Delta Airlines Loyalty Changes Create Confusion, Anger

20.09.2023 - 13:15 / forbes.com / Delta Airlines

The top trending travel topic on X (formerly Twitter) on September 14 was Delta Airlines, with more than 40,000 tweets. Did Delta announce a new route? A new partner airline? Continue their ambitious billion-dollar terminal modernization project?

No. Delta announced changes to its SkyMiles program, specifically its Medallion system of elite status qualification. The changes, which take place in 2024, largely make status dependent on spending, not mileage flown. Sniffed Smart Points, “It’s no longer a loyalty program. It’s a spending rewards program.”

The Twitterverse was not happy. The outcry was so great that the tabloid NY Post ran not one but two articles on dissent among SkyMiles members.

“I will be taking my business elsewhere,” one tweeted. “As a Platinum member who frequently travels internationally, I am disappointed with the new lounge and miles standards.”

Another said that the changes give her with “no incentive to fly Delta. Who the hell came up with this?”

What did Delta do? As of 2024, Delta is ending Medallion Qualifying Miles and Medallion Qualifying Segments. Instead, only Medallion Qualifying Dollars (MQD) will count towards status.

Delta called it a “simplified path to status,” while others had more choice terms of endearment for the program changes. “Delta’s done us dirty,” read one of the printable ones, from SmartPoints.

Why so mad? Basically, passengers perceive a loss of hard-earned airline status, just as the madness of packed planes, constant delays and no room at the lounge hits a new peak. Perhaps the frequent flyer programs succeed too well.

Gaining Diamond, Platinum, Gold or Silver Medallion status provides Delta’s “elite” flyers with access to perks. These can include complimentary upgrades, Delta Sky Lounge access, priority check-in, waived baggage fees, and the ability to roll over your Medallion Qualifying Miles

But with the new spending-based changes, to reach the lowest level of Medallion status, Silver, you’d need 6000 MQD. Silver benefits include complimentary upgrades, first checked bag free, and as of now, 7 SkyMiles per dollar spent. To get there, you could spend $6000 on flights on Delta or partner airlines, where the ratio between MQD and real dollars is one to one.

Or you could put a ton of spending on your Delta-branded credit card. You earn $1 MQD when you spend $20 on the Delta SkyMiles Platinum and Platinum Business American Express Cards. If you have the Delta SkyMiles Reserve and Reserve Business American Express Cards, you earn $1 MQD when you spend $10. In other words, you’d need at least $60,000 worth of annual spending to achieve the lowest Medallion status without flying. (Delta says MQDs can also be gained from car rentals, stays and Delta