Since Delta Air Strains eradicated its award charts in 2015, the SkyMiles program has grow to be notably extra unpredictable and, at occasions, outrageously costly. With business-class flights on long-haul routes typically priced at over 450,000 SkyMiles, it is comprehensible to really feel like your SkyMiles stability holds little worth.
However when you’ve got a stockpile of Delta miles, they’re removed from nugatory. Glorious redemptions are nonetheless out there, significantly through the provider’s award gross sales.
So let’s discover some methods for maximizing the worth of your Delta SkyMiles.
Associated: Delta Medallion standing: What it’s and how one can earn it
Redeem SkyMiles on Delta flights
You should use your Delta SkyMiles to e book Delta, Delta Connection and Delta Shuttle flights. Since Delta makes use of dynamic pricing, award charges can range considerably. For instance, one-way fundamental economic system award charges from Seattle-Tacoma Worldwide Airport (SEA) to Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta Worldwide Airport (ATL) vary between 16,500 and 26,000 miles in July and August.
Despite the fact that summer season journey skews award costs over these dates, vital value volatility is regular. Flexibility is vital if you wish to maximize your SkyMiles.
Taxes and costs are usually cheap on Delta tickets. Anticipate to pay $6 per particular person in taxes and costs on most home and worldwide tickets departing the U.S. Nevertheless, Delta provides carrier-imposed surcharges on many awards exterior the U.S., most notably these originating in Europe.
Preserve a watch out for SkyMiles offers
An awesome choice for redeeming Delta miles is benefiting from SkyMiles offers. These offers sometimes apply to particular metropolis pairs, so it could be essential to e book positioning flights to fully maximize these promotions.
Delta has previously offered a flash sale with round-trip flights for just 5,000 SkyMiles. The airline also recently offered flights from Atlanta to the Caribbean and Mexico starting at 14,400 Delta SkyMiles round-trip.
Daily Newsletter
Reward your inbox with the TPG Daily newsletter
Join over 700,000 readers for breaking news, in-depth guides and exclusive deals from TPG’s experts
If you have no immediate use for your SkyMiles, you may be best off saving them for the next big SkyMiles deal. Just be sure to keep an eye on Delta’s SkyMiles deals page.
Save no less than 15% with choose Delta bank cards
In case you have an eligible Delta bank card, it can save you 15% on Delta-operated award flights whenever you use your miles and pay the taxes and costs with the cardboard. This is usually a nice choice to scale back the value you pay on Delta award tickets — and a significant cause to open (and maintain) a Delta card in your pockets.
Learn extra: Greatest Delta bank cards
Rebook when costs drop (or cancel when your plans change)
For flights booked with Delta SkyMiles, so long as your flight is cancellation-eligible, you’ll be able to reprice your flight. The distinction in miles will probably be redeposited into your account with no payment.
You possibly can cancel your award flight for fundamental economic system reservations, however you could pay an related mileage payment. For these flights, Delta will deduct 9,900 miles for home journey inside the U.S. and Canada and 19,900 miles for worldwide journey. This payment is deducted from the worth of your ticket, after which any remaining miles will probably be redeposited again into your SkyMiles account.
Associated: Airways that give you a credit score if the value of airfare drops
Redeem Delta SkyMiles on associate flights
Delta is a member of the SkyTeam alliance and has eight nonalliance airline partners. This provides you extra flexibility to redeem your SkyMiles on varied airways and routes throughout the globe. Right here is the whole record of Delta’s airline companions:
SkyTeam companions
- Aerolinas Argentinas
- Aeromexico
- Air Europa
- Air France
- China Airways
- China Japanese Airways
- Garuda Indonesia
- ITA Airways
- Kenya Airways
- KLM
- Korean Air
- Center East Airways
- Saudia
- Scandinavian Airways
- TAROM
- Vietnam Airways
- Virgin Atlantic
- Xiamen Airways
Nonalliance companions
- Air Tahiti Nui
- Cape Air
- China Southern Airways
- Hawaiian Airways
- LATAM
- Mandarin Airways
- Shanghai Airways
- WestJet
No on-line award charts exist, so you could search route by route for costs. For partner-operated flights that do not contact the US, nice offers could be discovered.
For instance, in September and October, flights from Tokyo’s Narita Worldwide Airport (NRT) to Singapore Changi Airport (SIN) can be found every day for 40,000 SkyMiles in enterprise class.
These are operated by Vietnam Airways through Ho Chi Minh Metropolis’s Tan Son Nhat Worldwide Airport (SGN) or Noi Bai Worldwide Airport (HAN) in Hanoi, and with solely $27 in charges and taxes payable, are glorious redemption choices on your SkyMiles.
For those who’re flying from Asia to Europe, particularly Taiwan Taoyuan Worldwide Airport (TPE) to Václav Havel Airport Prague (PRG), you may snag this nonstop China Airways flight at simply 80,000 SkyMiles plus solely $15 in taxes and costs for round 15 hours in long-haul enterprise class.
Alternatively, flying from Dubai Worldwide Airport (DXB) to Paris-Charles de Gaulle Airport (CDG) in enterprise class on Air France usually prices round 42,500 miles plus round $34 in taxes and costs.
Delta can enhance these charges at any time and has carried out so on a number of events. To acquire the present award value, you’ll need to contact Delta straight or search the web site.
Whereas Delta has tried to enhance its web site to show associate awards, it could nonetheless have limitations, significantly when reserving mixed-cabin itineraries. The web site typically prioritizes Delta-operated flights, which is probably not very best when you’ve got particular flight necessities. We advocate trying to find flights phase by phase and being ready to name Delta if the web site would not provide the specified journey choices.
Associated: The perfect web sites for looking SkyTeam award availability
Redeem Delta SkyMiles for upgrades
If you redeem your miles for an upgrade using this method, you’ll generally get a value of around 1 cent per mile, which is lower than our February 2025 valuation of 1.2 cents per mile. This could be a viable option if you have a surplus of SkyMiles and no immediate plans to use them. However, we generally recommend prioritizing award flight redemptions.
You can also use Delta miles to upgrade specific flights operated by Air France, KLM, Virgin Atlantic or Aeromexico. This option is subject to fare-class requirements and is available only on select routes each partner operates. Please refer to Delta’s “Upgrade with Miles” web page for extra particulars.
You will additionally wish to make sure that there’s improve stock out there.
Associated: All the ideas and tips you have to use Delta improve certificates
Redeem Delta SkyMiles for Delta Holidays
You will often acquire a worth of 1.15 cents per mile whenever you use your miles to cowl a Delta Holidays package deal.
For instance, you may e book a seven-day lodging on the Outrigger Reef Waikiki Seashore Resort in Hawaii for $2,814 or redeem 244,530 SkyMiles, a redemption worth of precisely 1.15 cents per mile. That is barely lower than our February 2025 valuation, however it isn’t a foul redemption.
Associated: Greatest resorts in Honolulu
earn Delta SkyMiles
You will have to have SkyMiles to reap the benefits of the redemptions talked about above. Fortuitously, there are a number of methods to extend your stability. One of many easiest methods to earn Delta miles is by utilizing Delta’s cobranded American Categorical playing cards. Listed below are among the present welcome affords out there for these playing cards:
- Delta SkyMiles® Gold American Categorical Card: Earn 80,000 bonus miles after spending $3,000 in eligible purchases inside the first six months of card membership.
- Delta SkyMiles® Platinum American Categorical Card: Earn 90,000 bonus miles after spending $4,000 in eligible purchases within the first six months of card membership.
- Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Categorical Card: Earn 100,000 bonus miles after spending $6,000 in eligible purchases in your first six months of card membership.
- Delta SkyMiles® Gold Enterprise American Categorical Card: Earn 90,000 bonus miles after spending $6,000 in your new card within the first six months of card membership.
- Delta SkyMiles® Platinum Enterprise American Categorical Card: Earn 100,000 bonus miles after spending $8,000 within the first six months of card membership.
- Delta SkyMiles® Reserve Enterprise American Categorical Card: Earn 110,000 bonus miles after spending $12,000 in purchases within the first six months of card membership.
Do not forget that all of those playing cards embrace entry to the TakeOff 15 profit, which can prevent 15% on Delta-operated award flights.
You can even switch American Categorical Membership Rewards factors to Delta at a 1:1 ratio. You possibly can earn these transferable rewards on the American Categorical® Gold Card and The Platinum Card® from American Categorical. Nevertheless, you will be topic to an excise tax offset payment.
Moreover, Marriott Bonvoy factors switch to Delta SkyMiles at a 3:1 ratio.
Backside line
Though the worth of Delta SkyMiles has decreased in recent times, there are nonetheless glorious offers to be discovered.
Whereas this system has been transferring towards a redemption worth of 1 cent per mile, you’ll be able to nonetheless surpass that, particularly with SkyMiles offers and partner-operated flights exterior the US.
