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It’s back for the third or fourth time this year. Delta Air Lines measures progress towards earning Medallion® (elite status) with one metric: Medallion® Qualifying Dollars (MQDs). These are earned based on the cost of airfare and the amount spent on Delta co-branded credit cards. For a limited time, Delta is making it possible to earn additional MQDs by booking hotel stays and rental cars through Delta’s branded Expedia portal.
This has popped up multiple times in 2024. Delta continues to test the waters to see if this is something it wants to do on an ongoing basis. Like other airlines (American and United as two examples), Delta has a travel portal for booking hotels and rental cars. Usually, these portals offer miles that can be redeemed for travel, but through September 30th for bookings with travel dates between August 19th and October 31st, you will earn one Medallion® Qualifying Dollar (MQD).
Medallion® Qualifying Dollars (MQDs) are earned through a few activities, including:
- Spending money on Delta flights (you earn one MQD per $1 spent on airfare)
- Booking trips through Delta Vacations (one MQD per $1 spent)
- Using a Delta co-branded credit card, but only the Delta SkyMiles® Platinum Card and Delta SkyMiles® Reserve Card (personal or business for either card count). One MQD is earned for every $10 to $20 spent
Delta Medallion® status is earned by hitting the thresholds outlined in the table above.
I am going to book some rental cars through this promotion because my status with National and Avis will carry over. With hotels, I am not touching it. If I booked with Hilton, Hyatt, or Marriott, I would not qualify for the benefits I’ve earned based on my elite status (in the same way I would not qualify for benefits if I booked with any other third party).
Anthony’s Take: If you’re shooting for Delta Medallion® status and don’t care about hotel benefits, book away. I’ll be taking a metered approach and booking some car rentals here.
(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.
