Delta Update: Airline Announces Key Changes to SkyMiles Overhaul

Delta heard you loud and clear.

The popular airline angered many customers after it announced significant changes to its SkyMiles loyalty program back in September.

In fact, the changes were so severe that it made some people wonder if they should consider canceling or downgrading their Delta co-branded credit cards as a result.

But now there are changes to the changes.

In a note to customers issued on October 18, 2023, Delta CEO Ed Bastian acknowledged that the company may have been overly aggressive in its changes and pledged to roll some of it back.

“Your response made clear that the changes did not fully reflect the loyalty you have demonstrated to Delta,” Bastian said in response to the hundreds of emails he received. “Based on your feedback, we are making program adjustments and adding new benefits to begin earning in 2024 toward your 2025 status.”

In this article, we’ll look at the adjustments Bastian made to the SkyMiles program and help you decide if it should change your Delta credit card strategy moving forward.

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Delta Announces Changes to Its Medallion Status and Lounge Access Strategy

Nearly a month after announcing drastic changes to the SkyMiles program that affected the Medallion Status and lounge access for many Delta customers, Delta presented a revised list of changes to its customers.

No, you’re probably not getting unlimited lounge visits back. But there are some items here that are a bit more customer friendly than the originally announced changes.

While you can get the full details here, let’s walk through some of the highlights:

1. Delta Makes It Easier to Achieve Medallion Status

One of the chief complaints people had with the announced changes was the higher spending thresholds to achieve their desired Medallion Statuses.

Delta announced the following spending requirement reductions:

“To make the requirements for achieving 2025 Medallion Status more accessible, Delta has reduced the number of Medallion Qualification Dollars (MQDs) for each tier:

• Diamond Medallion Status: $28,000 MQDs (down from $35,000)
• Platinum Medallion Status: $15,000 MQDs (down from $18,000)
• Gold Medallion Status: $10,000 MQDs (down from $12,000)
• Silver Medallion Status: $5,000 MQDs (down from $6,000)

Members with the Delta SkyMiles Reserve, Reserve Business, Delta SkyMiles Platinum and Platinum Business American Express Cards will also receive an MQD Headstart of $2,500 MQDs for the current Medallion Qualification Year.”

2. Delta Presents a More User-Friendly Lounge Policy

Another area of change that brought significant pushback from customers was limitations to lounge access while traveling.

Unlimited Sky Club lounge access is one of the major perks for many rewards program members, and access was significantly reduced under the proposed plan.

Particularly hit hard are co-branded credit card holders, who may have signed up for their tier of card based on unlimited access. The original changes knocked Platinum card holders down from unlimited to just six lounge visits per year by 2025, for example.

Delta acknowledged that the changes may have been too harsh, and offered these revisions to the plan moving forward:

• Redefining Club visits: A Delta Sky Club visit now includes all entries within a 24-hour period after first Club entry, including your departure city, connecting airports and arrival at your destination. If you are traveling on a same-day roundtrip and use the Club on your outbound and return flight, both would be included within the same visit.
• Adding Club visits: Delta SkyMiles® Reserve and Delta SkyMiles® Reserve Business Card Members will now receive 15 visits per year (up from 10). Card Members with the Platinum Card® and the Business Platinum Card® from American Express will receive 10 visits (up from 6).
  • As previously announced, Members can unlock unlimited Club access after spending $75,000 on their eligible Card in a calendar year and will have unlimited club access for both the remainder of the current program year and the following program year.
  • Beginning Jan. 1, 2024, Delta SkyMiles Platinum and Platinum Business American Express Card Members and those customers traveling in Basic Economy, regardless of card type, will no longer be eligible for Club access.
• Additional flexibility to purchase Club access: Delta will also introduce the ability for Delta SkyMiles Reserve and Reserve Business Card Members, as well as Card Members with the Platinum Card® from American Express, to purchase Club access at a per-visit rate of $50 per person after exhausting their allotted Club visits. Medallions will also have the option of purchasing an annual individual Delta Sky Club membership for $695.

3. Delta Changes Loyalty Rewards and Rollover Policies

A few more highlights from the revisions include some more user-friendly policies on rollover and loyalty rewards:

• Loyalty upgrades: “Effective January 1, 2024, the airline is moving Million Miler Status up in the hierarchy for Complimentary Upgrades. And beginning February 1, 2024, Million Milers will also receive enhanced complimentary annual Medallion Status.”
• Rollover policy update: “Beginning in early 2024, Members will have a choice as to whether to put MQM Rollover balances toward MQDs or miles. And customers who have MQM Rollover balances over 100,000 will be given special offers to extend their earned 2024 Status—one year for each 100K Rollover MQMs. Delta will also provide an option to convert MQM Rollover balances into MQDs at a more generous ratio of 10:1 (up from 20:1). Members will also be able to convert MQMs Rollover balances to miles as a ratio of 2:1.”
• New perks for Diamond and Platinum members: These include “Re-introducing the Delta Sky Club Individual Membership for Diamond Medallion Members in exchange for two Choice Benefit selections” and increasing the amount of bonus miles to 35,000 for Diamond Medallion Members and 30,000 for Platinum Medallion Members.

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Does This Change Your Delta Credit Card Strategy?

So, now that the changes aren’t nearly as bad as they first appeared, should you still consider cancelling your Delta credit card?

That likely requires a deeper look at your personal travel spending habits and your status with Delta.

Based on your Medallion Status, will you receive enough benefit out of the new rewards system to justify the annual fee on your card?

Money expert Clark Howard says the majority of travelers will be better off with a generic travel credit card than one that is tied to a specific airline like Delta.

“The people who benefit from an airline rewards card are people who travel an airline at least two times per month and have a charge volume of at least $10,000 per month,” Clark says. “This will normally be a very wealthy individual or somebody who is traveling for business.”

Clark does not have a Delta credit card in his wallet. Recently, he has been suggesting the Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card for travelers.

Team Clark’s Anthony, who is a credit card rewards and travel enthusiast, carries a co-branded Delta American Express card in his wallet.

Upon reading the revised list of changes, he said he was still considering a cancellation or downgrade when his next annual fee comes due on the card.

“I’m still angry,” Anthony said. “I may have to close or downgrade my card come February. This does really little to help me. And without lounge access, there’s no point having this AmEx.”

Are you happy with these revisions to Delta’s plan? Will it change the way you use the airline in the future? We’d love to hear your thoughts in the Clark.com community.

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