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Delta ran this MQD promotion multiple times in 2024 and twice so far this year. It’s now running again from yesterday, August 29th to October 24th. Delta Air Lines measures progress towards earning Medallion® status (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 (limited meaning it might get extended or brought back again), Delta is making it possible to earn additional MQDs by booking hotel stays and rental cars through Delta’s branded Expedia portal.
Like other airlines (American and United as two examples), Delta has a travel portal for booking hotels and rental cars.
Usually, other portals offer miles that can be redeemed for travel, but through October 24th for bookings with travel dates between now and October 31st, you will earn one Medallion® Qualifying Dollar (MQD) for each $1 spent.
Medallion® Qualifying Dollars (MQDs) are normally 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 Air Lines announced earlier this week that the thresholds needed to qualify for Medallion status in 2027 are not going to change. This is great news for those who have been fearing that Delta would jack up the already high levels to attain elite status with the airline. When the changes to the program were announced (to switch to a single MQD qualification for status), spend on rental cars and hotels booked through Delta’s portal were supposed to count towards status. This changed after public outcry forced Delta to lower the needs of each level. It’s good to see this being tested.
Anthony’s Take: If you’re shooting for Delta Medallion® status and don’t care about hotel benefits, book away. The rental cars are the better option here. I’ll be taking advantage of that.
(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.
