Status: checked against official sources; automated independent review
FREQUENT FLYER GLOSSARY
What are elite qualifying dollars (EQD)?
Elite qualifying dollars (EQD) is a general label for a spend-based elite qualification metric: a running total of the money a member spends on eligible tickets and eligible charges, which a frequent flyer programme counts toward status instead of, or alongside, distance flown, segments or nights. It is a category of status metric rather than a currency, because each programme writes its own list of what counts, what is excluded and how much spending each tier requires — Delta Air Lines, for instance, counts Medallion Qualification Dollars (MQDs) and publishes four thresholds to earn 2026 Medallion Status, from US$5,000 to US$28,000. [3]
Facts checked: 18 October 2026
Key takeaways
- Elite qualifying dollars are a category of metric, not a shared currency: every programme defines its own eligible spend and its own thresholds, and Delta's published MQD thresholds for 2026 status run from $5,000 to $28,000. [3]
- Spend metrics are built from an allow-list and a block-list. Delta counts base fare and carrier-imposed surcharges on eligible Delta-marketed flights but excludes government-imposed taxes and fees and a long list of ancillary charges. [3]
- Spend credit normally runs on an annual clock: Delta resets MQD balances on or about 1 January and MQDs do not roll over from year to year. [3]
- Programmes can replace a spend metric. United's MileagePlus Rules state that, from 1 January 2020, members may achieve Premier status through Premier qualifying points (PQP) and Premier qualifying flights (PQF) and will no longer achieve Premier status on the basis of PQM, PQS or PQD. [6]
How does a spend-based status metric work?
A spend-based qualifying metric is a running total of eligible money spent during a fixed qualification period. Four settings decide how it behaves: which transactions are eligible, which are excluded, when the period opens and closes, and how much of the total each tier requires. Because those settings belong to each programme, the same ticket can produce different qualifying credit in different schemes, and comparing two programmes means comparing their rules rather than their headline totals. See the comparison of elite qualifying metrics for how spend, distance, segment and points metrics sit side by side.
The total is bookkeeping, not stored value. Delta's rules state that MQDs have no cash value, are not redeemable for Award Travel or other SkyMiles redemptions, cannot be transferred or assigned to another person and cannot be gifted to another member. [3] Programmes that count distance instead work on a separate track; see elite qualifying miles.
How do Medallion Qualification Dollars work at Delta?
Delta awards Medallion Status through Medallion Qualification Dollars, presented on its programme page as the single qualifier for status. [3] Members earn $1 MQD per $1 spent on the ticket price of a Delta-marketed flight operated by Delta or by one of its partner airlines. [3] The thresholds published for earning 2026 Medallion Status are below. [3]
| Medallion tier | MQDs required |
|---|---|
| Silver Medallion | $5,000 |
| Gold Medallion | $10,000 |
| Platinum Medallion | $15,000 |
| Diamond Medallion | $28,000 |
MQDs are defined as the sum of a member's spend on Delta-marketed flights in Delta Main Classic or above, inclusive of base fare and carrier-imposed surcharges but exclusive of government-imposed taxes and fees; select partner airline flights and select exception fares also count. [3] Base fare and carrier-imposed surcharges on flights marketed by Core Global and Global Airline Partners and ticketed through a Delta channel with a ticket number beginning "006" are eligible too, and for travel both ticketed and marketed by those partners MQDs are awarded using published Mileage Earn Charts. [3] On award tickets operated by Delta partners in Main Classic or above and booked through a direct Delta channel, MQDs are calculated from the miles redeemed toward the award price divided by 100, and government-imposed taxes and fees earn nothing. [3]
Two card programmes feed the same balance. Delta SkyMiles Platinum, Platinum Business, Reserve and Reserve Business American Express Card Members receive an MQD Headstart of $2,500 per eligible card type each Medallion Qualification Year, capped at four deposits across all eligible cards for $10,000 MQDs in total. [3] MQD Boost adds $1 MQD per $20 of eligible purchases on the Platinum and Platinum Business cards, or $1 per $10 on the Reserve and Reserve Business cards, effective 1 January 2024. [3] Delta Vacations packages earn $1 MQD per $1 of the Total Package Price, which excludes taxes, fees including government-imposed fees, Basic Economy and similar fares, gratuities, room service, other booking charges and insurance. [3] Thresholds for other carriers are collected in status thresholds at major programmes and elite qualification thresholds.
What are Premier qualifying dollars at United?
United Airlines' MileagePlus Rules name Premier qualifying dollars (PQD) among the Premier Qualifying Credits, then state that effective 1 January 2020 members may achieve Premier status through the accumulation of PQP and PQF, and that members will no longer achieve Premier status on the basis of PQM, PQS or PQD. [6] The same rules provide that, for calculating Premier qualification requirements earned in 2020 or later, Premier Qualifying Credits include PQP and PQF. [6]
The current qualification terms describe spend credit at the level of the fare: under the 2026 Premier Status Match Challenge, which accepts applications between 8 January and 21 December 2026, PQP earned on base fare and carrier-imposed surcharges counts toward the challenge requirement, while PQP earned from conversion of other currencies does not count toward that offer. [7] These terms belong to that challenge; they are not a general statement about how PQP accrues elsewhere in MileagePlus.
What spending is excluded or limited?
- Basic Economy. Delta Main Basic (Basic Economy) tickets do not earn miles in SkyMiles or credit toward Medallion and Million Miler Status. [3]
- Ancillary charges. Delta does not award MQDs on checked baggage fees, Delta Sky Club memberships, Wi-Fi passes, in-flight food and beverage, unaccompanied minor fees, pet travel fees, mileage purchases, ticket change fees, Direct Ticketing Charge, same-day confirmed fees, Administrative Service Charge or External Reissue Charge. [3]
- Where a seat is bought. Delta One, Delta Premium Select, Delta First, Delta Comfort and Preferred Seat purchases and paid premium class upgrades bought through a Delta channel earn MQDs, but the same purchases made at the airport in Amsterdam or Paris for a Delta-operated flight earn neither miles nor MQDs. [3] Complimentary access to those seats earns nothing, a voluntary change after purchase earns nothing for the original seat purchase, and MQDs go only to the member travelling whose name and SkyMiles number are in the reservation. [3]
- Fares without a disclosed price. Bulk, consolidator, cruise, vacation package, inclusive tour and similar tickets where the fare is not disclosed still count toward MQDs, except bookings made through priceline.com or hotwire.com where the carrier is not disclosed before purchase, and credit is then based on a percentage of distance flown determined by fare class. [3] Delta employee award travel, free, barter, pass travel and similar tickets that earn no miles earn no MQDs. [3]
- Award travel at United. MileagePlus Rules state that, except as expressly permitted by United, award miles and Premier Qualifying Credits are not credited for award travel including tickets bought with a combination of miles and money, and that some fares, such as consolidation tickets, group rates or special promotional rates, may be excluded from Premier Qualifying Credits at United's discretion. [6]
- Timing and reset. Delta asks members to allow up to 6–8 weeks after a Delta-marketed flight for miles and MQDs to post, and 8–12 weeks after an eligible card transaction posts to the card account. [3] A Qualification Year runs from 1 January to 31 December, and the MQD balance resets to zero on or about 1 January because MQDs do not extend or roll over. [3]
Spend is one family of qualifying metric among several; points-based schemes are described under status points and tier points.
Frequently asked questions
Do elite qualifying dollars expire?
At Delta, MQDs do not extend or roll over from year to year: the balance is reset to zero on or about 1 January, at the close of the Qualification Year that runs from 1 January to 31 December. [3]
Do taxes and fees count toward elite qualifying dollars?
Delta includes base fare and carrier-imposed surcharges in MQDs but excludes government-imposed taxes and fees, and it also excludes most ancillary charges such as checked baggage fees, Sky Club memberships, Wi-Fi passes and ticket change fees. [3]
Do Basic Economy tickets earn MQDs?
No. Delta Main Basic (Basic Economy) tickets are not eligible to earn miles in SkyMiles or credit toward Medallion and Million Miler Status. [3]
Do award tickets earn spend credit?
At Delta, MQDs can be earned on Delta Award Travel tickets operated by Delta partners in Main Classic or above and booked through a direct Delta channel, calculated as miles redeemed toward the award price divided by 100. [3] At United, the MileagePlus Rules say award miles and Premier Qualifying Credits are not credited for award travel, including tickets bought with a combination of miles and money, except as expressly permitted. [6]
Does United still use Premier qualifying dollars for status?
United's MileagePlus Rules state that, effective 1 January 2020, members may achieve Premier status through PQP and PQF and will no longer achieve Premier status on the basis of PQM, PQS or PQD. [6] Its 2026 Premier Status Match Challenge terms also frame the requirement in PQP and PQF. [7]
Sources
Sources checked on 18 October 2026. It covers Delta Air Lines SkyMiles and United Airlines MileagePlus only; other programmes, including American Airlines AAdvantage, are not covered here.
- Delta Air Lines Medallion Program overview and MQD terms, checked 18 October 2026
- United Airlines MileagePlus Rules, checked 18 October 2026
- United Airlines MileagePlus Premier Status Match Challenge terms, checked 18 October 2026