Remember Maisie the Culinary Concierge? She contacted me a few days ago because she found that she was $2,865 MQDs (Medallion Qualifying Dollars) short of earning Delta Platinum Medallion status. She had more than enough MQMs (Medallion Qualifying Dollars), but was short on MQDs. She wondered if I had any ideas for how she could earn those MQDs quickly. I started telling her about options like spending $25K on a Delta Reserve card… and then it hit me… Maisie is currently living in France. She should be exempt from MQD requirements! That will change in 2024, but for now, anyone living abroad can earn Delta elite status through MQMs or MQSs alone without worrying about MQDs.
On Saturday, Maisie changed her address within her Delta profile to her current address in France. She had to submit proof that she was living in France (she uploaded an image of her residence visa). Then on Sunday it was done! Boom! She now has Platinum status!
What happens next year?
In 2024 everything changes. Delta’s requirements then for earning elite status will be 100% based on MQDs and those living abroad will no longer be exempt. Read more here: Delta revises SkyMiles changes: more SkyClub visits, lower elite thresholds, better 1-time rollovers, vastly improved lifetime status.
Maisie earned more than $9,000 MQDs in 2023, but she says that she won’t be flying as much next year. Let’s assume, though, that she’ll earn $5,000 MQDs through flying and that she’ll want to earn Platinum status again. That will require $15,000 MQDs. Here’s how she can do it:
- $3,500 MQD Rollover: Maisie will end the year with at least 110,000 MQMs. With her earning Platinum status, 35,000 of those MQMs will rollover into 2024. She will have the choice to convert those MQMs into MQDs at a 10 to 1 ratio or into redeemable miles at a 2 to 1 ratio. If she converts to MQDs, she’ll get $3,500 MQDs.
- $1,000 MQD Accelerator (Choice Benefit). This is a new Platinum Choice Benefit option that should become available to her next year.
- $5,000 MQD Headstarts: Maisie could sign up for both the Delta Platinum consumer card and the Delta Platinum business card to automatically get a total of $5,000 MQDs each year.
- $500 MQDs from spend: If Maisie spends a total of $10,000 across her two Delta Platinum cards next year in order to meet minimum spend requirements for welcome bonuses, she’ll earn $500 MQDs from that spend. That’s not a lot, but every bit helps.
- $5,000 MQDs via flights: In 2023 Maisie earned over $9,000 MQDs from flights so it seems reasonable that she could earn $5,000 in 2024 even with less flying.
- Total: $15,000 MQDs = Platinum status through January 2026.
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I moved to Canada last year and just updated my profile at Delta.com to reflect my new non US address.
For 2023 I have accumulated 202,000 MQMs (mostly from Amx Delta reserve business card spend this year) so that qualified me for 1/2 of Diamond status for 2024 but challenge is 2nd half getting the MQD spend.
Last year we had $260,000 spend on that Delta Reserve business card and as primary card holder this gave me Diamond status.
This year we won’t reach the $250,000 spend threshold (we are prioritizing Capital One Spark business card for better points redemption) but I am keeping my fingers crossed that my new Canadian address in my profile will count as a wild card and allow me to roll over diamond status for 2024
Delta automated response said they take up to 10 days to confirmation of country address change.
Thanks for the tip if I get Diamond I will 100% subscribe to Frequent Miler for your great tips
Thanks
Yes…just did the same thing. Live in Bangkok and had 120,000 MQM which, with some additional flying next year , would give me two years of Platinum. The second year went out the window with the changes so I changed my address and now will have one year of Diamond next year when I finish a few more flights in November.
Does Delta have a credit card for non-US residents?
There used to be some, maybe still are some. Japanese residents, for example, maybe still have a DL credit card product available.
Yes, there still is:
https://www.americanexpress.com/jp/credit-cards/delta-card/
@Greg and all FM — there are others of us who follow the site and who have some presence both inside and outside the USA. I appreciate you noting this detail about Delta, and hope that you’ll make a point to include other program differences for those of us living abroad in the future. (For example, making certain to note that the AA cc first bag free benefit is ONLY for US domestic flights).
Thanks!
And if Maisie happens to have a BofA Alaska Visa, she can meet the 10/31 status match deadline for getting Alaska 100K (which provides oneworld Emerald) until 2025. 🙂