Closing in on Delta Status? Use These Last-Minute Tips to Level Up Your Medallion Status

The year is drawing to a close, and that means one thing: Delta flyers across the country are scrambling to lock in (or level up) their Delta Medallion Status for next year.

Look, I get it. I've done some questionable things in the past just to lock in another year of status. But after Delta's unpopular Medallion changes went into effect last year, earning status is more expensive than ever. Unless you're an ultra-frequent traveler flying on your employer's dime, most travelers are much better off as free agents.

But I know some of you out there are dangerously close to reaching that next tier. And lucky for you, there are a handful of ways to close the gap before Dec. 31. 

Our take: After 7 Years with Platinum Status, I'm Done Chasing Delta Medallion

The Basics of Earning Delta Medallion Status Now

Everything changed for 2024.

Delta doesn't care about how far you fly anymore – Medallion Qualifying Miles (MQMs) are gone for good. Nowadays, all Delta cares about is how much you spend with them: It's all about the almighty (Medallion Qualifying) Dollar, or MQD. And you need to earn more of them than ever. 

After blowback from Skymiles members, Delta eventually rolled back some of the worst of these spending increases. Still, it'll cost you … a lot: Even the lowest-level Silver Medallion Status now requires spending $5,000 a year with the airline … while top Delta Diamond Status clocks in at a whopping $28,000 MQDs.

Related reading: Delta Says Medallion Status Thresholds Will Remain Unchanged in 2026

And because of how Delta counts these MQDs, these spending requirements are actually a bit higher than you might think.

The mandatory taxes and fees you pay on each and every plane ticket do not count toward MQDs. On a standard domestic flight, you can safely subtract about $50 – for example, this $207 roundtrip fare from Minneapolis-St. Paul (MSP) to Denver (DEN) would only net you $165 MQDs. Even higher taxes and fees on many international trips will chip away more still at how many MQDs you'll earn. 

From instant boosts from credit cards to upgrades, there are few other ways to pad your count of MQDs beyond booking and taking more flights. We'll get to those shortly. 

Not sure how close – or how far – you are to hitting that next tier of Medallion Status? Just log into your SkyMiles account at Delta.com and click your name in the upper right corner to see where you stand. It even factors in flights you already have on the books (but haven't yet taken) through the end of the year

Whatever tier you're shooting for, remember: You only have until Dec. 31 to earn all the MQDs you need before everything resets. And it's not enough to book a bunch of flights before that deadline – you need to actually put your butt in that seat before the year is over.

Tips & Tactics to Level Up

Desperate to add to your balance of MQDs before the year is over? You're in the right place. 

From first to worst, here are our favorite ways to inch closer to Medallion Status before 2025 draws to a close. 

Upgrade Your Seat

There's a fun and easy way to close the gap in your pursuit of Delta status. In the wise words of Tom Haverford: Treat yo' self … to an upgrade. 

Unless you bought the cheapest Delta basic economy ticket, the airline allows virtually anyone to pay (or redeem SkyMiles) to upgrade to Delta Comfort Plus or first class. Spoiler alert: The price you pay to bump up will inch you toward Delta status. Just like the flights themselves, a small amount of taxes and fees don't count.

That means this $74 upgrade to first class on an upcoming flight would get me $69 MQDs. 

And again, just as with the flights, you won't earn those MQDs right when you hit purchase on your upgrade. You'll have to actually take the flight in order to get those MQDs, which means paying for an upgrade now for a flight next year won't do you any good. 

Add (Or Upgrade To) a Better Delta Card

Like it or not, having a Delta co-branded Amex card is … well, pretty much essential for earning Delta status these days. If you don't have one already, adding the right Delta card to your wallet could give you a huge boost. 

Delta added a perk to some of its top cards last year that has still flown under the radar: MQD Headstart. Translation? Just for having one of these cards in your wallet, you'll get an automatic $2,500 MQD boost:

• *delta skymiles platinum card*
• *skymiles business platinum*
• *delta reserve card*
• *delta reserve business*

So if you're done flying for the year but still $2,000 MQDs or so away from Delta Gold or Platinum status, this is by far the easiest way of getting over the hump. 

Even with the end of the year closing in, adding (or upgrading) to one of these eligible cards beforehand would get you that $2,500 MQD boost. A Delta spokesperson previously confirmed that you'd get your MQD Headstart deposited into your account within eight weeks of upgrading, if not significantly sooner.

One note: There's no way to double-dip on MQD Headstarts by upgrading. For example, you wouldn't get a total of $5,000 bonus MQDs by upgrading from the Platinum to Reserve midway through the year. If you want to double up, you'd need to open the Delta Reserve Card outright and keep your existing Platinum Card open.

But if you're really far off from your prized Delta status, there's nothing stopping you from adding two cards to your wallet. These MQD Headstart boosts stack: Get all four and you'd get 10,000 MQDs status, instantly hitting Gold status. 

Is it worth paying an extra $700, $1,000, or $2,000 in annual fees just to hit that next tier of Delta status? Probably not. Nonetheless, it's an option before the year closes out. 

Read more: How to Get Instant Delta Status from 2 Amex Cards

Spend on Your Delta Card

Personally, my Delta co-branded credit card lives in the drawer – I use other, more rewarding credit cards day to day. But if you're really, really close to the Medallion status you crave, whipping out your Delta card more often could be a savvy move. 

In the new world of earning Delta status, there's a way to earn additional MQDs for everyday spending on select Delta credit cards.

Exactly how many MQDs you'll earn depends on which card you've got:

• You'll earn 1 MQD for every $10 you spend on a *delta reserve card*.
• It's worse on the *delta skymiles platinum card*: just 1 MQD for every $20 spent.
• The entry-level *delta skymiles gold card* doesn't earn any MQDs, period.

Let's say you're bound to wind up $100 or so MQDs shy of the Delta status you want for next year. Put a $1,000 purchase on a Delta Reserve Card, and you're set. With the Delta Platinum Card, you'd need to charge $2,000 to earn the same $100 MQDs.

Is this the most efficient way to earn a bunch of the Delta MQDs you need? Not even close. But if you have a big purchase coming up, can't get another credit card, or don't have any outstanding Delta flights before the year is done, it might be the easiest. 

Book a Last-Minute Getaway Through Delta Vacations

Mulling one last trip before the year is over? You're not alone. Why not kill two birds with one stone: Book a package deal through Delta Vacations for a getaway and earn your Delta status, too.

It's a serious silver lining of Delta's otherwise unpopular status overhaul: Almost every dollar you spend on Delta Vacations packages now earns you MQDs – and not just the cost of flights, but on hotel stays, rental cars, and other expenses, too. That means you can earn a boatload of MQDs on a trip before the end of the year.

Critically, that Delta Vacations package must include a flight – simply booking a hotel or rental car alone won't cut it. And you have to take and finish the trip before Dec. 31 – the clock's ticking. 

For example, this $2,500 long weekend trip for two from Minneapolis-St. Paul (MSP) to Palm Springs (PSP) later this month – including Delta flights, of course – would earn a whopping 1,948 MQDs. 

Read more: Are Delta Vacations the New Mileage Run?

Elevate Your Status Program

A way to pay for status is back for 2026 – and it doesn't require you to put your butt in a plane seat … just a hefty donation.

Delta brought back its Elevate Your Status program, giving Medallion Members the option to purchase MQDs for the 2026 Medallion Year if within a certain threshold of the next status level. Medallion Members can make a one-time purchase at a ratio of 1 MQD for every $3 donated, with 100% of the money contributing to Delta's Sustainable Aviation Fuel program. 

For example, say you are 100 MQDs away from the next Medallion tier and have no other options, you could make a $300 donation through the elevate your status program to purchase the remaining balance. It's certainly not the most efficient way to earn status, but it is cheaper than spending $1,000 (unnecessarily) on a Delta Reserve card. 

Book a Delta Flight

I saved the worst for last. If you've exhausted all the other options on this list, your last recourse is just to get on the plane. 

Don't call it a mileage run, as it doesn't matter how far you fly anymore: You just need to spend money on Delta flights. If you're $250 MQDs short of that next tier of Delta status, you'll need to book a $250 Delta flight – actually, more like $300 since the taxes and fees built into your airfare don't count. 

Two critical elements to keep in mind:

• You need to actually take that flight by Dec. 31 – booking before the deadline isn't good enough.
• Whatever you do, don't book a basic economy ticket – those no longer earn credits toward Medallion status

On the bright side, you could earn some MQDs without spending a dime by redeeming SkyMiles instead, as even award travel with Delta still counts toward status. But you may need to fork over a lot of them: You earn $1 MQD for every 100 SkyMiles you redeem, so a 25,000-SkyMile redemption would earn you $250 MQDs. 

Flying a Delta partner airline like Air France, KLM, Virgin, or Korean Air before the year is out? You can also credit those flights toward your Medallion status, though it follows a completely separate (and convoluted) set of rules.

Bottom Line

If you're starting from scratch, you can forget about earning Delta status for next year. It's too late – and, more importantly, too expensive.

But if you're close to that next tier of Medallion Status, use some of these tactics to pad your stash of all-important MQDs before the year draws to a close.