Personal Finance
Delta Adjusts Unpopular Medallion, Lounge Access Updates
After its initial SkyMiles program updates were poorly received, Delta has announced some adjustments for Medallion status and cardholder lounge access.
About the status updates:
Due to guest feedback, Delta is making further revisions to its SkyMiles program for 2025 (which flyers will qualify for in 2024). Although the airline will move forward with plans to switch from a system that utilizes both Medallion Qualifying Miles (MQMs) and Medallion Qualifying Dollar (MQDs) to one that only uses the latter, thresholds for each status tier have been lowered from what was originally stated:
| Medallion Status | 2024 Requirement | 2025 Requirement (Original) | 2025 Requirement (Revised) |
| Silver | 25,000 MQMs + $3,000 MQDs | $6,000 MQDs | $5,000 MQDs |
| Gold | 50,000 MQMs + $8,000 MQDs | $12,000 MQDs | $10,000 MQDs |
| Platinum | 75,000 MQMs + $12,000 MQDs | $18,000 MQDs | $15,000 MQDs |
| Diamond | 125,000 MQMs + $20,000 MQDs | $35,000 MQDs | $28,000 MQDs |
Regarding Sky Club access:
In addition to tweaking Medallion status thresholds, Delta has also revised their previously-announced Sky Club access limitations for Delta SkyMiles Reserve and American Express Platinum Card customers. First, Platinum card customers will now be allotted 10 Sky Club visits per program year — up from the six visits that were originally announced.
Similarly, those with the Delta SkyMiles Reserve card will enjoy 15 complimentary visits per program year instead of 10 under the previous plan. What’s more, once these complimentary visits have been used, Delta will now give Amex Platinum and SkyMiles Reserve customers the option to purchase day access for $50 per person. These changes will go into effect in February 2025.
Another big change is that Delta has now defined “visit” as a 24-hour period. This means that those flying multi-city itineraries will be able to visit Sky Clubs at their origination point, any layover cities, and at their destination. Furthermore, Delta even makes it clear that those flying same-day roundtrips will be able to use Sky Clubs for their inbound and outbound flights while only using a single visit.
Those who spend at least $75,000 per calendar year on their Amex Platinum and SkyMiles Reserve card will continue to have unlimited Delta Sky Club access for the remainder of the current Medallion Year as well as for the following Medallion Year. A spending tracker showing cardholders how close they are to this threshold will launch next year.
My thoughts:
When I returned from a trip to Hong Kong that re-qualified me for 2024 Silver Medallion status, I figured it would be my last year as an “elite.” With these adjustments, it’s possible I may be able to keep Silver in the future, although the removal of the MQM still makes that harder than it used to be. Honestly, while it’s fun to say I’m a Medallion member, there’s not a whole lot of value to the lower-tier status and so losing it won’t be a big deal for me.
What I do care about, however, is Sky Club access — and I’m thrilled that Delta clarified what a “visit” is. When I first wrote about the updates, I noted that a multi-stop itinerary could lead flyers to quickly burn through their allotted visits. Thus, I’m really glad Delta actually thought this through and is instating a 24-hour rule instead. While I’d of course prefer that Platinum cardmembers were able to retain unlimited access to the Sky Clubs, I think 10 visits (with visits defined as 24-hour access periods) is pretty fair.
Most importantly, my boss for the Disney site I write for seems happy with the adjustments, which means I’ll likely continue flying Delta for my future business trips and beyond.
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