Delta’s loyalty changes are even worse than originally announced

29.09.2023 - 20:23 / thepointsguy.com

There are no two ways about it: Delta Air Lines' upcoming changes to its SkyMiles loyalty program are pretty brutal for most flyers — but they're actually even worse than originally expected.

Delta will significantly reduce partner airline earning rates.

Beginning next year, the airline will exclusively award status based on how much you transact with the airline through Medallion Qualification Dollars (or MQDs).

While you primarily earn 1 MQD for each dollar you spend on Delta airfare (before taxes and fees), the airline is expanding the list of transactions that'll award MQDs; this will include cobranded credit card spending, hotel and rental car bookings made through Delta and Delta Vacations packages.

Despite the longer list of MQD-earning activities, the airline is raising the thresholds required for status to levels previously unheard of in the U.S. airline industry. (Think $35,000 a year in Delta spending to earn top-tier Diamond status.)

Historically, one of the best ways to quickly rack up MQDs has been through booking tickets with Delta partners. When you credit a ticket issued and operated by an eligible partner to your SkyMiles account, you earn MQDs based on what fare class you purchased and how far you flew.

Savvy flyers know to look for inexpensive partner fares in high fare classes and on long routes to boost their MQD balances.

While this might've been the case in the past, the airline is reducing the number of MQDs you'll receive from many partner-issued tickets beginning Jan. 1, 2024, as confirmed by a carrier spokesperson.

As part of the program updates, Delta published updated mileage earning charts for flights operated by its airline partners.

While much of the focus has been on the SkyMiles changes that Delta announced in its press release, these updates, which have mostly flown under the radar, might sting even more for some frequent flyers.

In order to crunch the data, I looked at the MQD earning rates for all seven of Delta's "core" partners and its 14 "non-core" partners. The results aren't pretty.

Across the "core" partners, 106 of the 204 eligible fare classes will earn fewer MQDs as of next year. That equates to just more than half of these fares, which will undoubtedly make it even harder to hit Medallion status next year and beyond.

In case you're wondering if Delta's balancing these reductions with some increases, it's not: Just 21 of the 204 eligible fare classes will see increased MQD earnings as of 2024.

The changes aren't as drastic with Delta's non-core partners, but the results are still pretty lopsided. Of the 256 eligible fare classes, 36 of them will earn fewer MQDs in 2024 and beyond. (Just four fare classes will earn more MQDs after Jan. 1.)

Diving into the