Do You Get Delta Mqd For Tickets You Purchase For Others?

Is Delta MQD earned on tickets you buy for others?

Delta’s Medallion Qualification Dollar (MQD) system is rather complex, especially when it comes to issuing tickets for others. In this article, we will explain how exactly MQD functions and if one gets MQD credit for buying tickets for companions, family, and more.

What are Delta MQDs?

First off, let’s briefly remind ourselves as to what MQDs are. MQDs are a means through which Delta Airlines ensures they are getting their loyal customers to spend their money with them whenever they are flying. For most Delta flyers, reaching Medallion elite status requires hitting minimum thresholds: For most Delta flyers, reaching Medallion elite status requires hitting minimum thresholds of:

• MQMs: Flying miles
• MQSs = flight segments achieved
• MQDs Dollars spent

In its simplest terms, MQDs are a measure of how much money you spend on Delta flights and some select purchases in a calendar year. It is high time that Delta wanted to compensate for its frequent customers, the status of which comes with special privileges.

Simple Methods for Reaching MQDs

There are a few basic ways to earn MQDs with Delta:

• By flying on Delta and spending your money on the tickets. This includes the tickets sold and generated revenues out of cash, or those redeemed using redeemed miles, and some partner flights.
• You spend money on other fees with Delta, for instance, checked baggage, purchasing Preferred/Economy Plus seats, etc.
• From select Delta cobranded American Express cards and by spending a certain amount of money every year.

The two mentioned above are the most typical ways for flyers to accumulate MQD for the year totals.

MQD Rules for Tickets for Others

Alright, now let me get to the crux of the matter: do you accrue MQDs for tickets that you buy for someone else? The short answer to this is maybe.

Here are the key rules on MQDs for tickets purchased for non-traveling companions:

• BUYING A TICKET FOR ANOTHER PERSON AND USING YOUR OWN SKYMILES ACCOUNT, YES, YOU DO EARN MQD CREDIT FOR THAT. The MQDs will be credited to your account even if someone else flies on the ticket you’re using.
• When you use your SkyMiles account to purchase a ticket for another individual, you DO NOT accumulate MQD credit. The MQDs will be recorded to the account of the SkyMiles.
• If you purchase another person’s ticket without charging to any SkyMiles account (a cash ticket), you DO NOT earn MQD credit. As per the above illustration, there is no SkyMiles account linked to credit MQDs.

So in summary, MQD credit is given to the person whose frequent flyer account is linked to the ticket booking. If it is your account, you get MQDs irrespective of who flies. If it’s another person’s account or no account at all, only he reaps MQDs.

What about booking company tickets?

A special case is the companion tickets or companion certificates, where you can get a second ticket at a fixed price while the first ticket is bought at full fare.

Here is how companion tickets work for MQD credit:

• Yes, you DO earn MQDs for the full-price ticket you purchase for yourself. This credit is recognized just like other credits in the calculation of your MQD total.
• Unfortunately, you do NOT get any MQD credit for the discounted companion fare. Usually, companion fares are only the airfare price with no additional taxes or fees. Because MQD calculations are tied to the ticket price, you do not get any credit for deeply discounted companion fares.

Therefore, if you purchase a companion ticket, only the full-priced ticket that you acquire can provide MQD credit. Your companion’s fare is left out.

Getting the Maximum MQD Credit from Your Purchases

Hopefully, the rules are clear as to which tickets count towards MQDs when buying tickets for others. But what if you wish to achieve the maximum you can get of MQDs from ticket transactions?

Here are some tips:

• Whenever it is possible, all tickets should be booked under your own SkyMiles frequent flyer account. However, as long as it’s your account, you receive MQD credit for anyone’s tickets.
• Purchase other available ticket classes: First Class, Business Class, and Premium Select all have higher MQD values compared to Main Cabin tickets.
• Include additional fees for checked luggage, special seats, etc., to your tickets. All these features contribute to the MQD for annual totals.
• Have a Delta co-branded American Express card that enables you to avoid MQD requirements once you meet annual spending limits.

It may not allow you to accumulate unlimited MQD credits for other people’s tickets, but you can accumulate a lot of your MQDs through your spending. Self-select your travel expenses and then apply for an MQD waiver card, which will allow for more chances of requalification or moving to the next Medallion status level.

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