It’s kind of a genius idea. Delta Air Lines has created a retail store at JFK Airport in New York City and online, where purchases help passengers earn SkyMiles status, as reported by Travel + Leisure. The Medallion Qualification Dollars (MQDs) can be attained by shopping at the Window Seat Shop, which carries handcrafted goods from local businesses, such as a skateboard made in Nigeria, as well as in-person experiences, like a hot air balloon ride.
At JFK, the store is in Terminal 4. Online, you can find it at thewindowseatshop.com. It opens to all SkyMiles members today.
The catch? It’s only open for one month (well, half a month, given today’s date!). So you’ll need to rush to complete your holiday shopping to take advantage of the dollar-for-dollar match for the MQDs to be applied towards 2025 elite status. The rollout of this store comes after legit tension surrounding Delta’s changes to its milage status rules and limits to its lounge use.
Let’s be real. You’ll have to do a lot of shopping to achieve status. You might need a bigger cart! Here are the status levels:
5,000 MQDs for Silver Medallion status
10,000 MQDs for Gold status
15,000 MQDs for Platinum status
28,000 MQDs for Diamond status
Of course, you can also earn MQDs through booking Delta or partner flights through the airline’s website (not other low-cost aggregators), with $1 for 1 MQD matching. With an eligible Delta credit card, passengers earn MQDs, but not at that one-for-one match point (for some cards, users only get one MQD for every $20).
Loyalty, schmoyalty. Meanwhile, get shopping!