Just last week, we wondered aloud whether Delta would return to the proposed status changes that set off a national firestorm two years ago and raise the spending requirements to earn Delta Medallion Status.
They just called our bluff – and we couldn't be happier about it.
On Monday, Delta announced that the Medallion Qualifying Dollar (MQD) requirements – the core building block to earn Delta status – will remain unchanged in 2026. That means the (admittedly already hefty) spending requirements to climb each tier on Delta's ladder today will remain the same next year: Earning 5,000 MQDs next year will get you Silver Medallion status through all of 2027. A whopping 28,000 MQDs will still get you up to top-tier Diamond Medallion.
Read more: After 7 Years as Platinum Medallion, I'm Done Chasing Delta Status
It's a surprising – in a good way! – turn in a saga that angered Delta flyers nationwide. And between the automatic $2,500 MQD boost Delta Amex cardholders get, booking packages through Delta Vacations, and (of course) flying Delta, there are plenty of ways for flyers to climb their way Delta status this year and next.
It started in the early fall of 2023, when Delta announced it would pivot to a spending-only model to earn status … while increasing the spending amounts by as much as 100%. At the same time, Delta said it would limit how often top Amex cardholders could visit Delta Sky Club® lounges. It was supposed to be a two birds, one stone solution: Clear out overgrown upgrade queues and overcrowded Sky Clubs all at once.
Delta eventually relented after the ensuing uproar by lowering those spending threshold hikes, increasing annual Sky Club access, and introducing new ways to earn toward status like an automatic $2,500 MQD Headstart benefit for select cardholders. But in the midst of that apology tour, the airline made clear: It's not that they changed too much but did so too quickly, spooking loyal customers.
CEO Ed Bastian said so himself: “Our team wanted to rip the bandaid off. We moved too fast.”
That's why we posed the question just last week: Is this the year Delta comes back to finish what they started? At the time, Delta representatives said they had no news to share.
What a difference four days can make. For once, we're happy to be wrong.
On Monday, Delta also announced a new “Card Member Collection” – an exclusive offshoot of the airline's SkyMiles Experiences that allows members to bid on experiences like private dinners with chefs or sporting events using their SkyMiles.
Bottom Line
Earning Delta status won't get any harder – or more expensive – next year.
The Atlanta-based airline confirmed Monday that the spending thresholds required to hit each level of Medallion Status will remain unchanged in 2026. While earning that status still requires spending a substantial sum, it's welcome news compared to our (perhaps unfounded) fears that the final shoe was set to drop.
