If you are a member of the SkyMiles frequent flier loyalty program of Delta Air Lines who has experienced a major life event which caused you to lose your Medallion elite level status, you are in luck, as you can now reclaim that status effective immediately.
Reclaim Your Medallion Elite Status With Delta Air Lines When Life Gets In the Way
Although each situation will be individually evaluated, major life events that impact travel may include — but are not limited to:
- Becoming a parent — which includes maternity, paternity, adoption or foster leave
- Recovering from a serious illness
- Sustaining serious injury
- Changing jobs or careers
- Becoming a caregiving for a family member
- Earning a degree
How Reclaim My Status Works
The steps to how Reclaim My Status works includes:
- When Medallion elite level members are ready to start traveling again after a big change, important life moment, or event which affected travel and caused a loss of or change in Status, they should submit a request to get Medallion elite level status back.
- Most members will receive a decision from Delta Air Lines within five business days — but the decision could take as long as two weeks — and if approved, they will automatically and immediately enjoy three months of complimentary Medallion elite level status.
- Members who meet the minimum travel and spend thresholds for that Medallion status level over that three-month period retain their status. The following are a couple of examples:
- If a member enrolls in Reclaim My Status on or before Tuesday, December 31, 2019, and meets the thresholds, Medallion elite level status will be extended through Sunday, January 31, 2021.
- If a Member enrolls in Reclaim My Status between Wednesday, January 1, 2020, and Thursday, December 31, 2020, and meets the thresholds, Medallion Status will be extended through Monday, January 31, 2022.
What Are the Thresholds?
The thresholds you must meet through Retain My Status are as follows — depending on the Medallion elite level status you are trying to retain:
- Diamond Medallion
- 31,250 Medallion Qualification Miles or 35 Medallion Qualification Segments; and
- $3,750.00 Medallion Qualification Dollars or Medallion Qualification Dollar Waiver
- Platinum Medallion
- 18,750 Medallion Qualification Miles or 25 Medallion Qualification Segments; and
- $2,250.00 Medallion Qualification Dollars or Medallion Qualification Dollar Waiver
- Gold Medallion
- 12,500 Medallion Qualification Miles or 15 Medallion Qualification Segments; and
- $1,500.00 Medallion Qualification Dollars or Medallion Qualification Dollar Waiver
- Silver Medallion
- 6,250 Medallion Qualification Miles or eight Medallion Qualification Segments; and
- $750.00 Medallion Qualification Dollars or Medallion Qualification Dollar Waiver
Summary
In what is actually a positive development for customers amongst what some may consider the persistent decimation of a once-great frequent flier loyalty program, Delta Air Lines follows the lead of Hilton, Alaska Airlines, Air Canada and several other companies around the world — all of which instituted policies and programs that allow members of their respective frequent travel loyalty programs to regain elite level status…
…but unlike the Hilton Honors initiative — which is only available to members who have already earned Diamond elite level VIP status — the Reclaim My Status program is valid for all levels of Medallion elite level status.
Then again, the extension of Diamond elite level VIP status in the Hilton Honors frequent guest loyalty program is good for any reason simply for the asking — although it is limited to only once per lifetime; and the Elite Leave program for members of the Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan frequent flier loyalty program seems to be valid for every time a member is expecting an addition to his or her family — but only a small percentage of members of the Mileage Plan frequent travel loyalty program are eligible to take advantage of extending their elite level status by one year.
All of the aforementioned initiatives are steps in the right direction — but each also have their limitations. Reclaim My Status should be good for one full year and not just for three months, in my opinion — and it is hardly representative of a “two-way street” pertaining to loyalty…
…probably more like a “status match” of sorts than anything else — but is it better than nothing, as no such initiative existed for SkyMiles members who had no choice but to Medallion elite level status due to not traveling because of a major life event…
Photograph ©2018 by Brian Cohen.
