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Delta Air Lines has brought back a way to get a boost toward status.
Delta is again offering Delta SkyMiles members another path to earn Medallion Qualification Dollars toward elite status via spending on some of its travel extras. You can earn 1 MQD per base dollar spent on hotel bookings, vacation rentals and car rentals booked through the Travel Extras portal by July 20 for travel completed by December 15.
Earn Delta MQDs on hotels, car rentals and vacations
During this promotion, you’ll earn 1 MQD per dollar spent on hotel stays and vacation rentals booked through Delta’s travel portal. This is in addition to the redeemable SkyMiles (members earn a minimum of 2 miles for every dollar spent on the base hotel rate) you ordinarily earn for every dollar spent at most hotels booked through the Travel Extras portal.
Per the promotion’s terms, you can only earn on the base cost of the hotel room, before taxes and fees are charged at the time of booking.
For example, here’s what you could earn for a two-night stay at the Moxy Minneapolis Downtown:
- 250 MQDs
- 500 SkyMiles (worth $6 based on TPG’s June 2026 valuations)
Earn Delta MQDs on rental cars
Additionally, participants earn 1 MQD per dollar spent on base car rental rates for every completed rental booking.
You will not earn MQDs on charges like taxes, one-way rental fees, fuel services and tolls. Additionally, when booking cars through Delta’s portal, you can earn bonus SkyMiles with rental car partners and if you hold elite status with Delta.
For instance, Hertz is a Delta partner. If you decide to book a rental car with the company through Delta, you’ll earn 4 miles per dollar spent on qualifying rentals as a basic SkyMiles member. Additionally, depending on your Delta elite status, you can earn 5 to 8 miles per dollar spent on qualifying rentals.
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As another example, say you decide to book a Hertz rental car at New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) through Delta’s portal. Here is how many MQDs and SkyMiles you can earn on a two-day-long rental with the current promotion:
- 113 MQDs
- 456 SkyMiles (worth $5.47 based on TPG’s June 2026 valuations)
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DELTA AIR LINES
Important terms
As always, make sure to read the full terms and conditions of this promotion before you book.
One of the most important things to note is that you can earn MQDs only if your name appears on the credit card you use to pay. Delta will not credit MQDs if the first and last names on the card do not match the information on the SkyMiles account.
After you travel, it can take up to eight weeks to receive the MQDs.
Additionally, those with a Delta cobranded card can earn up to $250 Delta Stays statement credits annually (depending on the card) when they use the card to purchase prepaid hotels or vacation rentals through Delta Stays. Prepaid Delta Stays reservations qualify as Delta purchases on cobranded cards.
Delta cardholders — including those with the Delta SkyMiles® Platinum American Express Card or the Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card — earn 3 miles per dollar spent on Delta purchases. Cardholders of the Delta SkyMiles® Gold American Express Card earn 2 miles per dollar spent on Delta purchases.
Bottom line
This promotion is another way to earn Delta status without flying.
I appreciate more paths to requalify for Delta status and hope this becomes a permanent feature at some point.
In the meantime, it’s another tool toward status for some travelers.
Just be aware that when you book via Delta Stays, it’s a third-party booking service, and that means you won’t earn hotel points or nights for status, and you’ll be dealing with a third party if anything goes wrong.
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