Delta Choice Benefits: picking GUCs, RUCs or something else
Platinum Medallion members make 1 Choice Benefits selection and can take 4 Regional Upgrade Certificates with it. Diamond members make 3 selections, and one of them can be 4 Global Upgrade Certificates, 8 Regional, or 2 Global plus 4 Regional. Selections for the 2026 Medallion Year close January 31, 2027.
Reviewed .
The menu is as of October 2026. Delta changes the non-certificate options from year to year, so re-read its page before you pick.
Part of the Delta upgrades guide
When do you select, and when does it close?
You select in the Delta app, and the option opens as soon as you earn Platinum or Diamond. For the 2026 Medallion Year, selections must be made by January 31, 2027. For the 2027 Medallion Year the deadline is January 31, 2028.
One catch: status you earn in 2026 is 2027 status, so its choices count toward the 2027 Medallion Year. In Delta's example, a member who reaches Diamond on August 1, 2026 gets certificates valid until January 31, 2028.
Because you can select any time before the deadline, the question is less when than what you'll fly. Pick after you know which trips you want certificates for.
Global, Regional or something else?
Start from where you fly. Diamond members can take a certificate bundle with only one selection, so the choice is which bundle, not how many. Then check whether upgrade space has opened on those routes before you commit.
Mostly long-haul
A Global Upgrade Certificate is the one that reaches Delta One on long-haul flights and select partner business cabins. Only Diamond members can select them.
Mostly domestic and short-haul
A Regional Upgrade Certificate covers domestic and short-haul flights inside its regions. It is the only certificate Platinum members can pick. A Diamond selection gets you 8 Regional in place of 4 Global, and that is still one selection, because certificates can be selected only once.
Before you choose, look at your own routes. 2LNR's upgrade dashboard shows where Delta upgrade space has opened, so you can see whether the cabin you want ever has room. Our Delta coverage is still growing, so treat what you see as a guide, not a clearing rate. A certificate only confirms into open space, whichever type you hold.
When do the certificates expire?
One rule covers both types: a certificate is good through the end of the Medallion Year it was selected for, which is January 31, 2027 for 2026 selections. The flight has to be flown by then, not only booked.
The details, including the year a mid-year selection counts toward, are on the GUC and RUC pages.
Frequently asked questions about Choice Benefits
What are Delta Choice Benefits?
How many choices do Platinum and Diamond get?
Should I pick Global or Regional Upgrade Certificates?
When do I have to select, and when do certificates expire?
Can I change a Choice Benefit after I pick it?
Sources
- Delta: Medallion Choice Benefits The selection counts, the full option list, the certificate bundles, the selection deadlines and the once-per-year limits, the one-time certificate selection rule for Diamond and the no-exchange rule above. (accessed October 6, 2026; the whole page re-read October 7, 2026)
- Delta: Medallion Upgrades Delta's certificate terms, including expiry at the end of the Medallion Year a certificate was selected for and the August 1, 2026 Diamond example. We carry the same wording on our GUC and RUC pages (accessed October 7, 2026).
Delta, SkyMiles and Medallion are trademarks of Delta Air Lines; 2LNR is not affiliated with or endorsed by Delta Air Lines. Program details are as of October 2026 and may change.
See where upgrade space opens
Check the routes you fly before you pick. On Pro, an upgrade alert tells you when a flight you want opens.