Delta is First US Airline to Extend Elite Status to 2022

Note: This post was published on April 5, 2020. Card details and benefits may have changed since then.

This morning, Delta announced that they will automatically extend all Medallion Member statuses for an additional year, through 2021 and now expiring January 31, 2022.

They are also automatically moving any MQMs earned this year into next year and extending SkyClub memberships by 6 additional months.

They will similarly be extending flight credits and companion certificates earned with Delta credit cards by 6 months.

Here is the text from the Delta news release regarding Medallion Status extension:

The following updates will happen automatically over the coming weeks, with no action needed from customers.

• 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.
• 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 American Express Card Members with a $100 Delta flight credit will get a six-month extension beyond their current expiration date.
    • Delta SkyMiles® Platinum American Express 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 American Express 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.
• 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.

Summary and Predictions

Some non-US airlines had already done this. In the US, Hyatt and Hilton had already announced full year status extensions.  (We are still waiting on Marriott!).

I suspect that we will soon see United, Delta, and Alaska follow suit.

For a while I was thinking that lowered qualifications might be where US airlines went, but with travel probably not recovering too much in 2020, this is the right move.

Questions?

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New to all of this? The MilesTalk “introduction to miles and points” book, MilesTalk: Live Your Wildest Travel Dreams Using Miles and Points is available on Amazon and at major booksellers.