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Delta Air Lines confirmed back in August that the MQD thresholds to qualify for 2027 Medallion Status would not be changing in 2026. This remains true, but today the Atlanta-based carrier released some tweaks to its Choice Benefits for Platinum and Diamond Medallion® members next year.
Delta currently offers 11 Choice Benefits. Some of these are great and others are pretty meh. Platinum Medallion® members get to choose one benefit while Diamond Medallion® members get three more (they get four in total). Four of the 11 benefits are changing for next year with three getting better and one being devalued.
Gifting Medallion Status
Platinum Medallion® members can gift Silver Medallion® status to two people currently. This jumps to four people next year. Diamond Medallion® members can gift Gold Medallion® status to two people currently. This also increases to four people in 2026.
Bonus Miles
Platinum Medallion® members can choose 30,000 SkyMiles® currently. This increased by 5,000 miles next year. Diamond Medallion® also sees a 5,000-mile bump from 35,000 to 40,000 in 2026.
Delta Travel Voucher
Travel vouchers are increasing from $300 to $350 for Platinum Medallion® members and from $350 to $550 for Diamond Medallions®. That’s real money and a nice increase.
American Express® Statement Credits
Delta giveth and Delta taketh away. While it’s increasing the value of the travel vouchers, the American Express® statement credits are dropping from $400 to $250 for Platinum Medallions® and from $700 to $500 for Diamonds. Ouch!
These changes all take effect on February 1st. Dwight James, SVP of Customer Engagement & Loyalty and CEO of Delta Vacations, said:
The SkyMiles program is built on a foundation of listening to our Members and evolving to meet their needs. The latest Choice Benefits updates reflect Member feedback and our commitment to delivering an experience that rewards loyalty in a variety of ways. Earning and keeping the trust of our Members means being transparent about changes and continually investing in the experiences that matter most.”
Anthony’s Take: This is a mixed bag. Adding more elite members just grows the population while taking away from those that earned it with spend. Cutting the Amex credit is cheap, but the travel voucher is a good increase for Diamonds. Overall, this is positive news and I’m happy that Delta is not changing the status thresholds.
(Image Credits: Delta Air Lines.)
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Advertiser & Editorial Disclosure: The Bulkhead Seat earns an affiliate commission for anyone approved through the links above This compensation may impact how and where links appear on this site. We work to provide the best publicly available offers to our readers. We frequently update them, but this site does not include all available offers. Opinions, reviews, analyses & recommendations are the author’s alone, and have not been reviewed, endorsed, or approved by any of these entities.
