Delta SkyMiles members are breathing a sigh of relief because the airline just confirmed that they will not change the requirements for earning elite status in 2026.
The Atlanta-based carrier announced huge changes two years ago that would have meant a requirement to spend $35,000 qualifying dollars to hit Diamond status and new limits on accessing Sky Clubs. And they even warned that they weren’t done making changes and planned to go further.
The backlash was swift! While normally executives might stick to their guns, thinking the ‘noise around the edges’ would pass, the carrier surely saw data along with their co-brand credit card partner American Express that genuinely scared them – because they swiftly reversed course,
- Moderating the increased requirements for status
- While keeping the ability to earn qualifying dollars through non-flight activity (like card spend and booking non-flight travel through Delta)
- Raising the annual limits they were imposing on lounge access via credit card
- And introducing a new sweetener of improved lifetime elite benefits.
Was this just a temporary measure, to ease everone more slowly into the changes a little bit at a time? Delta’s CEO suggested that their mistake was going too fast rather than making the changes at all. However,
- They didn’t come back with these changes in 2024
- And they haven’t come back with them in 2025, either.
| Planned | Rolled Back To | |||||
| 2023 | 2024 | 2024 | 2026 | |||
| 3,000 | 6,000 | 5,000 | 5,000 | |||
| 8,000 | 12,000 | 10,000 | 10,000 | |||
| 12,000 | 18,000 | 15,000 | 15,000 | |||
| 20,000 | 35,000 | 28,000 | 28,000 |
Delta wanted to push customers to spend more money – on tickets, with their credit card partnership (where they claim ‘roughly’ 1% of GDP) and through other partnershps that drive higher margin revenue than flights. They’re still doing that – but they aren’t demanding as much from customers as they’d planned to two years ago.
I’ve been Diamond for the first time this past year; very pleased with the benefits, namely the GUCs. Probably only going to requalify for Platinum (the RUCs are enough for my future plans). All around, happy that Delta is keeping the re-qualification reasonable. I still think it’s the best program among US carriers (cheers, @Tim Dunn! Keep Climbing! 100 more years!)
So, with Delta some can just spend on the card to get status? No miles required?
Also on that table, areveach of those levels Silver, Gold Platinum, and Diamond and the spend needed to get it?
in other news, Delta’s CEO is speaking at a development summit in Riyadh over the next 2 days which will probably be the platform to announce ATL-RUH
Tim Dunn – hope he doesn’t get stoned or his hands cut off. It’s a magical tourist destination!!!
@Tim Dunn — Oh lala…get some Gulf oil munmuns, Ed! Woop woop!
@Chris B — You could have looked it up yourself, but here’s an overview:
The Delta Platinum and Reserve Amex cards include a $2,500 MQD Headstart; other spending on those cards is 1 MQD for every $10 spend.
For Silver Medallion ($5,000 MQDs), you’d need another $2,500 MQDs from spending ($25,000).
For Gold ($10,000 MQDs), would need additional $7,500 MQDs after the Headstart, so spend $75,000.
For Platinum ($15,000 MQDs), would need an extra $12,500 MQDs, so $125,000 spend.
And, finally, for Diamond ($28,000 MQDs), so need an additional $25,500 MQDs, spending $255,000 (ouch).
Probably better to just book some flights instead. Just sayin….
@ 1990 — If you hold all four Headstart-eligible DL AMEX cards (surely you do), you get $10,000 MQD right our of the gate, leaving only $18,000 MQDs. All you need to do is pay your $15,000 / month NYC apartment rent with your Reserve Card and you are Diamond!
Seriously though, you only need $18,000 MQD after coughing up the $2,000 AFs for your AMEX cards. If you spend, say, $5,000 per month on your Reserve card and select the $2,000 MQD as a Diamond Choice beneift, you only need to spend $11,000 on base airfare. That’s a pretty low bar for Diamond. I am surprised that you aren’t using this path to obtain Diamond. (Yes, Tim, I am! No more 1K after this year becuase it will be too inconvenient.)
@ 1990 — Oops, my math is flawed — you only need to spend $10,000 on base air fare (not $11,000). Alternatively, you can spend 1 million miles on base airfare and keep your cash to cover your rent. 😉
Noting more exciting than hearing DL will start service to a nation tied to funding terrorism and murdering independent journalists. While some may see this route as an exciting new dot on the map, I see it as capitulation to a murderous regime lacking respect for women, LTBTQ persons, the working class and anyone who disagrees with their policies.
As for the decision by DL not to raise elite qualifying requirements, this is a canary in the coal mine, and the canary just fell off its perch. The only reason DL is doing this is because of the continued risk of economic downturn. And maybe a little bit because some other carriers are getting desperate and willing to roll out the red carpet to get people to jump carriers.
I’m happy DL is not raising the requirements, but they are not doing it out of the kindness of their hearts. The calculus is telling them it’s a bad business decision.
Delta is such trash. Love to hear the Stockholm syndrome from Delta captives.
@Gene — I like where your head’s at! Here I was… ready to settle for mere Platinum, when I should be paying more annual fees and earning more GUCs (the only ‘choice’ worth selecting). I realize you were in-jest, but I am curious whether it is allowed to double-dip (of 4x dip) that ‘Headstart’ as you suggest (or if they cap it). Anyway, thanks for thinking of me and my excessive costs!
@Parker — While I’m no ‘fan’ of murderous dictatorships (even if they are supposedly ‘modernizing,’ you know, because the ladies can drive these days, if their husbands let them…), if we only flew to non-dictatorships, we’d be flying to fewer and fewer places these days… *gulp*
@Brian — Tell us your favorite airline or place or food or whatever and allow us the opportunity to dunk on you, too. Fair is fair, sir.
@ 1990 — Yes, you can earn 10,000 Headstart MQD each year by holding DL Plat Personal, DL Plat Business, DL Reserve Personal, DL Reserve Business. There are a couple details to note — you can usually only hold 5 AMEX credit cards (excludes charge cards), so holding the four cards limits your other AMEX credit card holdings (Hilton, Marriott, etc). This makes the perfect time for you to ditch Marriott!
@Gene — Now, I just need my own ‘business’ … and I don’t think frequenting Gary’s site counts. *sigh*
@ 1990 — Anything counts as your own SoleProp. Here’s an idea — do one DoorDash delivery for AA LPs. That should be enough to startup “The Dashing Mr. 1990”. AMEX will approve ANYTHING as a legit business. I used to have a micro business before starting a bigger one, and I never had a problem with AMEX approvals. Other banks are more strict.
@1990 yes you can quad dip but there is the 5x Amex card limit that is also problematic there.
I have Plat and Reserve. Not best earning combo but works for me. I really only spend on reserve for Delta flights, cell phone bill and travel that gets the insurance benefits and put more day to day on the Platinum.
@ Stephen — Are you referring to the AMEX Platinum charge card when you say you use the Platinum for most of your everyday spending?
Delta first announced these changes in 2023. Back then, I am sure they were projecting a much different demand pattern for 2024 and 2025 than they experienced – for example, I am sure they were projecting more corporate travel than actually happened. They have also tried to address club crowding, with seemingly some success (I always thought it was strange Delta conflated elite numbers and club crowding as the same issue – they were very separate). Overall, it seems like elite qualification tiers are where they should be.
Delta continues to degrade DM status. GUCs are harder and harder to use internationally. Heck, some domestic flights, only GUCs (G stands for GLOBAL) are available (with 6 FC seats available 1 week out). I earned my DM status the hard way, 140+ segments a year. Changing it to just spend was a huge loyalty slap. Ed doesn’t care about loyalty, he only cares about those that buy D1/FC.
@Gene — That’s a brilliant idea! Killing all these birds with juuust one stone! “What you do for a living, Mr. 1990?” Oh, you know, …micro-businesses!
@Stephen — I’ll admit, for the 5-card limit with Amex, it’d be tough for me to let go of Aspire, Brilliant, and Amex Platinum, yet, even a double-dip with Delta Platinum and Reserve has its merits. I had the Platinum before all these changes with the Headstart, and liked the Economy Companion Certificate, but prefer the newly expanded Reserve’s First Companion Certificate (P2 and I used them for trips to the Caribbean this year, saved $1,000+ each). As far as Delta purchases, unless there’s an Offer, I’ve found the consumer Amex Platinum, 5x earning on airfare, is better than the Delta Reserve 3x, but, uh, to each their own!
I like my basic economy status. So far, I have paid Delta $0 this year in fares.
Does DL status, or the mileage accrued by qualifying thereby, provide value for customers seeking redemption?
I just repeated my award search from 2010 when they first began testing their industry-leading “el nuevo sistema mejor dinamico.” This legendary redemption is..
PHL! FCO! One-way! July 2026
105k in Classic, 125k, DL One 495k…
Overall this is not much worse than then. The DL One redemption is less expensive, 495k instead of… 630k y’all remember that LOOL!
Sadly UA and others have entrained themselves in the wake of the DL borg over those years and now UA isn’t much better. Until 2019 UA was enormously better.
As for AA, not quite so much Deltification. Same dates, 74k in Y, 352k in J. Two days prior, 30k in Y. DL still 105k. AA 57.5k in J, albeit with hefty BA scamcharges.
@redtailshark — “the DL borg”… (You will be assimilated. Resistance is futile.) Where’s occasional commenter @Jean-Luc Picard?