The Weekly Flyer

Delta just lowered their Medallion Status Challenge Requirements starting today.

The new requirements are:

To retain Silver status: 6,250 miles or 8 segments
To retain Gold status: 12,500 miles or 15 segments
To retain Platinum status: 18,750 miles or 25 segments

Previously the requirements were Platinum: 26,000 MQMs or 35 MQSs, Gold: 16,000 MQMs or 20 MQSs, Silver: 8,000 MQMs or 10 MQSs.

Customers who enroll in the Challenge between July 1, 2014 and June 30, 2015 and meet the flight requirement within a 90-day period from enrollment will retain their matched Medallion status through January 31, 2016

Criteria for participation:

Member has not received a status match or complimentary Medallion status in the past
Is currently a non-Medallion member
Must present valid and current elite credential or statement showing elite status from another airline
Delta will offer status challenges to American Airlines and United Airlines elite members only. You can request a status challenge here.

Feel free to check out my blog post with the full details of this as well.

mattp1987

Good to see them continuing to thin the herd.

BusTrav8yrs

It is for flyers who are not a DL medallion only and you can not earn any higher than your current equivalent level even if you meet the requirements for the higher levels. Interesting that there is not MQD requirement until 2016.

scottsam66

Those brilliant DL execs who Bubba adores, must not be following his instructions. You know, whip anyone other than caviar snorting, .001%ers out of the DL brand, to allow the truly elite to enjoy the F cabins, and all it has to offer....
He must not be too happy with this.
A blue-collar commoner can get Platinum status with a measly 25 segments in 90 days.

StayingHomeIsBetter

At least they are not throwing in free SkyClub membership too.



Repeating myself... VA Ave will never try to trim the bloated elite ranks. They want us panicked by the amount of competition we have for dwindling benefits, so that we are incentivized to spend more money to beat out others.

Hundred name UG lists are how they measure success.

CDKing

Where does it say UA and AA only? I know those are the 2 listed but even under the previous program AS members were still included and members of other unlisted programs as well.

TrojanTraveler

I think for all practical purposes, they are really DL's only two true competitors.

While as a DL elite I'm not happy with this (and they recently had an even easier threshhold to get status), good for DL for fighting back. AA is all over DL's elites in NY.

BusTrav8yrs

The challenge only refers to UA and AA. WN and AS do not have equivalent levels and thus does not qualify.



First, confirm your comparable status with the SkyMiles program:


Delta SkyMiles Medallion Status Silver, Gold, Platinum
American AAdvantage Status Gold Platinum, Executive Platinum
United Mileage Plus Status Premier Silver, Premier Gold, Premier Platinum / Platinum 1K

DellRocks

No chances of a challenge if youre not an AA/UA ffp?

CDKing

Send in the request anyways.


They did not have their own row/column on the previous promo either yet they were still included. I also think DL thinks AA and US completely merged their programs which is why they are not specifically mentioned in the promo either.


Here is a recent example example DL refused to match AS MVPGold 75K to Plat but they were offered the gold challenge

Alex_I

- Why? I thought that the new and "more rewarding" 2015 SkyMiles program would trick every business traveler into signing up with DL.

MPsince1984

For the past couple years, UA has been creating multiple excuses to convince me to bail after 30 years as a Mileage Plus member. I happen to live in MSP, and can see multiple good reasons to finally make the jump now.

33teeth

This is not accurate (at least not about a month ago). I'm pretty sure they'll do what they can to steal FF from AS.

matthew64832

DL will match almost any other airline. I had WN status matched in January, for example.

mikelat

Does the DL ex-SEA DEQM count towards this min EQM? No spend requirements for this match?