Delta to extend membership tier status of its frequent flyers

Delta airlines has made an announcement regarding its frequent flyer loyalty programme, SkyMiles, which is part of the SkyTeam airline alliance.

First a word of explanation about SkyMiles. Delta’s frequent flyer programme is even more convoluted and nonsensical than most with subsets of membership and lingo that is mostly unnecessary. In Delta their membership status (the thing that gets you benefits like lounge access) is called Medallion Status.

When you first join you are simply a SkyMiles member but once you earn 25,000 miles you enter the first tier of Medallion, which is Silver. There are four tiers in total – Silver, Gold, Platinum and Diamond. You can move up their tiers via a complex mixture of Medallion Qualification Miles (MQMs) or Medallion Qualification Segments (MQSs) that you earn primarily by flying, although there are other ways to do so.

This is just scratching the surface - Delta’s programme scored 1/5 for simplicity in our opinion - but it is believed to be the largest frequent flyer programme in the world so can’t be ignored.

Anyway onto the latest news. Due to the collapse in the demand and supply of flights Delta have announced:

Medallion Members:

• All Medallion Status for 2020 will be automatically extended for the 2021 Medallion Year.
• All Medallion Qualification Miles (MQMs) from 2020 are being rolled over to 2021 to qualify for 2022 Medallion Status.

SkyMiles Members:

If you have one of the following in your SkyMiles profile “My Wallet” that is valid now or has expired since March 1, 2020, we are extending the expiration dates to give you additional time to enjoy your benefits:

• Upgrade Certificates or $200 Travel Vouchers with an original expiration date between March 1 and June 30, 2020, are extended – now, they can be booked and flown by Dec. 31, 2020. And, SkyMiles Members with Upgrade Certificates or $200 Travel Vouchers that expire after June 30, 2020, will receive an additional six months beyond the current expiration date.
• SkyMiles Select members will receive a six-month extension to the Priority Boarding benefit and any unused drink vouchers.

Delta Sky Club Individual and Executive memberships with an expiration of March 1, 2020, or later will receive six additional months of Delta Sky Club access beyond their expiration date.

Delta SkyMiles American Express Card Members:

If you have one of the following in your SkyMiles profile “My Wallet” that is valid now or has expired since March 1, 2020, we are extending the expiration dates to give you additional time to enjoy your benefits:

• Delta SkyMiles Gold Card Members with a $100 Delta flight credit will get a six-month extension beyond their current expiration date.
• Delta SkyMiles Platinum Card Members with Companion Certificates with an original expiration date between March 1 and June 30, 2020, can use them when they book and fly by Dec. 31, 2020, and those that expire between July 1, 2020, and April 1, 2021, will receive an additional six months beyond the current expiration date.
• Delta SkyMiles Reserve Card Members with Companion Certificates with an original expiration date between March 1 and June 30, 2020, can use them when they book and fly by Dec. 31, 2020, and those that expire between July 1, 2020, and April 1, 2021, will receive an additional six months beyond the current expiration date.
• Delta SkyMiles Reserve Card Members will also get a six-month extension to use their Delta Sky Club One-Time Guest Passes beyond their current expiration date.

This is good news from Delta, who are in a good position to survive the current crisis intact. If only they would simplify their loyalty programme.