earn MQDs – Delta has reopened a path for SkyMiles members to earn Medallion Qualification Dollars (MQDs) by booking hotels, vacation rentals and car rentals through its Travel Extras portal—starting now and running through July 20 for trips completed by December 15.
For travelers who are trying to protect their Delta status without piling on extra flights, a familiar door is opening again: Delta is once more letting SkyMiles members earn Medallion Qualification Dollars through certain travel “extras.”
Delta Air Lines is offering Delta SkyMiles members another way to build Medallion Qualification Dollars (MQDs) toward elite status by spending on hotel stays. vacation rentals and car rentals booked through the Travel Extras portal. The promotion runs until July 20 for travel completed by December 15.
Under the offer. participants can earn 1 MQD per base dollar spent on hotel bookings and vacation rentals booked through Delta’s travel portal. That MQD earning is in addition to the redeemable SkyMiles members ordinarily earn. including earning a minimum of 2 miles for every dollar spent on the base hotel rate at participating hotels booked through the Travel Extras portal.
The fine print matters: MQDs can only be earned on the base cost of the hotel room. before taxes and fees are charged at the time of booking. Delta also provided an example to show how the math looks in practice. For a two-night stay at the Moxy Minneapolis Downtown. the promotion’s structure would yield 250 MQDs and 500 SkyMiles (valued at $6 based on TPG’s June 2026 valuations).
Car rentals come with the same MQD rate—but with different SkyMiles possibilities. Participants earn 1 MQD per base dollar spent on rental cars for every completed rental booking. MQDs won’t be earned on charges like taxes, one-way rental fees, fuel services and tolls.
Even when the MQD rate stays flat, SkyMiles can move. When booking cars through Delta’s portal, travelers can earn bonus SkyMiles with rental car partners, and the amount can increase further for those holding elite status with Delta.
Hertz is one such Delta partner. If a traveler books a Hertz rental car through Delta, they earn 4 miles per dollar spent on qualifying rentals as a basic SkyMiles member. Depending on Delta elite status, that can rise to between 5 and 8 miles per dollar spent on qualifying rentals.
Delta’s own example uses a two-day rental at New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK). Under the current promotion, that scenario would produce 113 MQDs and 456 SkyMiles (valued at $5.47 based on TPG’s June 2026 valuations).
The promotion’s timing and eligibility are strict. MQDs will be credited only if the name on the credit card used to pay matches the information on the SkyMiles account. Delta will not credit MQDs if the first and last names on the card do not match the information on the SkyMiles account.
After travel, it can take up to eight weeks to receive the MQDs.
There’s also a separate incentive tied to prepaid hotel and vacation rental purchases for cardholders. Those with a Delta cobranded card can earn up to $250 Delta Stays statement credits annually (depending on the card) when they use the card to purchase prepaid hotels or vacation rentals through Delta Stays. The prepaid Delta Stays reservations qualify as Delta purchases on cobranded cards. Cardholders of the Delta SkyMiles® Platinum American Express Card or the Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card earn 3 miles per dollar spent on Delta purchases. while cardholders of the Delta SkyMiles® Gold American Express Card earn 2 miles per dollar spent on Delta purchases.
In other words. this promotion adds another lever for people who don’t want to chase status solely in the air. But it also comes with the kind of booking nuance frequent travelers already know to watch for: the promotion points to Travel Extras portal bookings. and the prepaid option runs through a third-party service. meaning hotel points or nights for status may not apply and issues may need to be handled through that third party if anything goes wrong.
Delta SkyMiles Medallion Qualification Dollars MQDs Delta status Travel Extras Delta Stays hotel bookings vacation rentals car rentals Hertz partner
So basically Delta found a way to charge me less…? idk.
Good for people trying not to fly a bunch I guess. But the base dollar thing always gets me like what counts and what doesn’t?? taxes and fees not included, cool cool.
Wait, MQDs on hotel stays means I can just book a random trip and suddenly get elite status faster? That seems too good to be true. Also “until July 20” and “travel completed by December 15” is confusing, like which one matters??
This feels like Delta trying to trap people into using their portal again. Like yeah it’s “1 MQD per base dollar” but I’m sure the base rate is higher than booking direct. I hate those portals, they always hide fees later.