Start here: status and lounges

Two different measuring sticks

Delta says it has streamlined how members earn Medallion Status by measuring it only in Medallion Qualification Dollars (MQDs). [2] For 2027 status, the published thresholds are US$5,000 MQDs for Silver, US$10,000 for Gold, US$15,000 for Platinum and US$28,000 for Diamond. [2] Those thresholds are earned through spending activity during the 2026 calendar year, 1 January to 31 December 2026, and the resulting 2027 status runs from the day it is earned until 31 January 2028. [2] MQDs reset each calendar year. [2]

MQDs accrue at US$1 per US$1 of ticket price on a Delta-marketed flight operated by Delta or by a partner airline, counting base fare and carrier-imposed surcharges but excluding government-imposed taxes and fees. [2] Delta Main Basic (Basic Economy) tickets are not eligible to earn miles in SkyMiles or credit toward Medallion and Million Miler Status. [2] Holders of eligible Delta SkyMiles American Express cards can receive an MQD Headstart of US$2,500 per card type each Medallion Qualification Year, and earn MQDs on card purchases at US$1 per US$20 for Platinum cards or US$1 per US$10 for Reserve cards. [2]

Hilton Honors qualifies members for Elite Tier Status on stays, nights or Eligible Spend in any calendar year, and members must re-qualify each calendar year. [3] Silver requires 4 stays, 10 nights or US$2,500 of Eligible Spend; Gold 15 stays, 25 nights or US$6,000; Diamond 25 stays, 50 nights or US$11,500. [3] Diamond Reserve requires 40 stays and US$18,000 of Eligible Spend, or 80 nights and US$18,000. [3] Points earned do not count toward Elite Tier Status qualification, while Reward Stays do count toward the stays and nights used for it. [3] Once achieved, Hilton status is kept for the rest of the calendar year in which it was earned and the following calendar year. [3]

What the tier actually changes

Hilton sets out benefits tier by tier. Silver adds a 20% bonus on Base Points earned during a qualifying stay, complimentary standard in-room and lobby WiFi, two bottles of water per stay at the brands the terms name, and a fifth night free on all-points Standard Room Reward Stays of five nights or more. [3] Gold adds an 80% bonus, a MyWay on-property benefit and complimentary space-available upgrades; Diamond raises the bonus to 100%; Diamond Reserve raises it to 120% and adds guaranteed 4pm late check-out. [3]

Upgrades are limited rather than universal. Hilton grants them on a space-available basis for one room per member per qualifying stay, and its terms name brands that offer no complimentary upgrades at all, including Embassy Suites, Hilton Garden Inn, Hampton by Hilton, Tru by Hilton, Spark by Hilton, Homewood Suites, Home2 Suites, Hilton Grand Vacations and Motto by Hilton. [3] Group reservations and certain room rates may also be ineligible. [3]

Lounges sit on top of that structure. Under Hilton's Executive Lounge Access Policy, a Gold member and one additional guest are granted complimentary access only if they receive a room upgrade to the Executive Floor, or to a room type that confers Executive Floor Lounge access. [3] Diamond members receive complimentary access for themselves and up to one additional registered guest even without a room upgrade. [3] Both rules exclude executive suites, villas, specialty accommodation, floors and towers, and "Club" accommodation types such as the Sakura Club at Conrad Washington, DC, Club Signia and the Citrus Club at the Arizona Biltmore, unless the original booking was itself at that level. [3]

Delta's qualification page shows the reverse side of the lounge question: Delta Sky Club memberships sit among the ancillary purchases and fees that do not count toward earning MQDs, so buying lounge access does not build Medallion progress. [2]

Guests and what status cannot be lent

Hilton's lounge guest allowance is part of the tier rule rather than a matter for the individual hotel: one additional guest alongside an upgraded Gold stay, and up to one additional registered guest for Diamond. [3] The same entry rule carries a trade-off, because a member with complimentary access to an Executive Lounge that serves breakfast seven days a week is not eligible for the daily Food & Beverage Credit. [3]

Away from the lounge, Hilton's 2nd Guest Stays Free benefit lets a guest stay free in the member's room on qualifying stays where extra charges apply for double occupancy, but it excludes hotels whose room rate bundles extra components, rates or taxes quoted per person or per room, and All-Inclusive hotels. [3] Hilton also notes that benefits and services offered by participating hotels may vary and that not all amenities are provided by all of them. [3]

Status itself stays with the member. Marriott's programme rules state that points, awards, elite status and lifetime elite status are the property of the company, have no cash value and are not transferable except as expressly permitted, and that accounts are individual and may not be shared, jointly held or transferred. [4] Elite Night Credits, the unit of Marriott status progress, are earned only for a night that falls inside a Qualifying Stay. [4] For the mechanics of a lounge visit, see the lounge access checklist and the note on lounge guest policy.

Exceptions and limits

• Caps at Delta. An MQD Headstart is limited to US$2,500 per eligible card type each Medallion Qualification Year, with a maximum of four deposits (US$10,000) across all eligible cards, and moving up from an eligible Platinum card to a Reserve card does not produce an extra deposit. [2] Delta also reserves the right to cancel, rescind or void MQDs, or to cancel or downgrade Medallion Status, if a card is cancelled or downgraded within 60 days of the deposit or of the renewal date. [2]
• Other Delta routes and closed routes. Members who have flown 1 million miles with Delta receive annual complimentary Medallion Status. [2] Medallion Qualification Miles were discontinued from 1 January 2024, and the one-off selection window for converting rollover MQM balances closed on 31 December 2024. [2]
• Keeping hotel points. Hilton members with no eligible activity in any 24 consecutive months are subject to forfeiture of all accumulated points and removal from the programme. [3] Marriott requires Qualifying Activity at least once every 24 months, and gifting, transferring or receiving points does not count. [4]
• Extensions and lifetime tiers. Hilton's 2026 Diamond extension applies to Diamond status expiring 31 March 2026 with three total years at Diamond and at least 250 nights or 500,000 Base Points since joining; from 2027 the point alternative becomes US$50,000 or more of Eligible Spend. [3] Lifetime Diamond requires at least ten non-consecutive years at Diamond plus 1,000 paid or Reward nights or US$200,000 of Eligible Spend, and a year counts only once 365 days at Diamond are completed. [3]

Related pages

Start with Start Here: Airline Miles for the earning side of a frequent flyer account, then read elite status and elite qualification thresholds. The lounge access checklist walks through a visit step by step, lounge guest policy covers companions, and status match and challenge explains the route for members arriving with status from another programme.

Sources

Sources checked on 18 October 2026. Only Delta SkyMiles, Hilton Honors, Marriott Bonvoy and American AAdvantage were checked; other airline and hotel programmes, including United MileagePlus, World of Hyatt and IHG One Rewards, are not covered here, and the American Airlines page as retrieved carried navigation only. See the glossary for definitions used across these pages.

1. American Airlines AAdvantage status page, checked 18 October 2026
2. Delta Air Lines, How to Get Medallion Status, checked 18 October 2026
3. Hilton Honors terms and conditions, checked 18 October 2026
4. Marriott Bonvoy loyalty program terms and conditions, checked 18 October 2026