Delta Diamond MQD Waiver Increases To $250,000 Spending Requirements

Seems like AMEX and Delta plan to increase the waiver spending requirement for Delta’s Top Tier Diamond Medallion Status and it’s going to be set at an unfathomable $250,000 in spending on any eligible Delta SkyMiles Card like the Platinum Delta SkyMiles® Credit Card, Gold Delta SkyMiles® Credit Card, or Blue Delta SkyMiles® Credit Card.

This could be due to too many people ably getting Diamond status by dollar spending and not flying, which doesn’t really help Delta’s case as much as it does for American Express. On top of that, flights are overly full and with people buying F cabin seats left and right, this move was entirely done to preserve Delta as a legacy carrier in whole.

Eligible Credit Cards:

• Delta Reserve Credit Card from American Express
• Platinum Delta SkyMiles® Credit Card from American Express
• Platinum Delta SkyMiles® Business Credit Card from American Express
• Gold Delta SkyMiles® Credit Card from American Express
• Gold Delta SkyMiles® Business Credit Card from American Express
• Blue Delta SkyMiles® Credit Card from American Express

Delta Diamond MQD Waiver Increase Summary:

• Starting January 1 2018, Delta Diamond MQD Waiver will be set at $250,000 in spending on any of your Delta cards, rather than the current $25,000 in spending.
• For you to earn top tiered Diamond Status, you would need to meet these requirements within a period of each calendar year:
  • Earn 125,000 MQMs (Medallion Qualifying Miles) OR 140 MQSs (Medallion Qualifying Segments)
    • Have either $15,000 MQDs from Delta Spending(Medallion Qualifying Dollars)
    • OR spend $250,000 outside of Delta with your Delta Card.

As a Credit Card Member, we want you to be aware that starting January 1st, 2018, the Medallion Qualification Dollar (MQD) Waiver for Diamond Medallion Status is increasing. The MQD Waiver for Diamond Medallion Status is currently earned by spending $25,000 in eligible purchases in a calendar year on a SkyMiles® Credit Card from American Express. It is being adjusted to $250,000 in a calendar year.

• MQM as well as MQS are typically earned through flights with Delta; MQMs can be earned via sign-up bonuses.
• Alternative: Spending $15,000 towards Delta each year could earn you Diamond Status.

Status Overview:

To get elite status on Delta, you need:

• Diamond Medallion:   125,000 MQMs and $15,000 MQDs
• Platinum Medallion:   75,000 MQMs and $7,500 MQDs
• Gold Medallion:   50,000 MQMs and $5,000 MQDs
• Silver Medallion:  25,000 MQMs and $2,500 MQDs

Conclusion:

Getting your hands on Diamond Status starting January 1 2018 may be a little harder, especially for those of you that usually achieve the status through spending $25,000 outside of Delta purchases to get MQDs.

Delta’s Diamond MQD Waiver will be set at $250,000 in spending outside of Delta purchases. You can still earn 125,000 MQMs and either spend $15,000 flying Delta or $250,000 on Delta credit cards to achieve the status. If you don’t usually fly Delta, check out our complete list of Credit Card Promotions for other airline bonuses and offers.

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