With Delta Medallion status, you’ll enjoy upgrades, waived change fees, a VIP customer service line and much more. In our in-depth analysis of every benefit offered by each Medallion tier, you see that the top two levels – Platinum and Diamond – go above and beyond.
See our best credit card bonuses here.
One standout benefit from these two tiers lets you choose your own perks. In this guide, we’ll go over Delta’s Choice Benefits, lay out your options and discuss which ones will get you the most value.
DELTA SKYMILES RESERVE AMERICAN EXPRESS CARD
The Delta SkyMiles Reserve American Express Card has an offer for 50,000 bonus miles and 10,000 MQMs after you spend $5,000 in purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months.
This card earns 3X Miles on Delta purchases and 1X Mile on all other eligible purchases.
Upon the annual renewal of your Card, receive a Domestic First Class, Delta Comfort+® or Main Cabin round-trip companion certificate. *Payment of the government-imposed taxes and fees of no more than $75 for roundtrip domestic flights (for itineraries with up to four flight segments) is required. Baggage charges and other restrictions apply. See terms and conditions for details.
You and up to 8 travel companions get your first checked bag free on Delta Flights. You’ll also receive Main Cabin 1 Priority Boarding on Delta flights.
This card gets a Fee Credit for Global Entry or TSA Pre✓®.
Another great benefit is the complimentary Delta Sky Club access. You’ll also get complimentary access to The Centurion® Lounge or Escape Lounge – The Centurion® Studio Partner when you book your Delta flight with your Reserve Card.
There are no foreign transaction fees and the annual fee is $550.
Choice Benefits Overview
Delta’s most loyal flyers – Platinum and Diamond Medallion members – get their pick of exclusive Choice Benefits. The program lets you customize your perks each Medallion Year by what matters most to you.
Platinum members get one Choice Benefit per Medallion Year, while Diamond members receive three Choice Benefits per Medallion Year. Diamond Medallions also get more options to choose from:
| BENEFIT | PLATINUM | DIAMOND |
| Upgrade Certificates | 4 Regional | 4 Global or 8 Regional or 2 Global + 4 Regional |
| Bonus Miles | 20,000 | 25,000 |
| Travel Voucher or Retail Gift Card | 1 | 1 |
| Gift Medallion Status | Silver | Gold |
| Sky Club Membership/Access | N/A | Individual Membership or Executive Membership or Guest Pass |
If you make it to Diamond Medallion, you’ll pass Platinum Medallion along the way. So Diamond members effectively receive a total of four Choice Benefits.
For complete information, click here.
Choice Benefits In Detail
Platinum Medallions can choose Regional Upgrade Certificates (RUCs), while Diamond Medallions have the added options of Global Upgrade Certificates (GUCs) and a mix of both regional and global.
These upgrade certificates are not guarantees. Most likely, you’ll be put on a waitlist, so there is some risk involved.
Regional Upgrade Certificates can be used on paid published Main Cabin and Delta Comfort+ fares (except Basic Economy) on the same routes as Medallion Complimentary Upgrades, including all flights in First Class and Delta One.
Use your RUCs on transcontinental flights with Delta One lie-flat seats. Upgrades on these routes usually cost somewhere between $500 to $1,000+ per flight.
Global Upgrade Certificates are like RUCs, but obviously apply to international flights. One noteworthy GUC feature is that you can use them on partner flights operated by Aeromexico, Air France (only to Premium Economy), KLM, Korean Air and Virgin Atlantic.
Platinum Medallions have the option of 20,000 bonus SkyMiles, while Diamond Medallions can choose to receive 25,000 bonus miles.
Diamond members can select this option for 1, 2 or all 3, of their Choice Benefits.
According to our most recent valuations, each SkyMile is worth $0.012. That means the Platinum option has a value of approximately $240, while the Diamond benefit is worth about $300. But if you take the time to maximize your SkyMiles, you could squeeze a lot more value out of this Choice Benefit. Read our upcoming article The Best Ways To Redeem Delta Air Lines SkyMiles For Award Flights, for more information on how to do that.
You can gift these bonus miles to a friend or family member.
Both Platinum and Diamond Medallions can choose either a $200 travel voucher or a $200 Tiffany & Co. gift card.
Diamond members can select this option for 1, 2 or all 3, of their Choice Benefits.
Given the poor value compared to your other options, we’re going to give this Choice Benefit a hard pass.
Platinum Medallions can choose to gift Silver Medallion status while Diamond Medallions are able to gift Gold Medallion status.
Diamond members can select this option for 1, 2 or all 3, of their Choice Benefits.
We don’t recommend gifting Silver status because you can get many of its perks with the Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card or the Delta SkyMiles® Reserve Business American Express Card.
On the other hand, Gold status holds a fairly high value. So it’s a solid option for a close friend or family member who doesn’t fly often with you.
For a Choice Benefit, Diamond Medallions can select the Sky Club Individual Membership which lets you access Delta lounges for free. That is, only if you’re flying with Delta on the same day. Note: With this membership, you can bring up to two guests per visit at $39 each.
Sky Club Individual Memberships can be purchased for $545 or 54,500 SkyMiles per year.
Diamond members can also opt for the Sky Club Executive Membership which allows you to bring up to two travel companions with you to a Sky Club lounge for free. Delta will charge you two Choice Benefits for this perk.
Sky Club Executive Memberships can be purchased for $745 or 70,000 SkyMiles per year.
Diamond Medallions who have an eligible credit card (The Platinum Card® from American Express, Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card, or Delta SkyMiles® Reserve Business American Express Card) already have complimentary Delta Sky Club access. Instead, you have the option to select a Delta Sky Club Guest Pass for unlimited lounge access. This perk allows up to two travel companions per visit, for free.
The Delta Reserve Credit Card has a $550 annual fee.
Click here for complete information on Membership & Access.
For complete up-to-date information, click here.
When You Should Select Your Choice Benefit
All Choice Benefits must be selected by the time your Platinum or Diamond status expires, which is the end of January, two years after you earned status. For example, if you earned Platinum Medallion in 2020 for the 2021 Medallion Year, then you have Platinum status until January 31, 2022.
If you don’t select all your Choice Benefits by the time your status expires, you’ll lose them. No matter which option(s) you choose, you’ll want to strategize when you select your benefit(s).
| Choose ASAP These benefits are only valid until your Medallion Year is complete. | Gift Medallion Status Sky Club Individual Membership Sky Club Executive Membership Sky Club Guest Pass |
| Wait to Choose These benefits expire a year from the time they’re selected. | Upgrade Certificates Travel Voucher |
| Choose Anytime These benefits do not have any time constraints. | Bonus Miles Retail Gift Card |
Bottom Line
Delta rewards their higher-tier Medallions handsomely with a variety of choose-your-own perks. And, as you can see above, Choice Benefits aren’t all worth the same. There’s a big variety in cash values, but your selection ultimately comes down to what you personally value the most. Whatever you choose, remember to time your pick wisely.
READ MORE: SEE THE BEST BANK BONUSES HERE AND THE BEST INVESTING BONUSES HERE.
