You asked, Delta answered: Here's what we learned from Delta Air Lines about SkyMiles MQM rollovers

05.03.2024 - 19:01 / thepointsguy.com / Delta Skymiles

As we reported last week, Delta Air Lines has now made several options available for Delta SkyMiles members who were sitting on excess Medallion Qualification Miles.

As part of many Delta SkyMiles Medallion program changes announced last year, the earning metric known as MQMs is no longer. That means SkyMiles members with Medallion status no longer have the annual rollover benefit that used to let them begin each year with an MQM boost.

Delta has now moved to a less complicated metric: Medallion Qualification Dollars. In light of this change, Delta is allowing some interesting options for those members who have leftover MQMs from the 2023 calendar year. This is important, as some people had hundreds of thousands of rollover miles.

As we covered, there are several options to choose from. You can use MQMs to extend your status, or you can convert them to MQDs, Delta SkyMiles or a combination of the latter.

However, many TPG readers asked questions about the various possibilities, so I reached out to Delta for some clarity. Delta was able to provide some detailed answers, which you will find below.

Remember, you have until Dec. 31, 2024, to make your decision, so in many cases, it may make the most sense to take a wait-and-see approach. This is especially important given this word of caution from Delta: "All selections are final, unchangeable and irrevocable," according to the carrier.

In other words, choose wisely.

Many Delta fans wonder if MQD rollovers will count toward 2025 status (which is earned based on your activity during the 2024 calendar year). Fortunately, the answer is yes.

Whether you earn MQDs from spend, flying or rolling over MQMs, those MQDs will count toward 2025 status.

A few readers wanted to know if you could get Diamond Medallion status after converting to MQDs at the Platinum Medallion level. In other words, is it possible to earn the difference in MQDs for Diamond Medallion status?

"Yes, if they converted their Rollover MQMs to MQDs and earned 2025 Platinum Medallion Status at the 15,000 threshold, they would only need to reach the 28,000 threshold (13,000 more) to reach earned 2025 Diamond Medallion Status," a Delta spokesperson told TPG. "The 15,000 MQDs are treated like any other form of earned MQDs."

Delta also reminded readers that converting everything to MQDs wouldn't always make sense.

"Just as a reminder, any excess MQDs above a status threshold will not roll over," a Delta spokesperson said.

This is a powerful reason to wait until your 2024 travel and spending activity is closer to final before converting your rollover MQMs. That will allow you to gauge your progress to your desired Medallion tier before determining whether you'd benefit from additional MQDs — or would