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Delta SkyMiles: Complete guide to earning, redeeming and elite status

One of the vital widespread frequent flyer packages is Delta SkyMiles, the loyalty program of Delta Air Traces. TPG’s February 2025 valuations peg Delta SkyMiles at 1.2 cents apiece, and you’ll redeem them for flights, upgrades, motels and extra. You will sometimes get probably the most worth out of your miles in case you snag certainly one of Delta’s frequent flash gross sales, which supply discounted award flights domestically and overseas.

Whether or not flying or procuring on-line, incomes SkyMiles is straightforward. Delta has a big selection of cobranded bank cards, lots of that are providing big welcome presents proper now that may assist increase your SkyMiles account. Preserve studying to seek out out extra in regards to the Delta SkyMiles program.

Associated: Greatest Delta bank cards

What’s the Delta SkyMiles program?

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Delta SkyMiles has roughly 120 million members, making it the world’s largest airline loyalty program. Becoming a member of this system is free, and your miles by no means expire.

You may earn Delta SkyMiles by quite a lot of strategies. Some widespread ones embrace flying with Delta and its companions, spending on Delta’s cobranded playing cards, transferring factors from American Express Membership Rewards, shopping through the Delta SkyMiles Shopping portal, dining out through the SkyMiles Dining program and partaking in various other promotions supplied by the airline.

You may as well earn Medallion Qualification {Dollars} that can assist you attain Delta’s 4 elite standing tiers, which give perks like seat upgrades, precedence boarding and airport lounge entry.

Associated: How one can hold your factors and miles from expiring

Delta SkyMiles program companions

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Delta is a member of the SkyTeam airline alliance, which includes over a dozen airlines worldwide. You can earn and redeem SkyMiles when you travel with any SkyTeam airline. SkyTeam serves 1,000 destinations and touches virtually every part of the globe, with flights landing on six continents.

The members are:

Related: Delta bolsters 2025 plans in Europe, Asia with 2 new international routes

Other partners

Delta has several other partnerships beyond SkyTeam members, giving you numerous options for earning miles even when you aren’t flying with Delta or a SkyTeam airline. Nonalliance partners include:

Just note that each partnership has specific restrictions and requirements.

Associated: The perfect web sites for looking SkyTeam award availability

Delta SkyMiles elite standing

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The SkyMiles program presents four elite status tiers for frequent Delta flyers: Silver Medallion, Gold Medallion, Platinum Medallion and Diamond Medallion.

Earning Delta Medallion status

As of Jan. 1, 2024, Delta only uses Medallion Qualification Dollars as criteria for qualification — and the requirement thresholds have increased significantly in recent years. Delta also changed the way you earn MQDs through card spending, eliminating the MQD waiver benefit from eligible cards.

You can earn MQDs in the following ways:

Now that it’s harder to earn Medallion status, is it worth trying? Here are some key benefits of each of Delta’s status tiers.

Related: Is Delta Air Lines status worth it? What this disappointed soon-to-be-Diamond thinks

SkyMiles Silver Medallion

The lowest elite tier in Delta’s SkyMiles program is Silver Medallion status. As a Silver Medallion, you’ll receive:

SkyMiles Gold Medallion

Next up is Gold Medallion status, which will give you:

SkyMiles Platinum Medallion

The third tier in the SkyMiles program is Platinum Medallion. In addition to the previously mentioned Silver Medallion and Gold Medallion perks, you’ll get the following:

SkyMiles Diamond Medallion

Finally, the highest publicly available tier in the SkyMiles program Diamond Medallion. Diamond members get everything detailed above, plus some even better perks:

Delta also has an invitation-only status called Delta 360 — but this tier remains somewhat mysterious since Delta doesn’t publish any information on its benefits or how to earn it.

Related: Delta 360 status: What it is and how to earn the invite-only elite status

How to earn SkyMiles

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There are several ways to earn Delta SkyMiles. The easiest ways are flying Delta-operated flights, traveling with a SkyTeam partner and opening a Delta cobranded credit card. You can also earn miles through everyday activities like shopping and dining.

Earn SkyMiles by flying

When you fly Delta on a Delta-issued ticket in the main cabin or above (basic economy fares don’t earn miles), you’ll earn SkyMiles based on the base price of your ticket. The higher your status tier, the faster you’ll earn miles.

In practice, this means that if you buy a one-way flight from New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) to Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) for $250 before taxes, you’ll earn 1,250 SkyMiles as a general member. However, you’ll earn 1,750 miles as a Silver Medallion and a whopping 2,750 miles if you’re a Diamond Medallion.

Another way to earn miles is by flying Delta’s partner airlines, but how you earn those miles depends on how you booked the ticket. For example, when you book partner airline tickets on Delta’s website, you’ll earn miles the same way as you would on a Delta-operated flight.

Meanwhile, if you book a partner flight on the carrier’s website (for example, Air France) and add your Delta SkyMiles number, you’ll earn miles based on a percentage of the distance flown. The exact number of SkyMiles you’ll receive varies based on the partner, reserving class and your elite standing.

Associated: Can I earn the miles if I purchase somebody a ticket?

Earn SkyMiles by bank cards

There is a Delta bank card for everybody — the loyalist, the enterprise traveler and even the rare flyer. All of them besides the Delta SkyMiles® Blue American Categorical Card supply the next perks:

Every card presents some further perks for vacationers. Here is a have a look at among the greatest Delta SkyMiles bank cards from American Categorical. (Phrases apply.)

Bank cardAnnual priceWelcome bonusTPG’s valuation (as of February 2025)Notable perks
Delta SkyMiles® Gold American Categorical Card$0 introductory annual price for the primary yr, then $150 (see charges and costs)Earn 80,000 bonus miles after spending $3,000 in eligible purchases inside the first six months of card membership.$960
  • $200 Delta flight credit score after you spend $10,000 on eligible purchases in your card in a calendar yr
  • As much as a $100 annual assertion credit score towards motels and trip leases by Delta Stays
Delta SkyMiles® Platinum American Categorical Card$350 (see charges and costs)Earn 90,000 bonus miles after spending $4,000 in eligible purchases within the first six months of card membership.$1,080
  • An annual companion certificates for a primary cabin round-trip flight inside the U.S. or to Mexico, the Caribbean or Central America
  • An announcement credit score to cowl the entry price for World Entry ($120 each 4 years) or TSA PreCheck (as much as $85 each 4.5 years)
  • As much as $10 monthly in assertion credit for eligible U.S. Resy restaurant purchases and as much as $10 monthly in ride-hailing assertion credit with choose U.S. suppliers
  • As much as a $150 annual Delta Stays assertion credit score
  • Hertz 5 Star standing

Enrollment is required for some advantages.

Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Categorical Card$650 (see charges and costs)Earn 100,000 bonus miles after spending $6,000 in eligible purchases in your first six months of card membership.$1,200
  • 15 Delta Sky Membership lounge visits per yr (efficient Feb. 1, 2025) and entry to American Categorical Centurion Lounges whenever you e book your Delta flight with the cardboard
  • An annual companion certificates for a round-trip flight inside the U.S. or to Mexico, the Caribbean or Central America in primary cabin, Consolation+ or firstclass
  • Complimentary upgrades for non-Medallion members
  • As much as $20 monthly in assertion credit for eligible U.S. Resy restaurant purchases and as much as $10 monthly in ride-hailing assertion credit with choose U.S. suppliers
  • As much as a $200 annual Delta Stays assertion credit score
  • Hertz President’s Circle standing

Enrollment is required for some advantages.

Delta SkyMiles® Gold Enterprise American Categorical Card$0 introductory annual price for the primary yr, then $150 (see charges and costs)

Earn 90,000 bonus miles after spending $6,000 in your new card within the first six months of card membership.

$1,080
  • Earn 2 miles per greenback spent on transport and promoting (as much as $50,000 per yr, then 1 mile per greenback)
  • A $200 Delta flight credit score after you spend $10,000 on purchases together with your card in a calendar yr
  • As much as a $150 annual Delta Stays assertion credit score
Delta SkyMiles® Platinum Enterprise American Categorical Card$350 (see charges and costs)Earn 100,000 bonus miles after spending $8,000 within the first six months of card membership.$1,200
  • Earn 1.5 miles per greenback spent on transit at U.S. transport suppliers and on single purchases of $5,000 or extra (on as much as $100,000 in whole eligible purchases, then 1 mile per greenback)
  • An annual companion certificates for a round-trip primary cabin flight inside the U.S. or to Mexico, the Caribbean or Central America
  • An announcement credit score to cowl the membership price for World Entry ($120 each 4 years) or TSA PreCheck (as much as $85 each 4.5 years)
  • As much as $10 monthly in assertion credit for eligible U.S. Resy restaurant purchases and as much as $10 monthly in ride-hailing assertion credit with choose U.S. suppliers
  • As much as a $200 annual Delta Stays assertion credit score

Enrollment is required for some advantages.

Delta SkyMiles® Reserve Enterprise American Categorical Card$650 (see charges and costs)

Earn 110,000 bonus miles after spending $12,000 in purchases within the first six months of card membership.

$1,320
  • 15 visits per yr to Delta Sky Membership lounges (efficient Feb. 1, 2025) and entry to American Categorical Centurion Lounges whenever you e book your Delta flight with the cardboard
  • Earn 1.5 miles per greenback spent on eligible transit, transport and workplace provide retailer purchases, plus all eligible purchases after you spend $150,000 per yr on the cardboard
  • An annual companion certificates for a round-trip flight inside the U.S. or to Mexico, the Caribbean or Central America in primary cabin, Consolation+ or firstclass
  • Complimentary upgrades for non-Medallion members
  • As much as $20 monthly in assertion credit for eligible U.S. Resy restaurant purchases and as much as $10 monthly in ride-hailing credit with choose U.S. suppliers
  • As much as a $250 annual Delta Stays assertion credit score
  • Hertz President’s Circle standing

Enrollment is required for some advantages.

Associated: 5 issues you’ll want to learn about Delta SkyMiles

Earn SkyMiles by procuring portals

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One of many best methods to earn SkyMiles is thru Delta’s on-line procuring portal, Delta SkyMiles Shopping. You may earn miles for purchases you’ll ordinarily make with over a thousand retailers on-line.

For those who do not have already got an account, you have to register utilizing your SkyMiles quantity. Then, you need to use the search field to seek out the shop or product you are searching for and evaluate costs and mileage charges at totally different retailers. You may as well favourite shops, so you will be notified when these shops supply bonus miles.

After deciding on your service provider, click on on the shop, product or supply, and you will be taken to the shop’s web site to buy and take a look at. The shop will alert the portal whenever you’ve made a purchase order, and the miles you earned can be added to your SkyMiles account. You will obtain a affirmation electronic mail when your miles have been posted — that is sometimes inside three to 5 days, however it will probably take as much as 15 days.

Nearly each main airline has a procuring portal, so use a procuring portal aggregator to make sure you get the perfect deal whenever you store on-line.

Associated: Your information to maximizing procuring portals to your on-line purchases

Switch Amex factors to Delta

Lastly, you possibly can switch American Categorical Membership Rewards factors to your Delta SkyMiles account at a 1:1 ratio. We do not normally advocate this as a result of we worth Amex factors greater than SkyMiles: TPG values Amex factors at 2 cents apiece, in comparison with only one.2 cents for SkyMiles, per our February 2025 valuations.

It is typically tough to get the next worth from Delta, because of dynamic pricing. You will additionally must pay an excise tax offset price when transferring Amex factors to Delta (and different home frequent flyer packages).

Associated: American Categorical Membership Rewards switch companions: Maximize your factors

How one can redeem SkyMiles

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Delta eliminated printed award charts in 2015, changing into the primary main U.S. airline to shift to dynamic pricing for award tickets. In consequence, you’ll need to go looking on the Delta web site or app to find out what number of SkyMiles you want for an award ticket. Delta’s website is fairly straightforward to navigate, and its helpful calendar characteristic can assist you discover the bottom costs to your subsequent redemption.

We have typically discovered the perfect redemptions on home flights. With one of many Delta cobranded playing cards that gives a 15% low cost on Delta-operated award tickets, you possibly can typically e book short-haul flights for below 4,000 SkyMiles one-way. That stated, costs will fluctuate by day, route and cabin class.

DELTA.COM

Notice that Delta award tickets are absolutely refundable (on flights originating within the U.S. and Canada excluding primary economic system fares), so in case your plans change, you possibly can redeposit the miles and get a refund for the taxes and costs you paid. This additionally permits you to rebook award tickets when the mileage value drops, securing a refund of the distinction in miles.

Moreover, you need to use your SkyMiles to e book associate tickets on most of Delta’s SkyTeam and nonalliance companions. Sadly, these have now largely been aligned with costs on Delta’s personal flights, minimizing the chance to get higher worth from associate awards, particularly in premium cabins.

Associated: How one can redeem Delta SkyMiles for max worth

Candy spots

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With Delta utilizing full dynamic pricing throughout its route community, there aren’t many candy spots to maximise the worth of your SkyMiles. However, there are a number of good choices on the market.

Delta flash gross sales

Delta regularly runs SkyMiles flash gross sales to short- and long-haul U.S. locations and cities in Europe, Asia and the Caribbean. We have seen some terrific offers for the primary cabin, Consolation+ and firstclass. Previous offers embrace round-trip flights to Europe for simply 33,000 miles and fares to Tahiti beginning at 60,000 miles.

After all, these low-cost tickets aren’t at all times properly marketed, so it pays to verify availability typically. Delta typically costs short- and mid-haul award tickets properly below what different airways would cost for comparable flights. You will typically discover the perfect offers when reserving upfront and touring on off-peak dates.

Delta and LATAM economic system flights to South America

Whatever the class of service, money flights to South America are not often low-cost, particularly to Brazil. Delta SkyMiles members can e book LATAM award tickets at cheap costs, and it is one of many higher methods to make use of SkyMiles. For instance, 66,000 SkyMiles can typically get you a round-trip itinerary from JFK to Sao Paulo-Guarulhos Worldwide Airport (GRU), and lots of of those flights are nonstop.

Associated: How one can get worth from 5,000 or fewer Delta SkyMiles

Backside line

With its operational efficiency, extensive route community and quite a few associate airways, Delta is usually touted by some as the perfect home airline. In actual fact, the provider has taken the highest spot in TPG’s evaluation of the greatest airways within the U.S. for the final 5 years. Though latest adjustments to award pricing and elite standing necessities have dissatisfied many Delta loyalists, there’s nonetheless a lot to love in regards to the Delta SkyMiles program.

Whether or not you are a frequent Delta flyer or extra informal buyer, specializing in a mixture of flying, utilizing procuring portals and making purchases with Delta bank cards can improve your SkyMiles stability to your subsequent redemption.

For charges and costs of the Delta SkyMiles Gold Card, click on right here.
For charges and costs of the Delta SkyMiles Platinum Card, click on right here.
For charges and costs of the Delta SkyMiles Reserve Card, click on right here.
For charges and costs of the Delta SkyMiles Gold Enterprise Card, click on right here.
For charges and costs of the Delta SkyMiles Platinum Enterprise Card, click on right here.
For charges and costs of the Delta SkyMiles Reserve Enterprise Card, click on right here.

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