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The Delta 360 status is Delta Airlines’ highest and invite-only tier in the Delta Medallion Program. Members of this tier receive premium perks that aren’t offered to normal Delta elite members.
There are no published requirements on how to earn this status but it’s typically offered to top spenders, influencers in the travel industry, and VIPs. In this review, we’ll talk about the basics 360 elite status, its benefits, and our honest opinion if it’s indeed worth the hype.
Read More: Choosing The Best Delta Choice Benefits
What Is The Delta 360 Status?
There are four published Delta Elite statuses in the Delta Medallion Loyalty Program: Silver, Gold, Platinum, and Diamond (from lowest to highest). To reach each tier, you need to earn a combination of MQMs and MQDs or MQSs and MQDs.
The Delta 360 status doesn’t require you to earn MQDs, MQMs, or MQSs because it’s Delta that decides if you’re eligible or not. But obviously, you have to at least be a Medallion elite status member (preferably Diamond) to be eligible so you still need to earn MQS, MQMs, and MQSs.
Here’s Delta’s official statement on their website: “Delta 360° is an annual, invitation-only program for our top SkyMiles Members, offering an exclusive suite of benefits and services even beyond Diamond Medallion Status. An invitation into Delta 360° is based on your overall investment with Delta. If you’re selected to join, we’ll contact you directly.”
How To Earn Delta 360 Status?
We did mention that there is no published information on how to earn Delta 360 status but that doesn’t mean that we don’t know how what they are.
Delta stated that “An invitation into Delta 360° is based on your overall investment with Delta,” which means that the more you spend money, the better your chances of getting invited. Here are some factors to consider but take note that this information below doesn’t guarantee you a Delta 360 status.
Your Influence
You can be rewarded with a Delta 360 status if you’re a big influencer in the travel industry. This means that you can “influence” people to spend money on Delta products and services.
Corporate travel managers for big companies also have better chances of getting invited since they are key decision-makers who decide which airline their company should fly with. Delta prioritizes corporate partnerships since it gives them a steady and stable profit stream.
Buying Premium Delta Products/Services
Buying full-fare tickets or first/business class tickets is one way of solidifying your “overall investment” with Delta. Take note that consistency is a major factor too so buying expensive fares only a few times might not put you under Delta’s radar.
Your Location
People living in non-Delta city hubs have a better shot of getting invited compared to people living in Delta city hubs such as Atlanta, New York, or Detroit.
The logic behind this is that Delta rewards flyers who specifically chose Delta over other airlines, despite living in a non-Delta hub such as Dallas or Newark, which are respectively American and United airline hubs.
Having Co-branded Delta Credit Cards
Purchases made on your co-branded Delta card are also a part of your “overall investment” in Delta. The advantage of having one is that you earn miles for every dollar you spend; you can then use these miles to book award flights and stays.
Here are some co-branded cards that you can apply for:
- Delta SkyMiles Gold American Express Card
- Delta SkyMiles Gold Business American Express Card
- Delta SkyMiles Platinum American Express Card
- Delta SkyMiles® Platinum Business American Express Card
- Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card
- Delta SkyMiles® Reserve Business American Express Card
Take note that a 360 elite status is only valid for one year which means that Delta may or may not invite you again after it expires. You have a better chance of maintaining your status if you meet all the “unpublished” requirements mentioned above.
Delta 360 Benefits
Having a 360 elite status gives you extra perks that aren’t available to the other four elite statuses. Here are some of the benefits that you’ll get:
- A dedicated customer service hotline/email channel
- Complimentary Delta Sky Club executive membership. Here are its benefits:
- Dedicated assistance from Delta representatives which is very useful during irregular operations.
- Complimentary food
- Free high-speed Wi-Fi
- Wine bar (some options might be for purchase)
- Entertainment (TV or newspapers)
- Charing areas
- Relaxation amenities
- Shower suites (availability depends on the location)
- Free guest access for two people or immediate family members on eligible flights
- Private transfers between gates (availability depends on the location)
- Annual gifts
The benefits are decent but the only problem is that Delta 360 members don’t get complimentary Diamond status, which comes with upgrade priority and free same-day flight changes. However, you can earn a 360 elite status even if you’re just a Gold status holder, although these are quite rare cases.
How Many Delta 360 Members Are There?
No one knows the exact number so all we can do is speculate. We’re guessing that it’s between 10,000 – 15,000 members which is comparable to the number of members that American Airlines Concierge Key has. The reason why we have an estimated amount of Concierge Key members is because of this tweet.
If you have any information on how many 360 elite status members there are, let us know in the comments.
Delta 360 Vs Concierge Key VS United Global Services
Delta isn’t the only major airline that has an invite-only status. United Airlines and Delta also have their own, Global Services and Concierge Key respectively.
Here’s an overview of the major benefits of each status:
- Priority Upgrades
- Special Upgrade Certificates
- Companion Saver Award
- Mercedez-Benz Transfers
- Exclusive Global Services Customer Service
- Priority Check-in & Boarding
- United Club Access
American Airlines Concierge Key
- Get Executive Platinum and OneWorld Emerald status benefits
- Complimentary food and beverage items when flying Main Cabin
- Get priority boarding over all other AAdvantage elite members
- Assistance during irregular operations, plus a dedicated hotline and email address with 24/7 customer support
- Get priority upgrades over all other AAdvantage elite members
- Free access to Admirals Club access and Flagship lounges
- Flagship First dining passes (unpublished benefit)
- Flagship First check-in
- Co-pays waived on all upgrades
- Airport transfers
- Two additional systemwide upgrades
Concierge Key offers the most perks compared so if you were to rank the three invite-only statuses, Concierge Key goes first, followed by Global Services and Delta 360.
Read More: Delta Partners To Earn SkyMiles With
Bottomline
It’s nice having a Delta 360 status because it comes with additional benefits that regular Medallion members don’t have, but is it worth it?
Concierge Key might be worth having a look at since it offers more benefits such as Executive Platinum and OneWorld Emerald status benefits. Remember, having a Delta 360 status doesn’t come with Diamond status.
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