Delta MQD Calculator
Delta SkyMiles qualifies Medallion status purely on Medallion Qualification Dollars (MQD) — a measure of what you spend on eligible fares, in US dollars, across the calendar year. Distance and cabin only matter insofar as they change the fare.
Enter a route, cabin and fare below to see the MQD a flight earns, on Delta or SkyTeam partners.
Calculate your MQD
Add further segments and adjust detail in the full builder after calculating.
SkyMiles status tiers
| Tier | MQD required from zero |
|---|---|
| Silver | 5,000 |
| Gold | 10,000 |
| Platinum | 15,000 |
| Diamond | 28,000 |
Delta status is earned on Medallion Qualification Dollars (MQDs), which follow spend; the counter is a calendar year that resets to zero on 1 January, and status earned in a year runs to 31 January of the year after next. The MQD Headstart that comes with four named US-issued American Express products (Delta SkyMiles Platinum and Reserve, personal and business) is a credit against that single annual counter, so it counts towards every tier; it is granted per card type, not per card held. Main Basic (Basic Economy) fares earn no MQDs — Delta's own rule says Main Basic tickets are not eligible for credit toward Medallion status — so if you booked Main Basic, select the Main Basic fare product (it is offered under booking class E); without it the calculator credits MQDs at Delta's published $1 rule.
How we checked this
Checked against Delta's Medallion pages, 31 August 2026.
Publisher pages read: delta.com.
Programmes change their rules without notice — confirm a figure with SkyMiles before you rely on it.
Frequently asked questions
- How are MQD earned on flights?
- On Delta's own flight numbers, from the eligible fare — base fare plus carrier surcharges, excluding government taxes — at 1 MQD per US dollar. SkyTeam partners are different: Delta publishes a separate percentage-of-distance MQD chart for each partner airline, keyed to booking class, so a partner sector does not earn from spend at all. Enter the fare for the sector rather than the whole ticket, in the currency you paid; the calculator converts at a dated reference rate, and entering US dollars avoids the conversion entirely.
- Is MQD the only status requirement?
- Delta qualifies Medallion status on MQD alone — the thresholds above are the whole requirement, with no separate flight or segment minimum. Co-branded card spending can also contribute MQD. The MQD Headstart, carried by four US-issued American Express Delta SkyMiles cards, is a credit against that single annual MQD counter, so it counts toward every tier rather than only the top two, and it is granted once per card type. Card MQD sits outside a per-flight calculation.
- What are the Medallion thresholds?
- The ladder above shows the current MQD thresholds for Silver, Gold, Platinum and Diamond Medallion status.