| Delta SkyMiles quick facts | |
|---|---|
| How many SkyMiles for a flight? | Need at least 5,000 Delta SkyMiles per person |
| Delta Air Lines miles value | 1.1 cents |
| Do Delta Air Lines miles expire? | No expiration |
| Number of Delta Sky Clubs | Over 100 locations worldwide |
| Destinations served | 290 destinations on six continents |
| Delta hub airports (U.S.) | Atlanta, Boston, Detroit, Los Angeles, Minneapolis/St. Paul, New York (JFK and LaGuardia), Salt Lake City, Seattle |
| Delta airline alliance | SkyTeam Alliance |
Frequent flyer programs are designed to attract and keep customers. And whether you’re a die-hard Delta fan, or you’re just looking for a way to save for a big trip that happens to be located in one of the airline’s hub cities, signing up for Delta’s SkyMiles membership can be a good move. And if you earn enough miles, you can turn past trips into free future ones.
A Medallion elite membership can also grant you access to perks like free checked bags, seat upgrades, and Delta Sky Club lounge access.
Delta SkyMiles are worth an average of 1.1 cents each based on our recent valuations, which makes them less valuable compared to other miles.
Here’s a summary of our point value findings:
That said, the value of miles redeemed depends heavily on the itinerary you book, your travel dates and overall availability since Delta uses dynamic pricing for its rewards. Ultimately, this means you may find awards that come in at less than 1.1 cents each and others that let you get significantly more value.
Also note that Delta miles are slightly more valuable for Delta credit card customers due to the airline’s TakeOff 15 program that gives cardmembers 15% off all award flights.
Delta SkyMiles are generally valued around 1.1 cents per mile — so as long as a flight is worth 1.1 cents per mile or somewhere in that range, then it’s likely worth it to use miles.
To calculate the value of miles, use this simple equation:
The Delta SkyMiles program is worth it for anyone to join since membership is entirely free and miles you earn never expire. That said, accruing miles and pursuing elite status with Delta makes the most sense for people who live in hub cities that are dominated by Delta flights, such as Atlanta and Minneapolis.
Flying with Delta Air Lines is the most straightforward way to earn SkyMiles. Delta Air Lines offers a revenue-based system for earning SkyMiles on its flights, which means you earn miles based on how much you spend, not how far you fly. General SkyMiles members will earn 5 SkyMiles per $1 of base fare on Delta-issued tickets (excluding taxes and fees; basic economy tickets are also excluded) while Delta Medallion members earn more depending on their status level.
| Status level | Miles per dollar spent on tickets |
|---|---|
| General SkyMiles member | 5 |
| Silver Medallion | 7 |
| Gold Medallion | 8 |
| Platinum Medallion | 9 |
| Diamond Medallion | 11 |
Note that there are some “exception fares” within the revenue-based earning structure. Exception fares include cruise fares, bulk fares, consolidator fares, vacation packages (not including packages with Delta Vacations) and discount or inclusive tour packages.
These fares earn SkyMiles based on distance flown according to the following table:
| Exception Fare Class (Delta 006 Ticketed Only) | Miles |
|---|---|
| Delta One/Discounted Delta One/First Class - J, C, D, I, Z; Delta Premium Select - P, A, G | 150% |
| Full Fare Main Cabin/ Delta Comfort+ - Y, B, M, W, S | 100% |
| Main Cabin - H, Q, K, L | 75% |
| Discounted Main Cabin - U, T; Deeply discounted Main Cabin - X, V | 50% |
Delta is an integral part of SkyTeam, so you can earn miles on partner flights. While some of Delta’s international partners are now on the fare-based system, like Delta, some partners still may still operate a distance-based system. (That means that you’d earn a percentage of miles based on the number of miles flown.)
You’ll have to check out each partner chart to determine how many miles you’ll earn for your particular flight. You can also use a tool like MileCalc.com to estimate the number of miles flown for each particular flight segment.
For a closer look at a partnering award chart, here is the current partner chart for Aeromexico that is in force as of 2024:
| Class of Service | Fare Class | Total Miles Earned | MQDs | Medallion Bonus |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Business | J | 200% | 40% | |
| Discounted Business | C, D, I | 200% | 30% | |
| Full Economy | W, Y | 125% | 20% | |
| Economy | B, M, U | 100% | 15% | |
| Discounted Economy | H, K | 100% | 10% | |
| Deep Discount Economy | Q, L, T | 100% | 5% | |
| Deep Discount Economy | E, N, R | 50% | 5% | |
| Deep Discount Economy | V | 25% | 5% |
Delta partners with certain airlines as a way to expand their offerings and entice more people to fly with them. From a rewards perspective, that means you can also earn SkyMiles when you book flights with those partners which can be used for things like flights and upgrades.
Here’s an overview of those partner airlines:
Delta is a member of the SkyTeam Alliance, along with the following airlines:
Keep in mind that membership to the SkyTeam Alliance is subject to change over time. So you should always double-check to make sure they’re a partner before booking a trip with them. That way, you’ll know if that flight is eligible to earn SkyMiles.
Delta also separately partners with the following airlines:
Both of these airlines exclusively fly in North and South America, so you’d have to check with SkyTeam partners if you’re looking for a partner flight in other regions of the globe. Again, partnerships like these are not always set in stone, so you should verify the partnership with Delta before booking flights if your intention is to earn SkyMiles.
The most common way to earn Delta SkyMiles is by flying with Delta Air Lines and its partner airlines. You can also quickly rack up miles by using a co-branded Delta credit card, transferring American Express Membership Rewards to SkyMiles and using Delta’s shopping portal.
SkyMiles Shopping offers SkyMiles on purchases with 1,000-plus retailers. Some of the popular stores include Apple, Home Depot, CVS Pharmacy, Kohl’s, Office Depot and Paramount Plus. Rates here vary from 0.5 to 20 miles earned per dollar, depending on the retailer. And some stores offer a one-time bonus for shopping or taking advantage of a specific offer (up to 5,000 miles per purchase).
To earn miles with SkyMiles Shopping, you’d need to visit the portal page, browse the retailers and click through to be taken to the website of your selected retailer. Or, to make things easier, you could install the SkyMiles Shopping browser extension that lets you earn miles without even visiting the portal page. The extension is available on Google Chrome and Microsoft Edge.
Delta has a dining portal that allows members to earn bonus miles when eating at partnered restaurants. All you need to do is link a credit or debit card to earn up to 5 miles per dollar spent (including taxes and tip):
There are requirements for earning each tier. For example, the regular member rate only applies to those who choose not to get email communications from SkyMiles Dining, while the other two tiers are for those who opt in.
Delta has a wide variety of dining partners in most major cities, so it shouldn’t be too difficult to earn miles this way.
| City | Number of restaurant partners within 30 miles |
|---|---|
| Boston | 367 |
| Detroit | 329 |
| Los Angeles | 750 |
| New York | 1,633 |
| Orlando | 396 |
| San Francisco | 368 |
| Seattle | 328 |
| Washington, D.C. | 335 |
Hotel rewards programs are an excellent source of extra SkyMiles, especially since Delta has partnerships with several major hotel brands. Some hotel brands let you earn SkyMiles on hotel stays, or transfer hotel membership points to SkyMiles directly.
| Hotel | Mile earning rate | Hotel points:miles transfer ratio |
|---|---|---|
| Airbnb | 1 miles/$ | N/A |
| IHG Hotels and Resorts | 1 mile/$ to 2 miles/$, depending on the hotel | 5:1 |
| Le Club Accor Hotels | 2.5 miles/10€ to 12.5 miles/10€, depending on the hotel | N/A |
| Marriott Bonvoy | 1 miles/$ to 2 miles/$, depending on the hotel | N/A |
| Shangri-La | 500 miles per stay | 1:1 |
| World of Hyatt | 500 miles per stay | N/A |
Delta Vacations allow SkyMiles members to earn $1 Medallion Qualification Dollar (MQD) per $1 spent on vacation packages purchased via the vacations portal. That package can include costs such as the flight, hotel, car, and even activities. MQDs allow you to reach different Medallion status levels, which comes with benefits like earning more miles per dollar and airline lounge access.
Depending on how much you spend, you can also earn bonus miles, ranging from 1,000 to 10,000 per trip.
You can earn two SkyMiles per dollar spent by booking a cruise through Delta Cruises, plus bonus miles for select itineraries. The exact number of bonus miles depends on the ship and departure date, among other factors. Major cruise lines, including Norwegian, Carnival and Royal Caribbean, let you earn SkyMiles when booking through the Delta Cruises portal.
You can also earn SkyMiles by booking car rentals with Delta partners, including companies like Hertz and Enterprise. Here is an overview of how much you can earn from those partners:
| Car partners | Mile earning rate |
|---|---|
| Alamo | 2 miles/$ |
| Dollar Car Rental | 4 miles/$ |
| Hertz | 4 miles/$1 to 8 miles/$, depending on Delta membership level |
| Enterprise | 2 miles/$1 |
| National | 2 miles/$ |
| Thrifty Car Rental | 4 miles/$ |
| AVIS | 2 miles/$ |
| Budget | 2 miles/$ |
| Payless | 2 miles/$ |
| Lyft | 1 mile/$ (min.) |
| Turo | 2,000 miles after completing your first trip (500 miles on each trip after that) |
| Europcar | 60 miles/day |
| Sixt | 500 miles/rental |
Delta is one of many airline transfer partners available through American Express Membership Rewards. The transfer rate is 1,000 Membership Rewards points to 1,000 SkyMiles.
If you often fly with Delta and don’t currently own a Delta credit card, or an American Express card that earns Membership Rewards, you may want to consider signing up for one, as some cards offer special benefits with Delta in addition to points. For example, you may be able to get airline perks like one free checked bag per flight, or access discounts.
Delta sells SkyMiles directly to members at a cost of $70 per 2,000 miles (3.5 cents per mile) for a maximum of 60,000 SkyMiles per calendar year — but at this price, purchasing SkyMiles is rarely worth it.
Buying miles should only be an option when you’re either getting more than 3.5 cents per mile in value from the award booking, or when you need to top off your account with a few miles for an award. Even then, transferring Membership Rewards points to Delta SkyMiles is a better strategy.
Delta offers co-branded airline credit cards that give cardholders access to additional SkyMiles perks. You can earn at least 1 Delta SkyMile per $1 spent on eligible purchases with any of these cards. The products offered range from the $0-annual-fee Delta SkyMiles® Blue American Express Card to the Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card, which is loaded with benefits.
| Card | Annual Fee | Rewards Rate | Welcome Offer | Delta Perks |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Delta SkyMiles® Blue American Express Card | $0 | Earn 2X Miles per dollar spent on Delta purchases and at restaurants worldwide, plus takeout and delivery in the U.S. Earn 1X Mile on all other eligible purchases. | Earn 10,000 bonus miles after you spend $1,000 in purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months. | 20% back on in-flight purchases |
| Delta SkyMiles® Gold American Express Card | $0 introductory annual fee for the first year, then $150. | Earn 2X Miles on Delta purchases, at U.S. Supermarkets and at restaurants worldwide, including takeout and delivery in the U.S. Earn 1X Miles on all other eligible purchases. | Earn 50,000 Bonus Miles after you spend $2,000 in eligible purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months of Card Membership. | Up to $100 back on eligible Delta Stays per year |
| Delta SkyMiles® Platinum American Express Card | $350 | Earn 3X Miles on Delta purchases and purchases made directly with hotels. Earn 2X Miles at restaurants worldwide including takeout and delivery in the U.S., and at U.S. supermarkets and earn 1X Miles on all other eligible purchases. | Earn 60,000 Bonus Miles after you spend $3,000 in eligible purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months of Card Membership. | $1 MQD per $20 in purchases; $2,500 in MQD per year; up to $150 back on Delta Stays per year; added to Complimentary Upgrade list |
| Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card | $650 | Earn 3X Miles on Delta purchases. Earn 1X Mile on all other eligible purchases. | Earn 70,000 Bonus Miles after you spend $5,000 in eligible purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months of Card Membership. | $1 MQD per $10 in purchases; $2,500 in MQD per year; up to $200 back on Delta Stays per year; added to Complimentary Upgrade list; access to Delta Sky Club when flying Delta |
You have several options for using Delta SkyMiles, including using those miles to book flights, purchasing Delta Vacations packages, and redeeming miles for seat upgrades. Below, we’ll detail exactly how to redeem these miles based on your preferred method, and give you an idea of how many miles trips might cost:
One of the easiest ways to redeem your SkyMiles is to use them to book a flight with Delta. You can easily search for award flights at Delta.com. Because Delta doesn’t publish an award chart, prices depend entirely on your origin, destination and travel dates.
Here are some sample one-way prices for different types of trips:
| Cabin | Sample routes and pricing (+ $6) |
|---|---|
| Basic economy |
|
| Main |
|
| Comfort+ |
|
| First |
|
| Delta One |
|
The amount of miles you need to earn a free flight with Delta depends on several factors.
Domestic itineraries booked with Delta SkyMiles can cost just a few thousand miles for a one-way trip. However, domestic flights can also cost more than 100,000 miles. There’s a wide variation in cost due to Delta’s dynamic pricing model, which is based on demand. Although you can find international flights for less than 20,000 miles, they tend to cost more for longer haul flights.
If you want to fly Delta One business class with rewards, you may have to fork over hundreds of thousands of miles for a flight. In fact, it’s not uncommon for international Delta One awards to go for 300,000 miles or more, plus airline taxes and fees.
You can use SkyMiles to finance flights with Delta partner airlines, and in many cases, you can do that directly via Delta.com, making it easy to book these flights as you would a regular Delta flight. To get started, simply head to Delta.com and input your starting point and destination, or do a search for flights in the Delta app. From there, you’ll select “Shop with miles” and begin searching for flights with Delta and partners.
A few partner airlines may require you to contact Delta Reservations for assistance. These include:
Delta routinely offers SkyMiles Flash Deals to destinations all over the world. Flash Deals are limited-time promotions where Delta offers flights between select origins and destinations for a discount.
SkyMiles Flash Deals can be excellent value. For example, in the past, Delta has offered:
These prices are much better than what’s offered by major competitors that operate a region-based award chart. For instance, American Airlines charges a minimum of 25,000 miles for a one-way main cabin ticket to Europe for flights booked after May 1, 2023.
All that aside, it’s important to note that it’s hard to tell how great of deal you’re actually getting without an award chart to compare prices. So it’s best to compare award prices to cash fares to determine the redemption value in each case.
Delta also gives SkyMiles members the ability to use its miles for cabin upgrades. You can upgrade with miles either at time of booking or after you purchase your ticket. Tickets eligible to upgrade with miles at time of booking will show it as an option on the Trip Summary page. This is the easiest and most seamless way to upgrade with miles.
After booking, you may be presented with the option to upgrade with miles at Delta.com or through the Fly Delta app. You can check your reservation at any time to see if this is an option. Alternatively, you can contact a Delta representative to upgrade with miles.
Delta also lets members pay for certain bookings with a combination of miles and cash. Theoretically, that makes sense for people who are short miles for a redemption they want. However, booking this way won’t get you outsized value for your rewards. For example, a one-way flight from New York (LGA) to London (LHR) can cost 44,000 miles plus $6 on a random travel date we searched.
In the meantime, the miles and cash option for the same flight comes in at 36,500 miles plus $146. This means you would effectively be paying $146 to save 7,500 miles. That’s a cost of 1.9 cents per mile, which is well above our estimated value of 1.1 cents per mile.
Other uses for Delta miles include magazine subscriptions, SkyMiles Experiences (unique experiences for miles), Delta Sky Club membership, payment for checked baggage fees and gifting or transferring miles to a friend or family member.
Delta uses Medallion Qualification Dollars (MQDs) to determine who qualifies for elite status. As it stands, earning this status with Delta is based on spending with Delta and its partners. But if you have a Delta SkyMiles® Platinum American Express Card, Delta SkyMiles® Platinum Business American Express Card and Delta SkyMiles® Reserve Business American Express Card, you’ll get a $2,500 MQD Headstart per eligible card type. There’s also a $1 MQD boost for those who have either a Delta SkyMiles® Platinum American Express Card or Delta SkyMiles® Platinum Business American Express Card per $20 spent, and you’d earn MQDs via Delta Vacation purchases.
Generally speaking, though, paid flights with Delta and partners that are marketed by Delta will earn $1 MQD per $1 spent. And you have to earn at least $5,000 MQDs to qualify for the lowest tier.
Once you reach one of these Medallion statuses, you’d have it for the next year. If you qualify in 2024, for example, you’d get that level for 2025. So it’s not something that is guaranteed for more than a year, and you’d have to keep reaching those thresholds to maintain it.
You should also note that there are exceptions to what kinds of purchases will count toward Medallion status. For instance, Basic Economy tickets won’t count here. You’ll have to factor that into your spending plan if you want to pursue one of these elite statuses. However, qualifying does mean you’d be able to get free MQDs to count for the next year, reducing the overall cost to qualify.
Once you reach an elite status, you get access to some pretty useful perks that can mean cheaper and more comfortable trips going forward. Here’s a quick breakdown of what you’d get with each tier:
Silver Medallion | Gold Medallion | Platinum Medallion | Diamond Medallion | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SkyMiles earned | 7/$1 (40% bonus) | 8/$1 (60% bonus) | 9/$1 (80% bonus) | 11/$1(120% bonus) |
| Unlimited First Class and Comfort+ upgrades | 24-hour window | 72-hour window | 120-hour window | 120-hour window, with priority |
| Free checked bag (up to eight companions) | ||||
| Priority check-in and boarding | ||||
| Complimentary preferred seats | ||||
| SkyTeam Elite status | ||||
| Hertz Elite status | Five Star status | Five Star status | President's Circle status | President's Circle status |
| Choice Benefit | 1 Choice Benefit | 3 Choice Benefits | ||
| Complimentary CLEAR membership |
No, Skymiles don’t have an expiration date. So once you earn them, you’d be able to save them up until you get the required number of miles for your desired flight.
You can earn Delta SkyMiles once you sign up, which is free. You’d earn them by spending money on various Delta expenses, like flights or trips booked via Delta Vacations. You’d then be able to spend SkyMiles on things like Delta flights.
It depends on how and when you redeem them. For example, that could pay for several domestic flights or a single international flight, depending on when you book and your exact starting point and destination.
Yes, Delta does allow SkyMiles members to transfer points to friends and family members. But you’ll need their SkyMiles number to do it.
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