Does Delta status carry over year to year?

You can earn status by flying and spending enough within a single calendar year, and once earned you'll keep it through the following calendar year.



In 2026, Delta Medallion status does not automatically carry over; it must be re-earned every calendar year (January 1 to December 31). To maintain status, you must meet specific Medallion Qualification Dollar (MQD) thresholds. However, Delta offers a few "cushions." If you earn more MQDs than required for your current tier but not enough for the next one, those extra "Roll-over MQDs" do not exist in the same way they once did under the old system; instead, Delta occasionally offers a "Status Extension" or the ability to "Buy Up" if you are very close at the end of the year. The only way to have "permanent" status is through the Million Miler program, where hitting lifetime milestones (like 1 million miles) grants you a specific status for life. For everyone else, the status you earn in 2025 is valid through the end of the 2026 Medallion year (which actually ends on January 31, 2027), but you must keep spending and flying throughout 2026 to ensure you still have those baggage and upgrade perks for 2027.

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Delta has four tiers of elite status: Silver, Gold, Platinum and Diamond. You can earn status by flying and spending enough within a single calendar year, and once earned you'll keep it through the following calendar year. So if you earn Gold status in February 2023, you'll keep it through the end of 2024.

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To give you a jump start on earning Status again, the Medallion Qualification Miles (MQMs) you earn above your Medallion Tier will roll over to the next qualification year. Plus, at each Tier, you earn more miles from your flights to help you get to your next vacation faster.

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And customers who have MQM Rollover balances over 100,000 will be given special offers to extend their earned 2024 Status—one year for each 100K Rollover MQMs. Delta will also provide an option to convert MQM Rollover balances into MQDs at a more generous ratio of 10:1 (up from 20:1).

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How long does Delta status last? Delta elite status lasts from the day you earn it through the next calendar year and until the following January 31. For example, if you earn Medallion status on October 3, 2023, you would have status through January 31, 2025.

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Delta Gold Medallion status lasts until the end of the calendar year you earn it, the entire following year and through Jan.

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To keep your Silver status for the remaining year after the three-month introductory period, you'll need to earn 6,250 MQMs or 8 MQSs, spend $750 MQDs or be eligible for the MQD waiver.

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Silver Medallion status does expire if you do not meet the required amount of flying and spend. That said, each year, you can roll over the EQMs earned beyond status to the next year so it can count for the next year's elite status.

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If you are a frequent Delta flyer — especially someone who values upgrades, bonus miles and free checked bags — reaching Platinum Medallion is quite rewarding given its value estimated at over $6,000.

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The longer you are with the airline, the greater your salary and benefits. Your seniority ranking also determines your monthly schedule, the location of your base, and when you upgrade from first officer to captain.

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The vast majority, roughly 80% of medallions (or about 2% of all accounts) are silvers. About 12% of medallions (or about 0.3% of all accounts) are golds. About 6% of medallions (or about 0.15% of all accounts) are platinums, and as noted about 2% of medallions (or about 0.05% of all accounts) are diamonds.

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Delta SkyMiles Platinum and Platinum Business Basic and Additional Card Members (“Platinum Card Members”) have access to the Delta Sky Club at a per-visit rate of $50 per person when traveling on a same-day Delta or Delta partner airline flight.

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It's good to be Gold. Receive Unlimited Complimentary Upgrades, access to the full Sky Priority® suite of services, waived same-day confirmed change fees and benefits like a preferred rate on a CLEAR® Plus membership, Rollover MQMs and more.

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The Rollover MQMs benefit is exclusive to Delta, and only for our Medallion Members. Here's an example of how Rollover MQMs work: 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.

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Lifetime Delta Gold Medallion status (one million miler) Those who achieve one million miler status in the Delta SkyMiles program will receive Gold Medallion status for life (through 2023, this only gets you Silver Medallion status for life). On top of that, members receive a special gift for passing the threshold.

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While it's still possible to earn Delta Medallion Status without flying, you have to be a big spender to do so.

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The fastest way to do so is to fly Delta and its partners, apply for a premium co-branded credit card and spend, spend, spend. With Diamond Medallion status, you'll enjoy several premium benefits such as automatic upgrades, bonus miles on flights, a free Delta Sky Club membership and more.

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Earning Delta MQMs with Credit Cards Outside of actually getting on a plane, there's only one other way to earn Delta MQMs: Delta co-branded credit cards. And even though Delta a full suite different co-branded credit cards, only two of them will help you attain status through earning MQMs.

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The Delta Gold and Delta Platinum have identical earning rates, except the Platinum earns an additional mile per dollar on Delta purchases (3 miles per dollar as opposed to 2) and also earns 3 miles per dollar on purchases made directly with hotels (as opposed to the standard 1 mile per dollar with the Delta Gold).

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