Like many people based in major metro areas, I have a favorite airline. Also like many others, I’m loyal to one carrier because that gets me enough benefits to justify staying in the fold. Delta is my airline of choice.
With the year halfway over, it’s a good time to think about your strategy to obtain, or keep, airline elite status in 2027, since the qualification period for most airlines ends on Dec. 31. Whatever one’s chosen carrier, many airline credit cards can help earn elite status, often without even having to fly.
Delta Air Lines has two co-branded American Express cards that offer a path to qualifying for Medallion elite status: the Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card and the Delta SkyMiles® Platinum American Express Card. Each of these cards — as well as their business versions — has a feature called MQD Headstart, which gives you 2,500 Medallion Qualification Dollars each year. Those are also known as MQDs, and are the only metric that matters to earn the various levels of Delta Medallion elite status.
Silver Medallion requires 5,000 MQDs, Gold requires 10,000, Platinum requires 15,000, and the top Diamond Medallion level is attained at 28,000 MQDs. You can earn MQDs by flying Delta and its partners, by spending on the Delta Platinum or Reserve cards or just by holding those two cards.
