Delta Air Lines urges travelers to decide on converting rollover miles by Dec. 31

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Delta Air Lines urges travelers to decide on converting rollover miles by Dec. 31

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Andrea M. Rotondo Director of content operations | The Points Guy

By Sky Industry News

Dec 23, 2024

Delta Air Lines elite travelers face a crucial deadline to decide on converting their rollover Medallion Qualification Miles (MQMs) from the previous year. The deadline for making this decision is December 31, after which any unconverted MQMs will automatically be converted into Medallion Qualification Dollars (MQDs).

Delta Air Lines implemented significant changes last year affecting Medallion status, its cobranded credit card portfolio, and access to the Delta Sky Club. Now, only spending with the airline through MQDs determines qualification in 2024.

Previously, Delta allowed excess MQMs to roll over to the next elite status qualification year. However, this option ended as MQDs are now the sole metric for qualification.

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Travelers with rollover MQMs from 2023 can choose how to convert them. Those with at least 100,000 rollover MQMs can extend their 2024 status by a year. Alternatively, travelers can convert their MQMs into redeemable miles or a combination of both redeemable miles and MQDs in varying percentages.

If no selection is made by December 31, all remaining rollover MQMs will default to conversion into 100% MQDs.

Nick Ewen from TPG shared his personal experience: "I've qualified for Gold Medallion status next year, and my MQD tracker is currently at 10,283. I only had 9,024 rollover MQMs from last year... As a result, I opted for 100% redeemable miles — 4,512 to be exact."

Ewen's example illustrates that choosing the right conversion option depends on one's current qualification progress and goals for achieving higher tiers of Medallion status.

The transition away from allowing rollover of excess MQMs marks a shift in Delta's loyalty program strategy. However, it provides opportunities for some flyers to extend their current status or accumulate more redeemable miles.

For those with many accumulated MQMs over past years, these options offer ways to retain benefits within Delta's SkyMiles program despite recent changes.