Delta SkyMiles offer excellent value when redeemed for flights in premium cabin seats, especially through Delta’s perks program that offers various ways of earning and redeeming miles – including with its credit cards.
Membership of SkyTeam and partnerships with other airlines provide additional redemption opportunities; however, an absence of award charts and dynamic pricing could significantly diminish their value.
Earning Miles
Delta stands out among airlines by offering multiple ways for members to earn and redeem SkyMiles, such as through flying. You can also rack up miles through credit card spending, shopping portals, dining rewards programs and various travel partnerships.
Start earning miles today by creating a free SkyMiles account here, linking a Delta-branded credit card, and making purchases using that card – at least three miles are accumulated per dollar spent on Delta flights, one on other eligible purchases; you may even earn miles via Delta’s hotel booking portal and ride-hailing app Lyft partnerships!
Delta-branded credit cards allow you to gain even more SkyMiles through bonus promotions. For instance, holding the Platinum or Reserve cards could net up to 100,000 SkyMiles annually through their purchase-bonus promotion; and meeting annual spending requirements with your Delta Platinum American Express card earns at least 25,000 SkyMiles each year!
Delta may not publish an award chart, but they often run flash sales with lower Main Cabin and Comfort+ ticket prices than competitors do – we have seen round trip tickets to Hawaii from New York costing only 5,000 SkyMiles or less; additionally we’ve found great short-haul awards tickets starting from just 13,000 SkyMiles per ticket!
Delta stands apart from most airlines by allowing its passengers to buy SkyMiles directly at an average cost of 3.5 cents each, which may or may not make financial sense depending on individual circumstances. However, buying miles might sometimes make sense.
Delta miles can also be easily transferred between reward programs. Amex Membership Rewards and Marriott Bonvoy partner with Delta to make this easy, while you can also earn SkyMiles through shopping portals and buying gift cards directly through Delta’s storefronts. However, to maximize value of your miles when possible it’s best to use them on flights ticketed with them directly.
Redeeming Miles
Delta provides its SkyMiles members with multiple ways of redeeming them, from free flights on Delta Air Lines, seat upgrades and vacation packages through Delta Vacations; to booking awards with Delta’s partners via SkyTeam airline alliance.
Delta Air Lines’ program’s main drawback lies in its dynamic award pricing, which can be quite steep for last-minute and holiday bookings, making it difficult for frequent flyers to maximize the value of their miles. Furthermore, other airline loyalty programs may provide more redemption options outside airfare such as merchandise or hotel stays than Delta does.
Delta loyalists with advanced planning can find outstanding redemption values on domestic and international routes alike. A round-trip flight between Los Angeles and San Francisco costs only 4,500 SkyMiles each way plus taxes and fees; making it possible to use up your entire balance within just a few domestic trips.
Typically speaking, SkyMiles purchased for award tickets can provide approximately 1.2 cents in redemption value; however, this may differ significantly depending on your route and season of travel. In 2021 and 2022 for instance, average Delta miles redemption values per mile have averaged only 0.9 cents each, while in other years SkyMile values can exceed 1.2 cents per SkyMile redeemed.
Delta offers several redemption options for its miles: cash only or cash plus miles. Members who choose cash only redemption tend to get less value from their SkyMiles due to additional Delta fees and surcharges being applied by the carrier.
SkyMiles can also be redeemed for premium drinks at Delta airport lounges and, though it’s not recommended, magazine subscription services, although their redemption value can often be low.
Delta Credit Cards
Delta SkyMiles may have received mixed reviews recently, but there are still great deals to be had when traveling on Delta flights. With cobranded credit cards from Delta available and annual fees that vary significantly ranging from $4.99-$125.99 you should weigh your options to determine if investing in their frequent flyer miles would add any real value for you and quickly bring elite status benefits such as free checked bags, priority boarding and airport lounge access into reach faster. When considering which card would provide maximum return for you.
Delta offers frequent flash sales that offer great value on Main Cabin and Comfort+ awards to short and long-haul U.S. destinations as well as cities in Europe, Asia and the Caribbean – such as one-way tickets from New York to Hawaii for 13,000 SkyMiles one way and round-trip tickets between Mexico City and New York at just 20,000 miles including all taxes and fees!
SkyMiles credit cards offer another effective way of increasing the value of your Delta miles by giving you bonus points on purchases made with them. Most Delta-branded credit cards feature earnings structures with multipliers for purchases made on airlines as well as bonuses from restaurants, hotels and Delta partner services such as Lyft, Hertz and Airbnb.
Delta cards also typically provide elite-like cardholder benefits, including MQD waivers and the Status Boost program that makes Medallion status more easily attainable. A more recent perk known as TakeOff 15 allows eligible Delta cardmembers to book award tickets using 15 percent less SkyMiles.
Delta SkyMiles credit cards also feature several premium options with high annual fees that offer appealing perks to frequent Delta travelers, including MQD waivers and fast-tracking towards elite status. Unfortunately, their annual fees can often be prohibitive; therefore unless used regularly enough and flying Delta frequently enough that SkyMiles accrued can be redeemed at significant value for redemption, these annual fees could prove prohibitive.
Medallion Status
If you are going to take the time and travel necessary to attain Delta Elite Status, make the most of its benefits by moving through each tier as quickly as possible. Each level offers increasingly more valuable perks.
As you advance through the tiers, your miles per dollar increase as you increase your spending with Delta. Even if you don’t fly enough with them to qualify for any particular tier, their credit cards offer some of the same perks!
Airline co-branded cards offer something for every type of traveller. From occasional to frequent flyers, you’ll find something perfect in terms of annual fee and welcome offer – not to mention priority boarding benefits!
To earn SkyMiles with Delta, you need to spend a specific amount on Delta flights and itineraries – including the Delta-branded portion of partner-marketed itineraries or vacation packages – plus accumulate at least 500 Medallion Qualification Miles (MQMs) during a calendar year (government taxes or fees are excluded from MQM calculations).
Earning MQMs used to take considerable flying and spending, but starting in 2024, all you’ll need are redeemable Delta SkyMiles instead of MQMs to achieve status. High balance holders may convert their MQMs at a 2:1 conversion ratio into redeemable SkyMiles.
Silver Medallion members may experience upgrades to Comfort Plus or higher; first class upgrades can often only become available 24 hours in advance. Gold status offers slightly better upgrades and the opportunity to secure seats in Delta Premium Select after booking economy fares; while Platinum Medallion members enjoy full Sky Priority benefits including early check-in and security lines, free checked bags and fast track through airports.
Though purchasing Silver, Gold or Platinum status can be done, frequent flyer website The Points Guy suggests it rarely pays off. If only short flights or $100 in MQMs stand between you and reaching the next tier, consider looking into buy-up offers if it would help get there faster; otherwise don’t do it.