If you look up Delta Air Lines’ elite tiers, you’ll see that Diamond Medallion is the highest tier — but it’s not the actual highest tier.
In addition to their published top ranks, such as American Airlines AAdvantage Executive Platinum Card, Delta Diamond Medallion And United Airlines Premier 1KAll three major U.S. carriers offer even higher status reserved for the biggest spenders.
Delta 360 is Delta’s version of an ultra-exclusive, invite-only class reserved for its most loyal passengers. It’s been compared to American Airlines’ Concierge Key and United Global Services.
Curious? Let’s find out what Delta 360 is all about.
What is Delta 360 Status?
According to Delta, “Delta 360° is an annual, invitation-only membership for our most loyal SkyMiles Members. Delta 360° membership offers Delta’s most premium suite of benefits and services exclusively for our top SkyMiles Members. For 2024, Delta 360° membership will be extended to a very small percentage of Diamond Medallion Members. Considerations include, but are not limited to: overall Delta flying, premium product purchases (Delta One®, Delta Premium Select, First Class), and spending on the Delta SkyMiles® American Express Card.”
Benefits of Delta 360 Status
You might expect that an invite-only, top-level status in Delta SkyMiles The program includes all the benefits of the Diamond card level, along with additional benefits.
Delta 360 is unique in that while it offers exclusive benefits, there are none that come with regular Medallion membership. This may seem oddly restrictive, but keep in mind that those who are invited to enjoy this exclusive membership tier typically spend a lot of money on the airline each year, so there’s a good chance they’ll still retain their Diamond Medallion status.
However, there are some benefits that are exclusive to Delta 360 status members.
Delta Sky Club Executive Member
Delta Sky Club Executive membership is an important privilege if you frequently travel with family, friends or colleagues or want to voluntarily invite someone into your Delta Sky Club after initiating a conversation onboard. This membership includes unlimited lounge access for the member and up to two guests per visit.
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Delta Sky Club Executive membership is typically $1,495 if purchased outright.
The only other way to get this free membership is to redeem two Benefits of choice for Diamond Medallion members. Diamond Medallion members can only choose three Choice Benefits, so this is quite a high price.
Dedicated phone lines with the best agents
While Delta’s announced elite tiers (Silver Medallion, Gold Medallion, Platinum Medallion and Diamond Medallion) are handled by phone, with increasingly skilled agents assigned to higher tiers, Delta 360 members can call in what amounts to a personal assistant. Based on feedback from current and former Delta 360 members, the dedicated VIP phone line gives them 24-hour access to the best agents available.
These agents are given more autonomy to cut red tape and do whatever it takes to get Delta 360 members through traffic jams related to unusual operations, like weather delays. They also have more ability to bend published rules when members need to change their schedules or add flights to their itineraries.
Related: Don’t Wait: Here’s How to Contact Airline Customer Service Quickly
Greater chance of being chauffeured by Porsche from airport to gate
Delta carefully monitors the travel of Diamond Medallion members. If it is determined that a member may miss an important connecting flight, agents will make every effort to arrange a Porsche at their arrival gate to expedite the transfer to the connecting gate. This service is primarily found at major Delta hubs, such as:
- Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport (ATL)
- Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport (DTW)
- Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport (MSP)
- Los Angeles International Airport (LAX)
- Salt Lake City International Airport (SLC)
- Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (SEA)
When it comes to Delta 360 members, however, this oversight is taken to a whole new level. They get Porsche priority when the fleet is at maximum utilization, and they’re more likely to get free Porsche transfers even if they don’t need a tight connection.
A luxurious annual gift
Delta is known for sending Delta 360 members a variety of high-end gifts. In the past, these gifts have included a bottle of Louis Roederer champagne, Tiffany & Co. glasses, and Ray-Ban aviator sunglasses.
This isn’t exactly a perk of traveling, but who wouldn’t be happy to receive a surprise gift in the mail?
Higher upgrade priority on Delta flights
Delta 360 doesn’t offer a significant advantage over the airline’s highest advertised class (Diamond Medallion) when it comes to upgrades, but members do get the same priority. However, reports indicate that when members receive a complimentary upgrade, they get it the same day they fly—sometimes as early as five days.
Of course, it’s likely that these travelers already booked paid first class tickets and may not be eligible for any upgrade benefits.
Related: Guaranteed Better Seats: The Ultimate Guide to Getting Upgrades on Delta Flights
How to achieve Delta 360 status
While Delta 360 offers (arguably) the weakest benefits package of the three invite-only programs, it generally requires the most dedication and spending. Invitations are typically sent out in late January or early February.
There’s no set formula for how much you should spend or fly. A group of Delta loyalists at FlyerTalk have joined, with one New York City-based passenger saying they had previously spent nearly $90,000 but were still missing a Delta 360 invitation. Another, based near Huntsville, Alabama, had spent nearly $50,000 and was still looking from the outside. Meanwhile, a frequent flyer at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport (FLL) had previously received an invitation with 250,000 Medallion-eligible miles, $75,000 Medallion-eligible spending, and no co-branded card spending.
A North Carolina-based member earned Delta 360 status in 2024 while living outside a Delta hub. They flew 343,000 MQMs and earned 133,000 MQDs in 2023 to earn the invitation.
A few additional data points show that in saturated Delta markets, like New York City and Atlanta, you’ll likely need to spend six figures annually to get an invite.
A separate poster explains that Delta not only looks at total spending, but also at how much control you have over company contracts, which could theoretically funnel large sums of money into Delta’s coffers.
How to Achieve Delta Status with the Right Credit Card
While holding one Delta Co-Branded Credit Card And overspending won’t automatically earn you Delta 360 status, the right credit card can help you achieve Diamond Medallion status.
Delta currently only uses MQDs as criteria for qualifying each calendar year. Here are the 2024 requirements to achieve 2025 Medallion status:
- Silver medal: SkyMiles members have earned 5,000 MQD
- Gold medal: SkyMiles members have earned 10,000 MQD
- Platinum Medal: SkyMiles members have earned 15,000 MQD
- Diamond Medal: SkyMiles members have earned 28,000 MQD
To make it easier to achieve elite status in 2024, Delta has made it possible for eligible frequent flyers with the following co-branded cards to take advantage of the 2024 MQD figure, with an increase of 2,500 MQDs toward qualifying for status early in the year:
The MQD starting bonus is awarded per card, so you will earn more than one 2,500 MQD bonus if you have multiple qualifying cards.
Plus, throughout the year, you’ll earn MQD reward points based on your everyday spending on these cards.
Specifically, the Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card and the Delta SkyMiles® Reserve Business American Express Card will earn 1 MQD for every $10 spent. Meanwhile, the Delta SkyMiles® Platinum American Express Card and the Delta SkyMiles® Platinum Business American Express Card will earn 1 MQD for every $20 spent.
There is no limit to the amount of MQD you can earn when spending with the card.
Last line
One might expect that the dedicated individuals hired to help Delta 360 members would also be on hand when flight plans are disrupted by schedule changes, weather delays, and irregular operations. In theory, you’ll see a more robust set of exclusive benefits when you earn American Airlines Concierge Key and United Global Services.
One Delta 360 member told TPG that he hasn’t felt a huge difference since being upgraded from Diamond Medallion to Delta 360. This could be viewed one of two ways: Either Delta isn’t doing enough to honor its Delta 360 members, or the highest published tier (Diamond Medallion) offers truly exceptional service, making it harder to differentiate between the two.
In some ways, this is good news for other Delta Medallion elite members who may feel like they’re missing out because, in reality, top-tier Diamond Medallion members largely receive similar customer service and overall experience when flying on Delta.
