As you might know, I had Gold Medallion status with Delta for the last two years, and that was a lot of fun. Before that, I was Silver Medallion for a year. I will hold no status for 2016 until I requalify. You need to fly 25,000 miles a year for Silver, 50,000 miles for Gold, and meet minimum spend. Here is a quick recap of what I got to enjoy.
- Extra baggage allowance.
- Sky Priority for you and your luggage on all SkyTeam airlines worldwide.
- Random TSA PreCheck access once in a while. (UPDATE: happens even without elite status)
- Additional bonus miles per trip.
- Premium phone line for customer service with amazing reps.
- You get called by name when interacting with agents.
- Free same-day confirmed or standby, with priority.
- Drink tickets and luggage tags. (UPDATE: Gold Medallions don't get luggage tags anymore)
- Free access to preferred seats (exit row on the A330!) and Delta Comfort+ seats when available.
- Complimentary upgrades to First Class and medium-haul Business Class on Delta
- 40% of the time on short and medium haul flights.
- 1 involuntary upgrade to Premium Economy on a partner airline.
- Free lounge access on international itineraries
- Delta Sky Club: 6x
- Salons Air France: 7x
- KLM Crown Lounge: 3x
- And a few more!
There are only 2 perks that I have not used:
- Guaranteed reservations on long-haul, oversold international flights. This one is scary, you need to buy a full-fare ticket 24 hours in advance for that.
- Medallion parking lot at Turner Field (the Braves Stadium). Better access the ball park by transit!
Overall, status comes with some nice tokens of appreciation, especially when you travel often. The biggest perks are lounge access and Sky Priority access, especially with international travel, which makes 2/3 of my trips. I will miss these perks, but hey why bother if I don't spend too much time in the air anymore?
