Discover benefits of Delta Silver Medallion status [2024]

Delta Air Lines is among the major carriers in the United States headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia. It is also recognized as one of the world’s oldest airlines in operation. The airline operates 5,500+ daily flights from 9 hubs across the country with more than 860 aircraft.

The primary hubs for Delta are Atlanta, Boston, Detroit, Los Angeles, Minneapolis/St. Paul, New York–JFK, New York–LaGuardia, Salt Lake City, and Seattle/Tacoma.

Explore all the benefits of Delta Silver Medallion in 2023.

Talking about fare classes, Delta offers Delta One, Premium Select, First Class, Comfort Plus, and Economy. The airline offers a Loyalty Program to its frequent flyers, and loyal customers known as Medallion Status. This program is specially introduced to enhance the travel experience of valuable customers.

The Medallion Status consists of four tier levels: Silver Medallion, Gold Medallion, Platinum Medallion, and Diamond Medallion. In this blog, we will explore the Delta Silver Medallion’s requirements and benefits.

Let’s begin with an introduction to Silver Medallion Status.

What is Delta Silver Medallion Status? 

The majority of commercial passenger airlines around the world offer loyalty programs to reward their frequent flyers, and loyal customers. Being one of the major airlines, Delta also offers a Loyalty Program known as Medallion Status.

Among the four tier levels of the Delta Medallion Status, Silver Medallion is the lowest status level that comes with basic benefits. Delta passengers need to gain Medallion Qualification Dollars (MQDs) or the MQD Waiver or earn Medallion Qualification Miles (MQMs) or Medallion Qualification Segments (MQSs) to qualify for Medallion status levels.

The key benefits of the Delta Silver Medallion status are Complimentary upgrades, Free checked baggage, priority travel services, and much more. Before exploring all the benefits, let’s find out the requirements to qualify for this level.

How do I get Silver Medallion on Delta? (Requirements)

As we discussed above, Delta customers need to earn qualifying points based on various factors to become eligible for Silver Medallion. There are four terms to be understood: MQD, MQD Waiver, MQM, and MQS.

• MQD stands for Medallion Qualification Dollars, and can be earned based on customers’ annual spending on Delta flights, and other partner airline flights. On Award Travel tickets, MQDs will be calculated based on miles redeemed for the flight divided by 100 on Delta-marketed flights only.
• MQD Waiver means the MQDs requirement to qualify for Silver, Platinum, or Gold Medallion Status for the qualification year will be waived after Delta customers make $25,000 or more in eligible purchases during the calendar year using eligible Delta SkyMiles American Express Cards.
• MQM stands for Medallion Qualification Miles, and it is earned based on distance flown, and fare class selected, excluding Basic Economy.
• MQS is an abbreviation for Medallion Qualification Segments that can be earned based on the number of flights excluding Basic Economy.

We explored the basic knowledge of MQMs, MQSs, and MQDs however, you must be wondering about the requirements for Silver Medallion Status. Well, to qualify for Delta Silver Medallion, you need to acquire 25,000 MQMs, or 30 MQSs, and $3,000 MQDs, or MQD Waiver.

For instance, if you earn 25,000 Medallion Qualification Miles (MQMs), and $3,000 Medallion Qualification Dollars (MQDs) through flight, and spending activity during the 2022 calendar year (1st January – 31st December), you will receive 2023 Silver Medallion Status which will be valid from the day it is earned until January 31st, 2024.

MQMs, MQSs, MQDs, and MQD Waivers are earned by the customer who is flying on Delta flights but not the person who booked or paid for the flight. Customers can track their earned status by visiting the My SkyMiles page or Fly Delta mobile app.

Delta SkyMiles American Express Cards can be used to earn Medallion Qualification Miles. There are various cards available including Delta SkyMiles Gold American Express Card, Platinum American Express Card, Reserve American Express Card, and Blue American Express Card.

For example, customers can earn up to 10,000 MQMs, and 50,000 Bonus miles after they make $5,000 in eligible purchases using their Delta SkyMiles Reserve American Express Card.

Delta customers get the opportunity to earn more miles with Silver Medallion Status, thanks to the Rollover MQMs. The Rollover MQMs benefit is offered to Medallion Members with which the Medallion Qualification Miles (MQMs) earned above the Medallion Tier qualification threshold will roll over to the next qualification year to provide a jump start on earning Status again.

Here’s an example of how Rollover MQMs work in a typical year: You reach Silver Medallion Status by earning 45,000 MQMs and $8,000 MQDs during the 2023 calendar year – giving you Status from the day you earn it through January 31, 2025. You only needed 25,000 MQMs to reach Silver and had enough MQDs for Gold, but didn’t quite hit the 50,000 MQMs needed to reach Gold. With Rollover MQMs, you’ll be able to roll over the 20,000 MQMs you earned above and beyond the Silver requirement, to your next year’s balance giving you a head start toward earning Status again for 2024. Delta will automatically roll over your MQMs by the end of January each year.

Now, let’s explore all the benefits of Delta Silver Medallion Status.

What is the benefit of Delta Silver Medallion in 2024?

Once you qualify for Delta Silver Medallion Status, you will receive various benefits which are listed below.

Unlimited Complimentary Upgrades

Silver Medallion Status holders get unlimited complimentary upgrades to Delta First Class, Delta Comfort+, and domestic Delta One experience. Besides, they also get an opportunity to select seat preferences for Delta Comfort+ complimentary upgrades.

The unlimited complimentary upgrade to Delta One Experience is only available on domestic flights within 50 states. It begins on the day of departure and is applicable on all paid tickets (except E fares), Award Tickets, Miles+Cash, and Pay with Miles tickets.

The unlimited complimentary upgrade to First Class, and unlimited complimentary Delta Comfort+ seat access beginning 24 hours (1 day) prior to departure is applicable on all paid tickets (except E fares), Award Tickets, Miles+Cash, and Pay with Miles tickets.

Companions traveling with Silver Medallion members will also get unlimited complimentary upgrades to Delta One, First Class, and Delta Comfort+ for flights within U.S. 50 states. Furthermore, members will also receive unlimited complimentary Clase Premier upgrades on select Aeromexico-operated flights.

Complimentary Checked Baggage

Delta Silver Medallion members can carry their first checked baggage for free when traveling on Delta or select partner airline flights. In addition, up to 8 of the travel companions also receive free first-checked baggage when traveling on a Delta Flight.

Priority Travel Services

Silver Medallion status holders enjoy various amenities at the airport including priority travel services. Priority Check-in, Priority Boarding, and a discount on Delta CLEAR membership are the priority services.

Some airports feature a dedicated check-in lane for Silver Medallion Members. For other airports, members can use the Sky Priority Check-in lane. Talking about the CLEAR membership discount, passengers can purchase an annual membership for only $109 (a $70 savings).

Priority Boarding is another important benefit of Silver Medallion Status. Members can use the General Boarding Lane when traveling in Main Cabin.

Other benefits of Delta Silver Medallion Status are listed below.

Dedicated Phone Line Priority – Passengers can call a Delta Reservations Specialist, or SkyMiles representative with questions about their flights or for assistance.

Reclaim My Status – Current, and former Silver Medallion members can apply to enroll in Reclaim My Status to fly with three months of complimentary Status in the Tier they applied for and earn back that Status through the following Medallion Year.

SkyTeam Elite Status – Silver Medallion members are also entitled as SkyTeam Elite Status holders who can enjoy the equivalent benefits.

Hertz Car Rental Benefits – Silver Medallion members will earn up to 1,000 bonus miles per Qualifying rental on Hertz.

Instacart Benefits – Silver Medallion Members will receive 3 months of Free trial of Instacart Express that can be used to earn 1.5 miles per dollar spent on grocery orders, and enjoy more benefits.

Bag Tags – As a Silver Medallion Member, you can show off your Status with the bag tags.

Delta Vacations –All Delta Medallion Members including Silver Medallion can save up to $350 per booking with Delta Vacations (including vacations booked with miles).

DELTA VACATIONS	SAVINGS AS A SILVER MEDALLION MEMBER
$1250 – $2,499	$50
$2,500 – $3,999	$100
$4,000 – $6,999	$150
$7000 or more	$350

Conclusion on Benefits of Delta Silver Medallion Status

Delta Silver Medallion Status is the lowest level of the Medallion Status Loyalty Program. To qualify for this base level, customers need to earn at least 25,000 MQMs, or 30 MQSs, and $3,000 MQDs, or MQD Waiver.

Let’s conclude with the major benefits of Delta Silver Medallion Status.

• Unlimited Complimentary Upgrades to Delta One, Delta First, and Delta Comfort+
• 1 Free Checked Baggage
• Priority Travel Services

FAQs on Benefits of Delta Silver Medallion Status