As a Delta Medallion member traveling with a different airline, matching your Delta Medallion status is often possible by using a status match or status challenge program of another airline. Many airlines, such as Alaska Airlines, Frontier Airlines, JetBlue, and others, will periodically invite Delta Medallion members to join and offer similar elite status when they reach their criteria. This guide explains which airlines offer status matches, who is eligible for them, and how to apply.
What are the Different Delta Loyalty Tiers?
Delta Medallion has various types of loyalty tiers, each comes with its own rules and specifications. Understand the various types of Delta Loyalty Tiers:
Status Match: A status match allows you to receive an equivalent elite status without having to spend any more money, just as long as you understand the different Delta Medallion levels and have documented proof of being an active member of the Delta Medallion. These are getting very difficult to come by in the industry and usually have a one-time, non-refundable application fee.
Status Challenge: The matched tier is given for a limited time, typically 90-120 days, during which your new temporary status won’t come with physical Delta Medallion tags until the challenge is fully met. If you want to keep the status for the whole calendar year, you must accumulate a certain amount of miles or flight segments with the new airline within the trial period.
Fast Track Status: This is a promotion that reduces the typical requirements for a given year to be promoted to a much smaller number, allowing you to experience Delta Silver Medallion perks faster, but does not necessarily provide you with the promotion's elite benefits in the year you are promoted.
Traditional Elite Qualification: The standard, "organic" qualification is achieved by meeting the airline's published minimum annual requirements in miles flown or dollars spent over a full calendar year, allowing you to earn your Delta Platinum Medallion benefits or other statuses the hard way.
Delta Medallion Status Match Comparison
| Feature | Detail |
|---|---|
| Delta Medallion Tier | Possible Match |
| Silver Medallion | Entry-level Elite (e.g., Oneworld Ruby, Star Alliance Silver) |
| Gold Medallion | Mid-tier Elite (e.g., Oneworld Sapphire, Star Alliance Gold) |
| Platinum Medallion | Upper-tier Elite (e.g., Oneworld Emerald, Top-tier Star Alliance) |
| Diamond Medallion | Highest available tier (where applicable, often capped at upper-tier limits) |
Delta Medallion Tiers: Status Match Equivalents
Silver Medallion
Silver Medallion is Delta's entry-level tier and guarantees you to reach the lowest level of elite tier with a competitor when you leverage your Delta Medallion Status to secure premium upgrades on their flights. Typically you will match with Oneworld Ruby or Star Alliance Silver. This doesn't get you checked in to the international lounges or business class seats, but it does often give you some very useful perks such as free checked bags, priority check-in, and access to special seating areas.
Gold Medallion
The ideal/optimal status matching is gold. It shows a strong level of loyalty and spending, which is why its value to competitors is very high and they want to offer their mid-tier status. A Gold Medallion will typically match to Oneworld Sapphire or Star Alliance Gold. This is the moment when all the benefits of premium international lounge access, priority boarding groups and free domestic change are unlocked.
Platinum Medallion
Competing carriers are interested in platinum members. When matched with Platinum, often premium levels mirroring Delta Platinum Medallion benefits will be unlocked for instant same-day change priority within the network, extra-legroom seats at booking, dedicated customer service phone lines, and no same-day change fees.
Diamond Medallion
Diamond is Delta's highest published tier, but it is difficult to find an exact match in status match for this Delta Medallion Status level in most standard status match programs. To keep their own top-tier ranks exclusive, most airlines have minimum requirements for their status match offers, often as high as their upper-mid rankings. The highest matched publication rate that you will get is usually the same as a Platinum matched publication rate, although sometimes airlines will provide the accelerated fast tracks for defectors who have Diamond matches.
How to Status Match Delta Medallion?
The best time to apply for a Delta status match is right before flying for a long vacation. By applying, you will get a 90-day trial of Delta Medallion status. It is imperative to perform a status match properly if you want to protect your Delta Medallion status from being disqualified. If you provide the wrong documents or don't follow the order, you will almost certainly be swiftly and permanently denied.
Step 1: Select an airline that is accepting Delta Medallion
Review your future travel plans and consider the type of airline you plan to use for your next 3-4 months of travel, as knowing their policies in advance is just as important as keeping the Delta Diamond Medallion phone number handy for quick customer support. It is important if you must fly non-stop and/or layover to meet a strict status challenge requirement.
Step 2: Check the eligibility criteria
Be sure to carefully read the fine print regarding Delta Silver Medallion benefits on the target airline's dedicated status match page. Ensure that your country is allowed and check that your Delta is not a fast-track or ‘free.’
Step 3: Set up a loyalty account
In order to request a match, you need to have a frequent flyer number from the new airline. Sign up on their website. Be sure the first name, middle name and last name on your new account is exactly right with the same name on both your Delta SkyMiles account as well as your government-issued ID.
Step 4: Collect documents
Provide a good quality photo or a screenshot of your current elite card, be it physical or digital. With this, also provide a recent statement or screenshot showing your elite status, your name and the flight activity that helped you earn it.
Step 5: Submit application
Use the official status match website or email address provided by the airline. Submit your documentation and give your new loyalty number. Make sure all files are of the requested size (typically .jpg, .png, or .pdf) with no cropping showing what the current elite level is.
Step 6: Wait for the approval
Processing times differ for each airline, especially when verifying a traveler’s Delta Medallion Status authenticity before granting approval. Paid matches can be cleared up in days, while legacy carriers require manual challenge reviews, which can take several weeks. Please do not book travel on the new airline until you receive official e-mail confirmation that your match is fully operational.
Step 7: (if necessary) Finish any status challenge
If approved for a challenge, immediately note your deadline. The typical time range to complete the required flight segments or thresholds is 90-120 days. Make sure your flights are marketed and flown by the right carrier, since partner flights will not count as these specific challenges.
Documents you'll need
Here are the documents you will need to match the Delta Medallion status:
Please provide a digital screenshot of your elite loyalty card or a physical picture of your elite loyalty card.
A status appearing in full screen is a screenshot of your status, sometimes showcasing your custom Delta medallion tags visually, that includes your name, your current tier and your expiration date.
Your statement of the past 12 months of Delta flights.
If you have a flight history, you will need to provide evidence of booked travel with them in the near future to demonstrate a commitment to travel and maximize your Delta Platinum medallion benefits value.
This is a valid passport or driver's license to prove your residency and identity.
Eligibility Requirements
Getting approved requires meeting strict criteria as mentioned below:
You should be an active Delta member. Expired status is never accepted, no matter the circumstances.
Your earned status has to come from real spending or real flying, and should not be gifted or matched previously.
These international airlines have very strict geo-fences for matches and only match users who live in their country or continent.
Your new frequent flyer account needs to have no fraud markings and no problems so your Delta Silver Medallion perks can make the transition smoothly.
Airlines That Match Delta Medallion Status
Passengers can utilize their Delta Medallion status to fly with various airlines. However, each airline has its own set of rules, which determine the eligible travelers to fly with them using the Delta Medallion status.
A Quick Review
| Airline | Accepts Delta? | Type | Typical Match |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alaska Airlines | Yes | Status Match / Challenge | MVP / MVP Gold / MVP Gold 75K |
| Frontier Airlines | Yes | Instant Match (Paid) | Elite 20K / 50K / 100K |
| JetBlue | Occasionally | Status Challenge | Mosaic 1 / Mosaic 2 |
| Air France-KLM Flying Blue | Promotions | Match / Challenge | Silver / Gold |
| Turkish Airlines | Yes (Promotions) | Status Match / Challenge | Elite |
| Royal Jordanian | Occasionally | Match | Silver Jay / Gold Sparrow |
| TAP Air Portugal | Promotions | Match (Paid/Miles) | Gold |
| Other regional airlines | Varies | Case-by-case | Depends on current offers |
Note: Please remember that eligibility for airlines is subject to change based on your current Delta Medallion status tier. Please double-status match offers directly with the airline before preparing any application materials.
Alaska Airlines
One of the best and most consistent status match programs is provided by Alaska Airlines to Delta Medallion members. They will have a status challenge for 90 days normally. The Delta, Gold, Platinum and Diamond maps correspond to MVP, MVP Gold and MVP Gold 75K respectively. The status will remain for the first 90 days, but you will need to accumulate a certain amount of base miles in Alaska flights during that time.
Frontier Airlines
Frontier Airlines seeks to win over legacy airline elites by offering status. Active Delta Medallion holders can pay an application fee to immediately match to their Delta equivalents. This is extremely useful for budget travelers, since Frontier's elite status means that they get to use their standard itemized baggage, checked bag, and extra seat assignment fees for free.
JetBlue
Periodically, Delta Medallion members can take advantage of specific status match and/or challenge windows on JetBlue's TrueBlue program. Typically they adhere to the Medallion status and its corresponding Mosaic level. The challenge is to spend a certain amount of money on a certain number of flights on JetBlue within a 90-day window. The benefits of being a Mosaic include extra-legroom seating, free alcoholic beverages and expedited security checks.
Air France-KLM Flying Blue
Flying Blue forms part of the SkyTeam alliance, which includes Delta, but they offer occasional promotions that are status match only for customers traveling between North America destinations. These are frequently paid matches not a standard flying challenge. By paying the application fee immediately, Silver or Gold status becomes active and will immediately allow for all the benefits of SkyTeam Elite Plus such as access to international lounges and priority boarding throughout SkyTeam.
Turkish Airlines
Turkish Airlines Miles&Smiles is known for its lavish status match, which is simple to obtain and will lead Delta Diamond Medallion phone number to Star Alliance Gold. They normally have a 4-month trial period. If you want to make it a year, you need to take one flight with international Turkish Airlines. It's a highly sought-after benefit for Delta travelers who want to expand their alliance benefits and gain access to lounge facilities worldwide.
Best Airlines to Match Delta Medallion
| Feature | Detail |
|---|---|
| Best For | Airline |
| Domestic US Travel | Alaska Airlines |
| Budget Travelers | Frontier Airlines |
| Europe | Air France-KLM Flying Blue |
| Middle East / Asia | Turkish Airlines |
| Global Alliance Benefits | Royal Jordanian |
Tips to Increase Approval Chances
Book flights before applying. Don't start looking for a travel offer until the official approval e-mail arrives, as calling the Delta Diamond Medallion phone number will not expedite retroactive flight credit, but don't pay any money till you have one. Retroactive flights may not be used as challenge flights.
Upload high-quality screenshots. Make sure that your name, account number, tier level, and expiration date are all clearly visible on one screen shot of your desktop.
Include recent flight activity. Demonstrate to the airline that you are an active passenger whose Delta Medallion status that brings revenue with you often and tend to book non-stop and layover flights.
Always read airline conditions. Be aware of rules on partner flights. Many times, a partner airline's flight won't count towards a challenge.
Never match to more than one airline at a time unless you are flying enough to be able to handle all the challenges. If you are challenged, you lose the opportunity forever with that carrier.
Finish challenges in time limit. Plan your trips in detail. Airlines are not inclined to be generous if a flight is delayed or canceled outside your 90-day limit.
Conclusion
There's something in Delta Medallion that's valuable and can be easily used to access the best of the best when it comes to competitive airlines. Knowing the difference between a status match and a status challenge is important and can help you plan when to apply for the upcoming trip. Researching eligibility criteria, geographic requirements and the continued challenges of the particular carrier is key to success. Research various frequent flyer programmes, collect the paperwork and make sure you enroll just before your next long or connecting flight. With the right implementation, you can capitalize on the exceptional value you can achieve with elite status, skip over lower levels of loyalty and benefit from unmatched comfort and priority service throughout the air travel world.
Disclaimer: The status match changes frequently. Kindly make sure to check the official airline website before applying for a status match.
{Faq}How hard is it to get Delta Medallion status?
To receive Delta Medallion status, you must achieve high spending and Delta has only Medallion Qualification Dollars (MQDs). Earning thresholds are: Silver is $5,000 MQDs, Gold is $10,000 MQDs, Platinum is $15,000 MQDs, and Diamond is $28,000 MQDs. These can be earned on Delta / partners flights ($1 worth of flight equals 1 MQD), on Delta Vacations or on Delta Amex credit cards.
What are the Medallion levels for Delta?
Delta's SkyMiles program has four levels of elite status: Silver, Gold, Platinum and Diamond. Status is achieved exclusively from Medallion Qualification Dollars (MQDs) which are gained from spending on Delta flights, holidays and selected partner airlines. Each level offers benefits that increase in value, offering travellers free upgrades, fee waivers and priority services.
What happens when you reach Delta Medallion status?
Rewards of Delta Medallion include complimentary upgrade to First Class and Comfort+ seating, no same day change fees, no baggage fees, priority airport services, and higher mileage earning rates. Higher-levels (Gold and higher) include SkyTeam Elite Plus, which provides access to lounges and leather-furniture benefits throughout the world.
Do you lose your Medallion status every year?
If you don't continually earn a Delta Medallion, then that's true you lose it every year. Each tier once earned, however, shall remain valid for the rest of the earning year, and shall be valid for the next calendar year and until January 31 of the following year.
Can I buy a Delta Medallion status?
While you may indirectly purchase Delta Medallion status while participating in the Elevate Your Status program, you may not buy status directly.
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