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You typically earn one MQM for every one mile you fly, although if you fly certain full-fare economy or business-class fares, either with Delta or with a partner, you can get 1. Keep in mind that "miles flown" is calculated as the official routing distance — if you fly a few extra miles to go around a storm, or land on a different runway, you won't earn extra MQMs.
While you'd normally need to meet both MQM and MQD requirements to hit the next status level, there are two exceptions. That's why anyone who has or is chasing elite Medallion status with Delta should consider their MQMs when looking at the Delta credit cards. Two of the cards — the Delta Platinum card and the Delta Reserve card and their two counterparts for small-business owners — offer bonus MQMs when you open a new card.
Remember that even if you've had one card before, you can still earn the bonus on the other. One last thing to keep in mind: Each year that you hold Medallion status, you can roll over any MQMs above the requirements for your status level to the next year. You'll roll over those extra 5, MQMs for the next qualification year.
Read more: Who can qualify for a business credit card? Their main difference is their bonus categories for eanring miles. The Delta Platinum card earns 3x miles on eligible Delta purchases and purchases made directly with hotels, 2x miles at restaurants and US supermarkets, and 1 mile per dollar on everything else. The Delta Platinum Business card earns 3x miles on eligible Delta purchases and on eligible hotel purchases, 1. Again, the main difference is how they earn miles.
The Delta Reserve card earns 3x miles on eligible Delta purchases and 1 mile per dollar on all other purchases. The Delta Reserve Business card earns 3x miles on eligible Delta purchases, 1. Disclosure: This post is brought to you by the Personal Finance Insider team. We occasionally highlight financial products and services that can help you make smarter decisions with your money.
We do not give investment advice or encourage you to adopt a certain investment strategy. If you take action based on one of our recommendations, we get a small share of the revenue from our commerce partners.
This does not influence whether we feature a financial product or service. We operate independently from our advertising sales team. Please note: While the offers mentioned above are accurate at the time of publication, they're subject to change at any time and may have changed, or may no longer be available.
For you. World globe An icon of the world globe, indicating different international options. Get the Insider App. Click here to learn more. A leading-edge research firm focused on digital transformation.
Good Subscriber Account active since Shortcuts. Account icon An icon in the shape of a person's head and shoulders. It often indicates a user profile. Log out. More Button Icon Circle with three vertical dots. It indicates a way to see more nav menu items inside the site menu by triggering the side menu to open and close. Credit Cards Credit card reviews. Best credit cards Best rewards credit cards. Best cash back credit cards. Delta's frequent-flyer program uses a currency called SkyMiles.
Flying on Delta and its partner airlines is the easiest way to earn miles. But there are ways to rack up miles besides flying, including by using a Delta-branded credit card and spending money with Delta partner companies.
Unlike with some frequent-flyer programs, the miles you earn never expire as long as your account is open. Flying on Delta: Although they have "miles" in their name, the number of SkyMiles you earn on Delta flights is based on how much you spend, not how far you fly. We'll have more on Medallion levels later — or you can jump ahead to that part now. You earn SkyMiles only on the base fare and fees imposed by the airline.
You don't earn any rewards on taxes or government-imposed fees that are rolled into the cost of your ticket. Flying on partner airlines: Each partner airline has its own rules for earning SkyMiles. In general, the rewards you earn on partner airlines are based on the distance of the flight — so they really are "miles.
Delta offers co-branded credit cards with American Express. The card gives you 2 SkyMiles per dollar spent with Delta. When you pay for tickets with the card, you get the first checked bag free for you and up to eight other people traveling on your reservation.
Terms Apply. Terms apply. Delta's non-airline partners include:. Hotels and Airbnb: You can earn SkyMiles at thousands of properties in most major hotel chains. In some cases, you earn a flat number of points per stay; in others, you earn points based on how much you spend. You can also earn miles at Airbnb.
See hotel partners and earning rules here. Auto rentals and Lyft: Several major rental agencies have an option to earn SkyMiles. You can also earn miles using the Lyft ride-hailing service. Details here. Dining: Register your credit card with SkyMiles Dining and earn up to 5 miles per dollar when you use that card at thousands of participating restaurants.
You can use any credit card; it doesn't have to be a Delta-branded card. Shopping: Earn miles at hundreds of online merchants through the airline's shopping portal, SkyMiles Shopping. You can buy additional SkyMiles through the Delta website, but this generally isn't a good value.
SkyMiles cost 3. SkyMiles are redeemable for flights through Delta Air Lines and its partners. In most cases, you redeem by booking through Delta's website. Go to the booking tool and choose the option for seeing the price in miles.
Basic Economy: This is a no-frills fare. You sit in a standard seat and get free drinks and snacks, but you don't get to pick your seat, you're the last to board the plane, you can't get upgraded even with Medallion status, and there are sharp restrictions on ticket changes or refunds.
Main Cabin: This is a standard economy seat. Free nonalcoholic drinks and basic snacks. Seat-back entertainment when available. First Class: Bigger seat with more legroom; free alcoholic drinks, snacks and meals on longer flights; dedicated storage and flight attendant service; priority boarding. Delta Premium Select: First class with extra-comfortable seating and amenities on select international flights.
Delta One: First class with lie-flat seating available only on select long-haul flights. Unlike some other airlines, Delta doesn't publish an award chart showing you exactly how many miles you need for a given flight. You have to figure it out the hard way — by entering your flight information and seeing what it costs in terms of miles. Delta advertises that there are no blackout dates for award travel.
You can also use miles to purchase seat upgrades; membership to Delta Sky Clubs airport lounges; vacation packages; exclusive experiences; for merchandise, gift cards, hotel stays and car rental in the SkyMiles Marketplace; or donate them to charity through Delta SkyWish.
See details about these and other options here. If you happen to have at least 2. According to Delta , those 2. For the most part, using SkyMiles for anything other than flights will result in below-average redemption values. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. Skip to content This post contains references to products from one or more of our advertisers. We may receive compensation when you click on links to those products.
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