Delta 360: Benefits & How To Earn This Invitation-Only Status

All of the “big three” carriers in the United States have invitation-only elite status. I’ve written about how American has Concierge Key and United has Global Services, and in this post, I’d like to take a look at Delta 360, which is Delta’s invitation-only elite status. I’d argue it’s the most mysterious, least talked about, and perhaps the rarest, of the three. What is Delta 360 status, how do you earn it, what are the benefits, and how many members are there? I’ll share everything I know… What is Delta 360 status?How do you earn Delta 360 status?What are the Delta 360 status benefits?How many Delta 360 members are there?Is Delta 360 status worth it?How do American Concierge Key & United Global Services compare?Bottom line What is Delta 360 status? Delta 360 is Delta Air Lines’ invitation-only elite status. It’s my understanding that this is the most exclusive of the invitation-only elite tiers, in the sense that there are the fewest members. Despite that, the benefits are actually pretty weak, at least on paper. For that matter, Delta 360 isn’t even a formal elite tier, which is to say that you separately still have to qualify for status in the Delta SkyMiles Medallion program. For what it’s worth, here’s how Delta describes Delta 360 status on its website: Delta 360° is an annual, invitation-only membership for our most loyal SkyMiles Members. A Delta 360° Membership offers Delta’s most premium suite of benefits and services exclusive to our top SkyMiles Members. Entry into Delta 360° will be extended to a very small percentage of Diamond Medallion Members. Considerations include, but are not limited to: overall Delta flight activity, premium product purchases (Delta One, Delta Premium Select, Delta First) and spending on Delta SkyMiles American Express Cards. Delta 360 is Delta’s invitation-only elite status As is the case with the invitation-only status of American and United, the requirements to earn Delta 360 status aren’t published. However, based on the data points I’ve seen, the criteria are even more confusing. With American and United, as a general rule, you need to spend well over $50,000 per year to have a shot at the status. In the case of Delta, you probably need to spend even more. As Delta officially states, getting an invitation to Delta 360 is for the “most loyal SkyMiles members.” Generally speaking: You have the best odds if you book a lot of full fare tickets, as well as first and business class tickets, especially on long haul flights; it’s a lot more about how much you spend on tickets, rather than how many miles you fly The more influence you have over the travel of others, the better; some people may be given Delta 360 status for securing major corporate contracts, while others may earn the status due to a combination of factors Where you’re based also makes a big difference in terms of being invited — it’s much harder to earn Delta 360 if you’re based in Atlanta, Detroit, or New York (major Delta hubs), than if you’re based in Dallas or Newark (hubs of American and United, respectively) Spending on co-branded Delta credit cards can contribute to being invited to Delta 360; however, you’d probably have to spend millions for it to make any sort of a difference Some suggest that you’d have to spend $100,000 per year on Delta flights to be invited as a Delta 360 member at major hubs, while the number could be much lower if you’re not based at a hub. Note that qualification for Delta 360 is annual (so it expires at the end of the elite year), and criteria could change year-to-year. So it’s possible you have the same activity in two years, and earn Delta 360 one year, but not the other. There’s also no way to ask for or request the status (at least not in a way that will achieve the intended result). Instead, you’ll be contacted if you’re eligible, and you’ll see your account updated to reflect that. There’s one other way to earn Delta 360 status. As part of the SkyMiles lifetime elite status program, you can receive Delta 360 status for life if you rack up five million lifetime miles. This metric is based on the number of eligible miles flown on Delta. Just for some context on all of this, Delta’s top published tier is Diamond Medallion, and that requires earning 28,000 Medallion Qualifying Dollars (MQDs) in a program year. That would require $28,000 in spending on Delta tickets, or $280,000 to $560,000 in spending on select co-branded Delta credit cards. You have to spend a lot on Delta flights to earn Delta 360 What are the Delta 360 status benefits? Interestingly, Delta 360 isn’t a separate tier in the SkyMiles program. That’s to say that Delta 360 members still have to earn status in the SkyMiles Medallion program. Most Delta 360 members are also Diamond Medallion members, but in theory it’s possible to earn Delta 360 without being a Diamond Medallion member. This is different than American AAdvantage and United MileagePlus, where Concierge Key and Global Services are separate tiers, above the published top tier levels. What are the benefits of Delta 360 status? A dedicated 24/7 phone line with immediate assistance; these are Delta’s best agents, and they’ll go the extra mile to help, especially during irregular operations A Delta Sky Club Executive Membership, giving you (and two guests or immediate family members) Sky Club access when on an eligible itinerary; this ordinarily costs $1,495 per year Delta One Lounges access when traveling same day in Delta first class (so far there are Delta One Lounges at JFK, LAX, BOS, and SEA, and they’re exceptional); no complimentary guests are allowed, though you can pay $100 per person to bring in up to two guests or immediate family members Delta sometimes offers Diamond Medallion members Porsche tarmac transfers during short connections, and Delta 360 members have the best odds of getting those (this is also available with the paid Delta VIP Select program); there’s no way to guarantee this, but if eligible, you’ll find a Delta agent waiting for you on the jet bridge upon arrival, to whisk you to your next flight, and this is potentially available at hubs (ATL, DTW, JFK, LAX, LGA, MSP, SLC, and SEA) Bag tags; funny enough, these Delta 360 bag tags have sometimes sold on eBay for hundreds of dollars Boarding with Zone 2, the same as Diamond Medallion members; Delta 360 members used to be able to board first, but that’s no longer the case A complimentary annual CLEAR+ membership, which ordinarily retails for $219 per year Those are all the Delta 360 benefits that I’m aware of. There’s no upgrade priority for Delta 360 members beyond their standard Diamond Medallion status, so Delta 360 doesn’t factor into upgrade priority. Furthermore, any confirmed upgrades would be earned through the standard Choice Benefits program, as this is how you can earn Global Upgrade Certificates (GUCs) and Regional Upgrade Certificates (RUCs). So the benefits of Delta 360 are weak, though I’d imagine that the “soft” treatment is very good — Delta has great service to begin with, and I imagine it’s even better for Delta’s best customers. I also think it’s noteworthy how Delta is much quieter about this status than American and United. There’s just not as much public acknowledgement of invitation only status at Delta as at American and United (and that might be by design). Delta 360 members get a Delta Sky Club Executive Membership How many Delta 360 members are there? This is a real mystery, and all I can do is speculate. For context, I’ve speculated that there are 10,000-20,000 American Concierge Key members, and I’ve speculated that there are 15,000-25,000 United Global Services members. This is purely a guess on my part, but I think the number of Delta 360 members is probably in the 5,000-10,000 range. That’s simply because the status seems to be more difficult to earn. Like I said, this is purely a guess on my part, and I could be wrong. If anyone has any data or info, I’d love to hear it. I’d guess there are 5,000-10,000 Delta 360 members Is Delta 360 status worth it? It’s hard to say whether something like Delta 360 is “worth it.” For one, the qualification requirements aren’t even published, so how can one say whether it’s worth it when you don’t know what it will take? Second, I’d say the value of something like Delta 360 varies greatly based on the type of traveler you are. If you’re a domestic road warrior doing 200 segments per year, you might actually get significant upside from the improved assistance during irregular operations, the Delta One Lounge access, etc. Meanwhile if you take a handful of international long haul business class trips per year, the upside will likely be very minimal, above and beyond what you’d otherwise get. So I absolutely don’t think it’s worth going out of your way to try to earn something that doesn’t even have published qualification requirements. But if you earn it anyway, of course, it’s a nice thing to have! Delta One Lounge access is an awesome Delta 360 perk How do American Concierge Key & United Global Services compare? The “big three” US carriers all have their own invitation-only elite status, with other programs including American Concierge Key and United Global Services. So how do they all compare? The reality is that all three tiers are primarily about better improved “soft” treatment, including during irregular operations. On paper, I’d say Delta 360 probably offers the fewest official perks of the three tiers. The one exception is that Delta One Lounge access is an absolutely awesome benefit, given the quality of lounges (though the lack of free guests limits the usefulness for those not usually traveling alone). Here are a couple of thoughts on the comparable status tiers at American and United: American Concierge Key arguably has the strongest perks, as you get Admirals Club and Flagship Lounge access with guesting privileges, and the help during irregular operations is probably the most helpful, given how bad American can otherwise be with handling that stuff; however, you can’t earn American Concierge Key through the AAdvantage million miler program United Global Services offers more premium check-in facilities, plus United Club access (though with no guests allowed), though there’s no United Polaris Lounge access, which is a bit disappointing; you can also earn United Global Services through the MileagePlus million miler program American Concierge Key offers Flagship Lounge access Bottom line Delta 360 is Delta Air Lines’ invitation-only elite tier. It’s the US airline status that’s probably hardest to earn. Historically the benefits have been weaker than comparable status with American and United, though with access to Delta One Lounges, that’s perhaps no longer the case. Delta 360 offers dedicated customer support, a Sky Club membership, Delta One Lounge access, good odds of tarmac transfers, and more. To earn Delta 360, be prepared to spend a lot on Delta flights, especially if you’re based out of a Delta hub. Are any OMAAT readers Delta 360 members? If so, what has your experience been like?