In fact, there are still some solid redemptions available , especially when Delta runs one of its regular award sales.
Delta even won the best airline loyalty program at the TPG awards. For more TPG news delivered each morning to your inbox, sign up for our daily newsletter.
However, as noted earlier, Delta removed its online award charts in early Unfortunately, these prices change frequently based on the flight, the date, the number of people booking and other factors. As you can see, prices vary from 8, miles to 40, miles for a one-way award flight. That level of price volatility is normal by Delta standards.
Even individual flights on these dates have a wide range of prices. As a result, flexibility can save you a boatload of SkyMiles, so be sure to check all times for the best available price. Booking the above route on an American-operated flight booked through the AAdvantage program would set you back at least 12, miles.
Three of the above dates have rates at less than half those amounts. Unfortunately, Delta started rolling out Basic Economy on award tickets in and expanded it in early , so the lowest-priced awards will often book into this restrictive fare class. Taxes and fees are generally reasonable on Delta tickets. Expect to pay minimal taxes and fees on domestic tickets and international tickets departing the U.
However, Delta does add carrier-imposed surcharges on many awards that start outside the U. Details here. Dining: Register your credit card with SkyMiles Dining and earn up to 5 miles per dollar when you use that card at thousands of participating restaurants. You can use any credit card; it doesn't have to be a Delta-branded card.
Shopping: Earn miles at hundreds of online merchants through the airline's shopping portal, SkyMiles Shopping. You can buy additional SkyMiles through the Delta website, but this generally isn't a good value.
SkyMiles cost 3. SkyMiles are redeemable for flights through Delta Air Lines and its partners. In most cases, you redeem by booking through Delta's website. Go to the booking tool and choose the option for seeing the price in miles. Basic Economy: This is a no-frills fare. You sit in a standard seat and get free drinks and snacks, but you don't get to pick your seat, you're the last to board the plane, you can't get upgraded even with Medallion status, and there are sharp restrictions on ticket changes or refunds.
Main Cabin: This is a standard economy seat. Free nonalcoholic drinks and basic snacks. Seat-back entertainment when available. First Class: Bigger seat with more legroom; free alcoholic drinks, snacks and meals on longer flights; dedicated storage and flight attendant service; priority boarding. Delta Premium Select: First class with extra-comfortable seating and amenities on select international flights.
Delta One: First class with lie-flat seating available only on select long-haul flights. Unlike some other airlines, Delta doesn't publish an award chart showing you exactly how many miles you need for a given flight. You have to figure it out the hard way — by entering your flight information and seeing what it costs in terms of miles.
Delta advertises that there are no blackout dates for award travel. You can also use miles to purchase seat upgrades; membership to Delta Sky Clubs airport lounges; vacation packages; exclusive experiences; for merchandise, gift cards, hotel stays and car rental in the SkyMiles Marketplace; or donate them to charity through Delta SkyWish.
See details about these and other options here. If you happen to have at least 2. According to Delta , those 2.
For the most part, using SkyMiles for anything other than flights will result in below-average redemption values. Anyone can join the Delta SkyMiles program for free.
But to move up from basic membership to elite status, where the real perks are, you need to fly the airline regularly. Delta has introduced a slew of changes and promotions to make Medallion status easier to earn in Earn bonus qualifying miles, dollars and segments on regular Delta flights.
This bonus does not apply to flights flown with Delta partners. Earn qualifying miles, dollars and segments on Delta award flights. Usually you would not earn any elite qualification from award flights, but Delta has changed this for the remainder The earning rate is somewhat complicated: The Medallion Qualifying Miles are based on miles flown, while the Medallion Qualification Dollars are based on the number of miles used divided by Bonus qualifying miles on some Delta co-branded credit cards.
These promotions vary by card — see here for complete details. These qualifying bonuses apply for flights taken between April 1 and Dec. Put simply: Medallion status is easier to earn when flying with Delta for the remainder of The requirements for each level described below remain unchanged, but Delta is offering bonuses to make them easier to reach. The SkyMiles Medallion program has four levels.
We'll start by looking at what you get at each level, then how to get there. All Medallion members get priority check-in and priority boarding. All levels above Silver get priority security lane access and priority baggage service at select airports. Additional benefits include:. Medallion members at the Platinum and Diamond levels are eligible for "Delta Choice Benefits," in which they choose the premium benefits they want from a list.
Platinum members can choose one of the following:. Package of four regional upgrade certificates. Gift of Silver Medallion status to a friend. Plus, you can also top off your SkyMiles account by transferring points from Amex Membership Rewards to help put your next award flight within reach. Image courtesy of Delta. A popular destination for U.
Prices vary depending on your departure airport and dates. In past Delta flash sales, we've featured round-trip flights in economy to London for 48K, round-trip Delta Premium Select to Asia for 80K, and round-trip premium cabin awards to Europe for 99K. Each flash sale tends to focus on a different geographic location, and you can save tens of thousands of miles per person on award travel. Check out some of the previous Delta flash sales in the links below, and keep an eye on the blog for future deals from Delta.
The most recent Delta SkyMiles devaluation really took away a lot of the value for Delta partner awards to Europe and Asia. But the new award prices can lead to some interesting inconsistencies. But if you add in an additional flight from London to Beirut, Lebanon, you cut the price by nearly a third. Both partners have extensive route networks, and many of the flights you can book with SkyMiles can be quite expensive to buy with cash. In particular, the Patagonia region of Argentina can be a great value.
Reaching southern Argentina by any method of transport other than air travel can be a nightmare. But with miles, you can shell out just 25, SkyMiles for a Delta partner award. This used to be an easy booking to make at Delta. You can use the Air France Flying Blue website to search for available flights.
Once you've confirmed there are award seats available, you can call Delta reservations at to redeem. Pay with Points is a benefit available exclusively to Delta Amex Cardholders. Pay With Points allows you to redeem SkyMiles for any flight that's on sale. Any portion of the ticket not covered by miles can be paid with your Delta Amex card. While the value of one cent per point is far less than many of the other redemptions featured in this post, there are several big advantages:.
Pay with Points isn't always the best choice, but it's nice to have the option. Be on the lookout for situations where a traditional award costs more miles than Pay with Points. For example:. Redeeming your hard-earned SkyMiles at the bar may not appear like the best use of miles at first glance.
Delta's erratic award pricing will sometimes dish up award tickets costing north of K miles. If you had a cool 80K SkyMiles sitting in your account, you could take 40 of these shorter domestic flights.
That's a tiny increase over the 5, SkyMiles needed for economy class. Sure, it's a short flight, and these routes only feature a domestic first-class configuration recliner seats. But given that it's only an additional 1, SkyMiles, why not stretch out your legs a little bit? Delta doesn't make it easy to find great redemptions. But, it's still possible to get solid value for your SkyMiles when you know where to look.
As with all loyalty programs, the best ways to use your points are constantly changing, and there are plenty of opportunities that didn't make it into this post. If you've got a favorite Delta redemption we missed, let us know in the comments. The comments on this page are not provided, reviewed, or otherwise approved by the bank advertiser.
Click here to cancel reply. Notify me of followup comments via e-mail Notify me of followup posts via e-mail. Flight restrictions to Argentina have been removed and there is no more number of passenger limit per day. I typically fly American, but am now adding Delta as my alternate domestic program, since they have a large presence at my local airport, and are 2 behind American in Florida and thus have a lot of flights.
Looking forward to future travels. Great info. Thanks for rounding up all the deals. Is it smarter to buy tickets with your points or use them for upgrades? Or only buy with points when flights are expensive? What is the strategy? But, to answer your question: it depends! Others of us are more discerning with when to use miles. The lack of international credit card options exc Amex is a real drag.
The now-defunct AA card was a big plus for that program for non-US members. Thanks for this blog post. Only recently have these been available. However, Delta seems to have expanded the range that award flights can cost. I definitely would not use it to get bubbly on flights. Click on "Magazines for Miles" to trade SkyMiles for subscriptions to popular magazines. Magazines from the list include titles like "Time," "Glamour," "Money" and many more.
The "cost" of a magazine subscription ranges from to 5, miles. One-year and three-year memberships are available. For additional miles, SkyMiles program members can also purchase a membership for a spouse or partner.
Based in New Orleans, Bethany Culp has been a freelance writer since
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