The Guide to Delta Silver Medallion
Earning Silver Medallion status will take a bit of work (and money), but it's readily attainable for avid flyers.
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Updated · 3 min read
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Assigning Editor It’s nice to feel appreciated, and having Delta Silver Medallion status in the Delta Air Lines SkyMiles program gives you a little bit of love.
Silver is the lowest of Delta’s four Medallion loyalty levels (Gold, Platinum and Diamond are the others) but includes some useful benefits.
Most likely, it will make you yearn for more, which comes with higher levels.
Delta Silver Medallion benefits
Delta considers Silver Medallion a teaser to get you to want to spend more and get a higher status.
Silver Medallion members have some of the same benefits as other tier members but are lowest on the status food chain.
Silver Medallion benefits include:
- Increased miles: Silver Medallion members earn 7 SkyMiles per dollar spent on qualifying flights and an extra 2 miles for a total of 9 for booking an Extra experience. General SkyMiles members earn only 5 miles per $1. As a comparison, Diamond members earn 11 miles per dollar.
- Free checked bag: Get one free checked bag for you and up to eight travel companions. Also, instead of a 50-pound weight limit, you get 70 pounds on a domestic flight.
- Complimentary preferred seats: When booking a ticket in Delta Main, Silver Medallion members can select a preferred seat at no charge.
- Complimentary upgrades: Technically, Silver Medallion members can get a complimentary upgrade to Delta Comfort or Delta First on domestic flights 24 hours before departure and to domestic Delta One on the day of departure for the member and one traveling companion. Even though Silver Medallion members are on the upgrade list, the chances of actually getting an upgrade aren’t too great since higher levels clear first, with some happening just after ticketing. No complimentary upgrades are possible on Delta Main Basic tickets.
- Upgraded airport benefits: At some airports, Silver Medallion members can use the priority check-in lines, but as a general policy, that benefit does not begin until Gold Medallion.
- Earlier boarding: Silver Medallion members board in the fifth of eight boarding groups, which is before general SkyMiles members, who are in Zone 6, and regular Delta Main passengers, who are in Zone 7.
- Priority waitlist: If you want to book a particular class of service and it isn’t available when you make a reservation, you’ll go on a priority waitlist.
- Quicker phone help: If you need to talk with a Delta representative, you’ll have phone priority status over general SkyMiles members but below higher-level Medallion members.
- SkyTeam Elite status: When traveling with a SkyTeam partner airline, Silver Medallion members have SkyTeam Elite status. This can allow the use of priority check-in counters and an extra baggage allowance.
- Ability to buy a Sky Club membership: Only Medallion members can buy memberships to Delta Sky Clubs. An individual membership is $695 or 69,500 miles, and an executive one is $1,495 or 149,500 miles.
Silver Medallion members also receive a personalized bag tag to allow a little bit of bragging, along with preferred CLEAR+ pricing. Silver Medallion members get $40 off a CLEAR+ membership, so it would cost $169 per year. Remember, you might be able to get CLEAR+ for free as a credit card benefit.
There are also perks when renting a car with Hertz. Silver Medallion members earn 5 miles per $1 spent when booking through Delta Car Rentals and have Five Star elite status in the Hertz Gold Plus Rewards program.
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Earning Silver Medallion status
Earning Silver Medallion status on Delta requires a bit of spending, but for someone who flies regularly, it might not be too difficult.
To qualify for status, Delta uses Medallion Qualification Dollars, or MQDs. They are based on the ticket price for your flight and earn at a 1:1 ratio, so every dollar earns 1 MQD. Tickets in Delta Main Basic do not earn any MQDs.
To get Silver Medallion status, you’ll need to earn 5,000 MQDs per calendar year.
You can also earn MQDs for flights on Delta partners, but the earning ratio might be different since it is sometimes based on distance flown and not just on the price.
Taxes and fees do not qualify for MQDs.
🤓 Nerdy Tip
Passengers also earn MQDs on award tickets. The earning rate is based on miles redeemed for the ticket divided by 100. Earning MQDs through credit card spending
It’s possible to give yourself a boost toward Silver Medallion status by having certain Delta credit cards.
The Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card or Delta SkyMiles® Reserve Business American Express Card or the Delta SkyMiles® Platinum American Express Card and Delta SkyMiles® Platinum Business American Express Card will give you a 2,500 MQD headstart each year. Terms apply.
You can also earn miles by spending on those cards. The Delta SkyMiles® Platinum American Express Card or Delta SkyMiles® Platinum Business American Express Card will earn you 1 MQD for spending $20. The earning rate on the Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card and the Delta SkyMiles® Reserve Business American Express Card is 1 MQD for each $10 in purchases. Terms apply.
So you could get Silver Medallion status just by getting the headstart and making charges on your credit cards. Since Silver Medallion status requires 5,000 in MQDs, that means you would have to spend $25,000 on the Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card or Delta SkyMiles® Reserve Business American Express Card or $50,000 on the Delta SkyMiles® Platinum American Express Card or Delta SkyMiles® Platinum Business American Express Card. Terms apply.
🤓 Nerdy Tip
If you book a getaway through Delta Vacations, you will earn 1 MQD for each dollar you spend. Combining credit card spending and actual flying could be a way for people to earn status.
Annual fee
$350.
$650.
$350.
$650.
MQD earn rate
1 MQD per $20 charged to the card. Terms apply.
1 MQD per $10 charged to the card. Terms apply.
1 MQD per $20 charged to the card. Terms apply.
1 MQD per $10 charged to the card. Terms apply.
Still not sure?
» Learn more: The best airline credit cards right now
How long does Medallion status last?
Once you earn the status, it is good for the remainder of the year you earn it, the entire next year and until Jan. 31 of the following year. So this means if you earn the status in June 2026, you will have it for the remainder of 2026, all of 2027 and until Jan. 31, 2028.
You can also enjoy the benefits of being a Silver Medallion member while working toward higher status levels.
Reclaiming Silver Medallion status
Delta understands that sometimes life gets in the way of keeping status levels intact.
If you’re a Medallion member and something happens where you can’t fly, you can reclaim your status.
There are procedures to follow, such as notifying Delta when you start flying again and documenting the life event that kept you from flying.
Once approved, flyers will get their old status back for 90 days and must meet a threshold of 1,250 MQDs during that period to achieve Silver Medallion status again.
Delta Silver Medallion status recapped
Silver Medallion status is Delta’s lowest level of status but still includes a few noteworthy items.
With $5,000 of eligible spending each calendar year, Silver Medallion members can check a bag and select a priority seat for free and might even get an upgrade.
All Medallion members board before general SkyMiles members and nonmembers.
In these cases and others, like priority customer service, low-level status is better than no status at all.
To view rates and fees of the Delta SkyMiles® Platinum American Express Card, see this page.
To view rates and fees of the Delta SkyMiles® Platinum Business American Express Card, see this page.
To view rates and fees of the Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card, see this page.
To view rates and fees of the Delta SkyMiles® Reserve Business American Express Card, see this page.
How to maximize your rewards
You want a travel credit card that prioritizes what’s important to you. Here are some of the best travel credit cards of 2026:
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- No annual fee: Wells Fargo Autograph® Card
- Flat-rate travel rewards: Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card
- Bonus travel rewards and high-end perks: Chase Sapphire Reserve®
- Luxury perks: American Express Platinum Card®
- Business travelers: Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card
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