When Delta Air Lines announced the overhaul (and significant downgrade) of the SkyMiles program last year, this was more of a side note: Starting in 2024, it would be possible to earn status points through hotel bookings. Shortly after, Delta slightly lowered the status thresholds. However, at the same time, they removed the option to earn a frequent flyer status through hotel bookings.
Now, as part of a limited-time offer, it is once again possible. If you book a hotel through Delta TravelExtras with a stay until October 31, 2025, you will receive one MQD (Medallion Qualifying Dollar = status point) for every USD on hotels. The same applies to car rental bookings.
In addition to the MQD, you earn two award miles per dollar spent.
In theory, one could e.g. book hotels for the price of $10,000 (excluding taxes) and achieve SkyMiles Gold status. However, it’s unlikely that anyone will do this. But if you’re short of a few MQDs by the end of the year to reach the next status level, you can at least top up your balance this way.
Based on experiences from previous promotions of this kind, mileage crediting for refundable bookings does not always work reliably. It might help with refundable bookings if the payment is made through Expedia rather than at the hotel (right-hand option).
Conditions
Below is an overview of the most important restrictions:
- Booking period: Until October 24, 2025
- Travel period: August 29 – October 31, 2025
- This applies to hotel & car rental bookings through travelextras-delta.com
- Credit card and SkyMiles account must belong to the same person
- Miles and status points are only awarded on the base room price, excluding taxes, fees, resort fees, etc.
- No miles or status points will be awarded if the reservation is not honoured
- Credit may take up to 8 weeks after the stay
- In addition to status miles (MQD), you will also earn 2 award miles per USD of the booking value.
- Depending on or your status, you can earn even more award miles for rentals at Hertz and Dollar (permanently)
You can find the full terms & conditions of the promotion here.
Price Check
Delta’s booking portal is powered by Expedia. Naturally, we wondered whether bookings made through this portal are more expensive than on other booking platforms.
It appears that the hotels cost exactly the same as on the American site Expedia.com. Of course, this site primarily caters to the American market, and prices may differ from e.g. Expedia.co.uk — both upwards and downwards. Additionally, you cannot collect stamps on Hotels.com, so the comparison is somewhat skewed. Nevertheless, we’ve seen cases where booking through Delta was around 8% cheaper than on other websites, but also cases where Delta had a hefty 28% surcharge, compared to sites like Agoda.
Past Promotions
This marks the fourth time within 12 months that Delta has offered a promotion like this:
| Promotion Period | Travel Period | Value |
|---|---|---|
| August 29 until October 24, 2025 | September until October 2025 | 1 MQD per $1 |
| May 19 until July 14, 2025 | May until September 2025 | 1 MQD per $1 |
| February 4 until March 31, 2025 | February until April 2025 | 1 MQD per $1 |
| August 19 until September 30, 2024 | August until October 2024 | 1 MQD per $1 |
Conclusion
If you’re short a few MQDs to maintain your status, booking hotels through Delta could be worthwhile. However, it’s essential to compare prices with other providers and not book blindly, as prices can vary widely, from great deals to hefty markups.
Source: LoyaltyLobby
Cover Picture: Ditmar Lange