Blog

If you look up Delta Air Lines’ elite status levels, you’ll see that Diamond Medallion is its top tier — but that’s not the actual top of the heap.

In addition to their published top tiers, like American Airlines’ AAdvantage Executive Platinum, Delta’s Diamond Medallion and United Airlines’ Premier 1K, all three major U.S. carriers offer an even higher level of status reserved specifically for their biggest spenders.

Delta 360 is Delta’s version of an invite-only, hyper-exclusive tier for its most loyal flyers. It compares to American Airlines’ Concierge Key and United’s Global Services.

Intrigued? Let’s dive in and see 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. A Delta 360° Membership offers Delta’s most premium suite of benefits and services exclusive to our top SkyMiles Members. For 2024, entry into Delta 360° will be extended to a very small percentage of Diamond Medallion Members. Considerations include, but are not limited to: overall Delta flight activity, premium product purchases (Delta One®, Delta Premium Select, First Class) and spending on Delta SkyMiles® American Express Cards.”

Delta 360 status benefits

You might expect that an invitation-only, top-tier status in the Delta SkyMiles program includes all the perks of Diamond Medallion status, plus additional benefits.

Delta 360 is unique in that while it offers exclusive benefits, no regular Medallion status benefits are included. This might seem oddly restrictive, but remember that those invited to enjoy this exclusive membership tier usually spend such large amounts with the airline yearly that they are highly likely to hold Diamond Medallion status anyway.

That said, there are some benefits exclusively available to members with Delta 360 status.

Delta Sky Club Executive Membership

Delta Sky Club Executive Membership is a significant perk if you frequently travel with family, friends or colleagues or want to spontaneously invite someone into the Delta Sky Club after sparking a conversation on a flight. This membership includes unlimited lounge access for the member and up to two guests per visit.

Delta Sky Club Executive Membership usually costs $1,495 if purchased outright.

The only other way to procure this membership for free is to redeem two Choice Benefits available to Diamond Medallion members. Diamond Medallion members can only choose three Choice Benefits, so that’s a steep price.

Dedicated phone line with best-in-class agents

While Delta’s published elite tiers (Silver Medallion, Gold Medallion, Platinum Medallion and Diamond Medallion) receive priority phone treatment, with increasingly skilled agents assigned to higher tiers, Delta 360 members can dial up 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 extra autonomy to cut through red tape and do whatever is necessary to get Delta 360 members out of jams regarding irregular operations, such as weather-related delays. They’re also more likely to bend the published rules when members need to make schedule changes or add legs to itineraries.

Related: Don’t wait on hold: Here’s how to reach airline customer service quickly

Greater chance of a Porsche gate-to-gate airport transfer

Delta carefully monitors the travels of its Diamond Medallion members. If it detects that a member may miss a critical connection, agents will work hard to position a Porsche at their arrival gate to expedite their transfer to the connecting gate. This service is primarily found at Delta’s large 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)

However, when it comes to Delta 360 members, this monitoring is taken to entirely new heights. They are given Porsche priority when the fleet is at maximum utilization, and they are more likely to receive a courtesy Porsche transfer even when making a tight connection is unnecessary.

A fancy annual gift

Delta has been known to send its Delta 360 members various high-end gifts. In the past, these have included a magnum of Louis Roederer Champagne, Tiffany & Co. flutes and Ray-Ban aviator sunglasses.

It’s not a travel benefit per se, but who wouldn’t be happy to receive a surprise gift in the mail?

Higher upgrade priority on Delta flights

Delta 360 offers no significant advantage over the carrier’s highest published status (Diamond Medallion) regarding upgrades, but members get the same priority. That said, reports indicate that when members receive complimentary upgrades, they clear on the same day of the flight — sometimes as early as five days out.

Of course, chances are quite good that these travelers are booked into paid first class as it is, so any upgrade perks may not be applicable.

Related: Secure a better seat: The ultimate guide to getting upgraded on Delta flights

How to earn Delta 360 status

Despite Delta 360 offering (arguably) the weakest set of perks among the three major invite-only programs, it generally requires the most dedication and spending. Invitations usually get sent out in late January or early February.

There’s no set formula for how much you must spend or fly. A spate of Delta loyalists at FlyerTalk have chimed in, with one New York City-based flyer saying they previously had nearly $90,000 in spend but still lacked a Delta 360 invite. Another, based near Huntsville, Alabama, spent nearly $50,000 and is still looking in from the outside. Meanwhile, a flyer who frequents Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport (FLL) previously received an invitation with 250,000 Medallion Qualification Miles, 75,000 Medallion Qualification Dollars and zero cobranded card spending.

A North Carolina-based member received Delta 360 status in 2024 while living outside of a Delta hub. They flew 343,000 MQMs and accrued 133,000 MQDs in 2023 to earn their invite.

A few added data points show that in saturated Delta markets, such as New York City and Atlanta, you will likely need to hit six figures in annual spending to be in the mix for an invitation.

A separate poster explained that Delta looks at more than overall spending, including how much control you have over corporate contracts, which could theoretically funnel vast sums of money into Delta’s coffers.

How to earn Delta status with the right credit card

While holding a Delta cobranded credit card and spending wildly won’t automatically give you Delta 360 status, the right credit card can earn you Diamond Medallion status.

Delta now only uses MQDs as criteria for qualification each calendar year. Here are the requirements in 2024 to obtain 2025 Medallion status:

• Silver Medallion: SkyMiles members who have earned 5,000 MQDs
• Gold Medallion: SkyMiles members who have earned 10,000 MQDs
• Platinum Medallion: SkyMiles members who have earned 15,000 MQDs
• Diamond Medallion: SkyMiles members who have earned 28,000 MQDs

To make it easier to earn elite status in 2024, Delta gave eligible frequent flyers who also hold the following cobranded cards a head start on the 2024 MQD metrics, with a boost of 2,500 MQDs toward status qualification at the start of the year:

• Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card
• Delta SkyMiles® Reserve Business American Express Card
• Delta SkyMiles® Platinum American Express Card
• Delta SkyMiles® Platinum Business American Express Card

The MQD head start was awarded per card, so you should’ve earned more than one 2,500 MQD boost if you have multiple eligible cards.

Additionally, throughout the year, you’ll earn bonus MQDs based on everyday spending on these cards.

Specifically, the Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card and the Delta SkyMiles® Reserve Business American Express Card will accrue 1 MQD for every $10 spent. Meanwhile, the Delta SkyMiles® Platinum American Express Card and the Delta SkyMiles® Platinum Business American Express Card will accrue 1 MQD for every $20 spent.

There is no limit to how many MQDs you can earn from spending on the cards.

Bottom line

One could expect that the dedicated individuals employed to help out Delta 360 members would also go above and beyond when flight plans are thwarted due to schedule changes, weather delays and irregular operations. On paper, you’ll see a more robust set of exclusive perks when achieving American Airlines Concierge Key and United Global Services.

One Delta 360 member told TPG that he hasn’t felt a huge difference since being elevated to Delta 360 from Diamond Medallion, which can be looked at one of two ways: Either Delta isn’t doing enough to celebrate its Delta 360 members, or its top published tier (Diamond Medallion) delivers truly exceptional service, making the differentiation between the two tougher.

In some ways, this is good news to other Delta Medallion elite members who might feel like they’re missing out since, in reality, top-tier Diamond Medallion members largely get similar customer service and a comparable overall experience flying Delta.