I’ve written about how Alaska Mileage Plan awards elite qualifying miles for award flights, including for travel on all partner airlines. I think it’s only fair to give Delta SkyMiles a shoutout, as this is an area where Alaska actually followed Delta’s lead.
In this post:
How Delta SkyMiles awards MQDs for award flights
Nowadays Delta SkyMiles elite status is awarded via the metric of Medallion Qualifying Dollars (MQDs), and those can be earned for flying, credit card spending, and more. What many people don’t realize is that Delta SkyMiles also awards MQDs for virtually all SkyMiles award tickets, including for travel on partner airlines.
Here are the basics of how this works:
- MQDs are offered not just for award flights on Delta, but also for award flights on Delta’s partner airlines
- In order to be eligible, the award ticket has to be issued by Delta, so award tickets issued through partner frequent flyer programs don’t qualify
- The eligible SkyMiles number must be on the award reservation, and the traveler earns the MQDs
- MQDs can be earned for travel in Main Cabin and above (so basic economy awards don’t qualify)
- MQDs are awarded at the rate of one MQD per 100 miles redeemed; in other words, each mile is valued at one cent for the purposes of a redemption, and redeeming 10,000 miles would earn you 100 MQDs
In the interest of being thorough, here are the official Delta SkyMiles terms for this benefit:
SkyMiles Members can earn MQDs on Award tickets operated by Delta and Delta Global Airline Partners, in Main Cabin (or equivalent) or above, when booked through any direct Delta channel. MQDs will be calculated based on miles redeemed toward the Award Ticket price divided by 100. Government-imposed taxes and fees do not earn MQDs.
With that out of the way, there are a few things to note. Based on my understanding, the MQDs tend to post correctly and quickly for award flights that are for travel on Delta. However, it’s a little less consistent for travel on partner airlines. It can often take one to two weeks for the MQDs to post, and sometimes they even have to be requested manually.
On top of that, there’s a known glitch whereby the booking page doesn’t necessarily show the correct number of MQDs for award flights. For example, take a Singapore to Jakarta award flight on Garuda Indonesia in business class. It costs 40,000 miles plus $65.20 in taxes, so it should offer 400 MQDs.
However, the “counter” suggests it earns 296 MQDs, and it’s my understanding that wouldn’t be correct.
As a reminder, Delta SkyMiles has the following elite thresholds:
- SkyMiles Silver Medallion status requires 5,000 MQDs
- SkyMiles Gold Medallion status requires 10,000 MQDs
- SkyMiles Platinum Medallion status requires 15,000 MQDs
- SkyMiles Diamond Medallion status requires 28,000 MQDs
How rewarding are award flights with Delta SkyMiles?
Among the “big three” US carriers, Delta SkyMiles is the most generous when it comes to counting award flights toward status. United MileagePlus counts award flights for travel on United (but not partner airlines) toward status, while American AAdvantage doesn’t count award flights toward status.
This is ultimately a nice feature of redeeming Delta SkyMiles, and it fits into the overall theme the airline goes for, which is that SkyMiles is like a revenue based currency toward flights, rather than offering some incredible, outsized redemptions.
For those on the status hamster wheel, perhaps it works out well, since you can redeem your miles toward flights without opportunity cost in terms of earning status.
In theory this sounds like it could be lucrative for partner award flights as well. The catch is that Delta SkyMiles’ premium cabin partner redemption rates are awful, at least when traveling to or from the United States. If anything, the sweet spot for Delta loyalists is flying partner airlines outside of the Americas, where you can get decent redemption rates, and earn MQDs.
Bottom line
Delta SkyMiles awards Medallion Qualifying Dollars (MQDs) for award flights, at the rate of one MQD per 100 SkyMiles redeemed. This applies to both Delta flights and partner flights, and it basically values miles at one cent each.
This is a positive aspect of the program, since it allows those chasing status to be rewarded even when they redeem miles. Now, it would be nice if SkyMiles redemption rates were more attractive, but that’s a whole different story…
What’s your take on earning Delta MQDs on award flights, including on partners?
Still waiting for either MQM or MQD’s on the $8000 from my Delta American Express. 2024.‼️
Earning with awards flights was much better when Delta still had MQMs. If you could find a relatively cheap Delta One JFK to LAX flight, or even better, book a sale Delta One international flight, you earned a lot of MQM when redeeming SkyMiles. Now, with everything pegged to dollars, it is less exciting IMO.
FWIW, my experience has been that MQDs on DL award tickets are posted in the same timeframe as on revenue tickets - almost always within hours on DL metal [sometimes before the plane even lands!], and within a couple of weeks on non-DL metal. And since it's ticketed on 006 stock, if for some reason a post doesn't hit, you can use the request credit form & they'll post it in a day or two.
If we aspire to travel in premium cabins booked with points, tier status provides what benefits that a premium cabin ticket does not? Aside from irrops support. With Delta, I'm left unconvinced.
Just to be clear though, there's no way to book SkyTeam flights with AF or VS miles and then earn MQD on those bookings, right? That would be too good to be true.
Most programs don't allow you to earn elite metrics with award bookings in the first place. Let alone on another airline's program.
VS is already unique in that it lets you earn tier points on VS metal, you will not earn MQDs by redeeming VS Flying Club miles. That would be absurd.
At best, VS would let you earn VS tier points on partner bookings with Flying Club in the same way Delta and Alaska do.
@yoloswag420, thanks for the clarification -- that makes sense.
Although I don't have imminent plans, this is still helpful to know- wasn't totally sure if I could earn MQDs if any part of an award ticket wasn't on Delta metal but still sold by them (i.e. Aeromexico or AF/KLM).
There we go. Posted on the very same day someone gave feedback on another post. And yet people accuse you of being anti-Delta? Can't win.
^ Ben, show us you were serious. Please do something about this.
Imagine being so delusional and obsessed with some internet stranger that you make up an entire fake account and personality to troll them, even when they haven't showed up on an article. It's so tired and uninteresting at this point.
Alternatively, an attention-starved youth.
Ben, please delete this guy forever.
https://onemileatatime.com/insights/comment-policy/