Time is operating out: Make your Delta MQM rollover choices now

Hear up, Delta elite vacationers. Time is operating out to make your resolution on the way to convert any rollover Medalion Qualification Miles (MQMs) in your SkyMiles account from final yr. The deadline is Dec. 31 — at which level they’re going to robotically be transformed to Medallion Qualification {Dollars} (MQDs).

As a reminder, Delta Air Traces introduced a slew of modifications late final yr — affecting Medallion standing, its cobranded bank card portfolio and entry to the Delta Sky Membership. Briefly, Medallion Qualification {Dollars} (MQDs) — how a lot you spend with the airline — grew to become the one technique to qualify in 2024.

Previous to this transformation, Delta allowed you to roll over extra MQMs to the subsequent elite standing qualification yr. Nonetheless, that ended this yr since MQDs at the moment are the only qualification metric.

Associated: You requested, Delta answered: This is what we find out about MQMs

And for anybody with rollover MQMs from the 2023 calendar yr, you’ll be able to select the way to convert these.

Rollover MQM conversion choices

Very frequent vacationers — particularly, these with at the least 100,000 rollover MQMs from 2023 — can lengthen their 2024 standing. For each 100,000 rollover MQMs you had sitting in your account after the top of 2023, you’ll be able to select to increase your standing by a yr.

Alternatively, you’ll be able to select to transform your MQMs to MQDs, redeemable miles or a mix of each. Listed here are these decisions:

• 100% redeemable miles, 0% MQDs
• 75% redeemable miles, 25% MQDs
• 50% redeemable miles, 50% MQDs
• 25% redeemable miles, 75% MQDs
• 0% redeemable miles, 100% MQDs

The final of these ratios — 100% MQDs — is the default for those who do not make a choice by Dec. 31.

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So, how do you determine which possibility is greatest for you?

Begin by taking a look at your present qualification progress. What number of extra MQDs do you want to attain the subsequent tier? And is that inside attain with one of many conversion choices?

In that case, choose the mix that can get you simply over that threshold. Do not forget that extra MQDs past the given thresholds is not going to roll over this yr. Consequently, there isn’t any level in “losing” your choose on MQDs that will not do something on your 2025 standing.

This is how TPG’s senior editorial director, Nick Ewen, crunched the numbers on his account:

I’ve certified for Gold Medallion standing subsequent yr, and my MQD tracker is presently at 10,283. I solely had 9,024 rollover MQMs from final yr, so changing these to 903 MQDs would do nothing — I would nonetheless be nicely in need of Platinum Medallion standing. Consequently, I opted for 100% redeemable miles — 4,512 to be actual.

Now, if Nick’s MQD steadiness was simply 14,283, changing these rollover MQMs to MQDs would’ve been an incredible resolution since it could’ve put him above 15,000 MQDs and thus certified him for Platinum Medallion. Sadly, that wasn’t an possibility.

In my case, I used to be sitting on 108,671 rollover MQMs, so I elected to increase my standing by a yr. I’ll now have top-tier Diamond Medallion standing by way of Jan. 31, 2026.

That left me with simply 8,671 rollover MQMs. Since I’ll have already got standing, I selected to earn the additional miles. I did not love the two:1 conversion fee, however I will take what I can get.

Delta signifies that it could take as much as 48 hours on your selection(s) to be mirrored, however our expertise reveals it is a lot faster.

Associated: Delta Diamond and Hyatt Globalist: My standing targets for 2025

I have been fortunately not paying a lot consideration to requalifying for Diamond standing as a result of I used to be in a position to lengthen my standing. If I wished to re-earn standing for 2026, I would have to spend a whopping $28,000 on Delta subsequent yr. Proper now, I will take my free Diamond standing and work out a sport plan for 2026. It could be time to get off the Delta standing hamster wheel, however I haven’t got to determine now.

Backside line

It is your final likelihood to transform your MQMs that can quickly be gone for good. It is a good perk that these with greater than 100,000 MQMs can lengthen their standing for a yr, and it certain beats the unique announcement that MQMs would solely be obtainable for conversion.

If you’re one of many fortunate Delta flyers with a number of MQMs, you may as well convert them to MQDs or flip them into redeemable SkyMiles.

I am unhappy to see MQMs go away, however I am thrilled that Delta did not simply abandon these of us who’d collected further MQMs through the years. It allowed me to increase my standing till 2026 and can maintain me roped into the SkyMiles universe after I would strongly thought-about abandoning this system altogether. Along with this rollover profit and the enhancements Delta made to its American Categorical cobranded bank cards, I’ll persist with Delta for the subsequent few years, on the very least.

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