herd of top-tier members.
Delta SkyMiles Reserve Card (personal or business) or Delta SkyMiles Platinum Card (personal or business) cardholders will receive a 2,500 MQDs jump start.
Changes To MQM Rollover Miles
Until now, Delta has incentivized you to keep flying Delta once you cross your status threshold because you could roll the excess Medallion Qualifying Miles (MQMs) over to the next program year. Delta earlier announced it was eliminating this feature, but would offer members a chance to convert rolled over MQMs at a ratio of 20:1 (sparking a bit of a bait-and-switch outrage to those who had already flown significantly more than was necessary to obtain status precisely in order to roll over the miles into 2024).
- Delta will allow MQM rollover balances to be converted into MQMDs at a ratio of 10:1 instead of 20:1
- Rollover MQM balances can also be converted into redeemable SkyMiles at a 2:1 ratio
- Members with MQM Rollover balances over 100,000 can also choose to extend their 2024 Medallion Status for one year per every 100,000 Rollover MQMs
New Medallion Choice Benefits
Starting on February 1, 2024, Delta will debut new 2025 Medallion Year Choice Benefit options for Diamond and Platinum Medallion members, including:
- An MQD accelerator ($2,000 for Diamond Medallion members and $1,000 for Platinum Medallion members)
- Delta Sky Club individual membership for Diamond Medallion members
- 35,000 redeemable SkyMiles for Diamond Medallion members or 30,000 for Platinum Medallion members
- $350 flight voucher for Diamond Medallion members or $300 for Platinum Medallion members
- An unspecified flight credit for Wheels Up (which provides “on demand” private jets)
Changes To Sky Club Access
Delta roiled its co-branded credit card holders by capping the number of Sky Club visits to 10 for Reserve cardholders and six for American Express Platinum cardholders, but is making that more generous by increasing the number of visits and re-defining what constitutes a “visit.”
SkyMiles Reserve (Personal + Business)
- Delta SkyMiles Reserve and Reserve Business American Express Card Members will be eligible for 15 days of Delta Sky Club access (i.e., “visits”) per Medallion Year (up from 10) starting February 1, 2025
- A “visit” includes all access to the Sky Club within a 24-hour period after your first check-in at any Delta Sky Club
- This includes your departure city, connecting airports and arrival at your destination
- If you are traveling on a same-day roundtrip, and use the Delta Sky Club for both your outbound and return flights, that would be included within a single visit
- Card members will be able to earn unlimited Delta Sky Club Access after spending $75,000 on their eligible Card in a calendar year and will have unlimited Delta Sky Club access for the remainder of the current Medallion Year and for the following Medallion Year
- Once the allowed visits are exhausted, access is $50 per visit
American Express Platinum (Personal + Business)
- The Platinum Card and Business Platinum Card from American Express Card Members will be eligible for 10 days of Delta Sky Club access (i.e., “visits”) per Medallion Year (up from 6) starting February 1, 2025
- “Visits” are defined the same way as above
- Card members will be able to earn unlimited Delta Sky Club access after spending $75,000 on their eligible Card in a calendar year and will have Unlimited Delta Sky Club Access for the remainder of the current Medallion Year and for the following Medallion Year
- Once the allowed visits are exhausted, access is $50 per visit
Even With The Changes, SkyMiles Remains Uncompetitive
I am impressed that Delta listened to its members and the changes above are thoughtful and will also earn Delta a reprieve from many angry flyers.
But Delta has made clear it will continue to move in a direction in which loyalty will be quite difficult to obtain compared to now (just not as fast) and this comes as the benefits of elite status are diminished, even for top-tier elites.
I make that claim because 1.) Delta now sells more premium cabin seats than ever before, meaning there are far fewer upgrades available for Medallion members, and 2.) it continues to devalue the redemption side of the SkyMiles program, meaning all that credit card spending and flight earning nets a far smaller value than ever before. Most other useful benefits come with a Delta co-branded credit card and do not require elite status.
Even at $28,000 for Diamond status ($25,500 if you count the starter), you are going to have to buy primarily premium cabin tickets to meet this spending threshold. When you do that, who needs status?
I’ll outline this more in a future post, but I do not see the value proposition in directing so much credit card spending to Delta or even crediting flights to Delta versus Air France-KLM Flying Blue (if a member cares anything about premium cabin redemptions).
The one area where Delta has made meaningful improvements is via its MillionMiler program, which also deserves a separate post and surprisingly does recognize loyalty.
CONCLUSION
Delta has rolled back some o the worst elements of its changes to the 2024 SkyMiles program and that should be celebrated. Even so, Delta does not deserve our praise for taking a mile and giving back a quarter mile. I remain skeptical that there is value sufficient in Delta Medallion status to justify the higher levels of spending, but the changes should at least stop the bleeding…for now.
images: Delta
Exactly, in graphic but real terms, they are raping their loyal customers and thinking they should be happy for giving them a reach around.
@Dave Edwards, those are “real” terms? You don’t seem familiar with what “rape” is or knowingly have friends or family who have been attacked. If you did you wouldn’t compare it to an airline’s loyalty program.
I submit that this was Delta’s intention all along, makes the changes seem MUCH less significant.
I suspect you’re right. If they just announced these as the changes initially, I doubt the outrage would be much less than what it was for the initial announcement. But now, these can be seen as an improvement over the initial announcement, and they can get positive press for listening to their customers instead of still having a massive program devaluation.
I don’t think this was the plan from the start, but you’re quite right that there would have still been significant outrage if the current revisions had been the initial announcement.
It’s another ‘New Coke’ from an Atlanta company.
People speculated that debacle was planned.
My bet is both were miscalculations and the response wasn’t what they expected.
4 cards = $10,000 head start for just $1,600 in fees.
Rene
So I think taking a pause and asking yourself flat out – how much would you pay out of pocket for Diamond? To pay $1600 and not be all the way to Diamond…not sure the economics make sense – although to be fair I’m an AA EXP making that statement. Perhaps pocketing the $1600 and buying up to domestic first class would make more economic sense. Your situation of course may vary – and the economics and valued benefits for you may be different.
…but it’s a good conversation to have with yourself when you stare in the mirror in the morning…
Good luck!
I wager 1 GUC could easily be worth the AF in 4 credit cards in some cases, not that I would do that even if I had the means…
It’s an interesting case, in theory. It sort of seems too good to be true and makes me thing Delta will tighten this “loophole” up.
Reasonably sure Amex told them to do this or else! Only reason to hold more than one card now.
1) Delgta is about a better experience (clubs, flight service, etc) more than redeemable miles
2) I have gotten some decent value out of redeemable miles just recently with the 15% off
At the end of the day, some customers will care less about redeemable miles than others. It is what it is. You can always rack up redeemable miles with credit card spend away from Delta if you need to.
I will still primarily be flying Delta next year – Diamond is pretty well within reach with these changes.
Flying Delta airlines is absolutely not a better experience than American.
American is awful. I’ve flown the back to back in first class on the same trip and the difference is huge.
Everyone gets unlucky sometimes.
It absolutely is. Just flew American yesterday for the first time in years. Delta blows them out of the water. Who needs 9 groups for boarding? $12 for wife on a45 flight. Delta is free. American lives in the Stone Age.
If you’re flying group 9, I’m not sure you’re in much of a position to comment intelligently about flying. But about basic economy
So American lags behind Delta for having 9 Board Groups and not providing free wifi on 20% of their planes? Your comment lacks any logic: how does the amount of boarding groups and not providing free wifi have anything to do with the stone age?
Finally, even though you fly in Group 9, you board the plane at the same time as you would if you were flying Delta; both airlines begin boarding 30 minutes before departure.
Aa has high speed WiFi on every plane.
Delta is Gogo on a decent part of their planes. Let’s chat when delta has any form of consistency about wifi.
Comparing the two is a tad silly. Delta has no plans to
Make their mainline planes all high speed wifi. Aa is already there and has been for years.
I’m certainly not a fanboy, I fly AA because it works. I miss being a UA 1K back in the mid 2010s, but I’ll say this… Delta isn’t everything to everyone. I did a Plat status match in 2021 and went straight back to AA. I rarely miss upgrades on AA, and I was always #12 on DL. I don’t care about gross buffet food, so the lounges weren’t any better to me really than AA. In fact, American’s we’re always less crowded. To me, the onboard product was the same. Gross meals in F, free drinks in C+/MCE. AA has a much better presence at my home airport, and crediting J flights on QR, JL, and BA makes status easy. So yes, AA is better for some people.
Those FAs, though. Not very nice. Can’t defend that.
@ Anthony– The Delta experience is NOT better. The United experience is better.
Gene – Newark is not a better experience! Also, United doesn’t let premium transcon passengers into their premium lounges, which is worse than AA.
United works well for a lot of people, but not for me :/
@Gene That is absolutely not true. American and Delta easily beat United in terms of passenger experience, with American higher than Delta.
I don’t think that is true – that is not my experience any more. United has come a long way.
I agree with you. United has come a long way. I live in another airlines fortress hub and make an effort to fly UA, it’s just a 40 minute hop for me to IAD and that hub bank structure is great.
American is not horrible. I’ve used them a lot lately on short haul and it’s been fine. I have found AAdvantage redemptions to be great value. Lots of coach one ways for 5-6k and just got a First Class non-redeye SNA to the east coast two segment for 23k. They don’t seem to float as much versus cash cost. The last 5500 mile one way redemption I did saved me $340.
I’m flying Delta sparingly. But disappointed that they lately can’t even manage a beverage service in First Class on a flight with 50 minutes in the air. Twice this week.
United has definitely made improvements; however, their onboard experience lags behind Delta and is not even close to American’s.
For Million Milers, there’s a huge change – and improvement to the program – if you want to look for silver lining in a huge storm cloud. I’ve been a Million Miler for 10 years with annual Silver status. Next year, I’ll automatically be elevated to Gold Medallion status. That’s a huge bump for Silvers – Sky Priority, elevated Sky Team benefits, better upgrade priority. Also as a Gold Million Miler, we’ll clear upgrades before other annual Golds regardless of fare and booking type. So buried in all this is some great news for a few of us. The announcment yesterday wasn’t a total bust.
Agreed that this is a great change and worthy enough of a separate blog post. My own interest is that Delta’s new MM program means United is less likely to devalue its own.
Joel – I actually think that is a big negative. Million Milers should be *behind* annual Golds, not ahead.
I don’t like the transactional loyalty model – I think there is a great case to be made for long-term loyalty being more valuable.
With all due respect, Anthony, 25 years of ‘butt in seats’ flying – actually flying – renders those of us who have stuck with Delta through Project 7.5, bankrupcy, and the pandemic to a little bit of extra recogntion. MM’s are not loyalty ‘flashes in the pan’.
Take benefits away, put some back. Call it an “enhancement”. The Delta Dumpster Difference.
“Delta has impressively listened to customer outrage” LOL! Did they have a choice? I cannot imagine the number of Amex credit cards that were canceled after their first announcement. Those customers are gone.
These changes are a bit more manageable. I am at $26k on Delta so far this year so with the cards giving me a jump start I think it will be easy to keep Diamond. As a million miller I am already lifetime Gold.
Do you have a giant stash of rollover MQMs? Requalifying could be a hell of a lot easier
Will end the year with around 250,000 MQMs.
The Wheels Up credit is interesting, but if the DL choice benefit is only $300/350, then would the Wheels Up credit be any different? Chartering a King Air is probably $3k/hour, so your choice benefit would cover 6 minutes. Yay? I don’t think too many people will select that.
I agree with you, too little too late and not enough to entice my loyalty back
It’s still steeper than their original change, but more palatable. At least for the MQM rollover for 2025 qualification, I am Gold Medallion right off the bat without doing anything for 2025 ($0 cc spend) and can easily get PM with normal spending/flying habits.
Silver and GM is literally easier with a single DL credit card
More generous MQM rollovers for 2025 qualification.
Look I’m not gonna Tim Dunn all over this but there’s some legit stuff here that will keep me flying DL/ST.
Question: as a 1 Million Miler, I start at Gold. To reach Platinum, will I simply need to cover the difference between GM and PM, or do I start at 0 on the climb to Platinum?
That’s actually a very good question that Delta has not clarified. With United, you keep the Gold status but start from zero each year, so I expect the same will be true for Delta.