How to redeem your Delta SkyMiles for maximum value --[Reported by Umva mag]

Since Delta Air Lines eliminated its award charts in 2015, the SkyMiles program has become notably more unpredictable and, at times, outrageously expensive. With business-class flights on long-haul routes often priced at over 450,000 SkyMiles, it’s understandable to feel like your SkyMiles balance holds little value. But if you have a stockpile of Delta miles, …

Sep 23, 2024 - 14:57

How to redeem your Delta SkyMiles for maximum value --[Reported by Umva mag]

Since Delta Air Lines eliminated its award charts in 2015, the SkyMiles program has become notably more unpredictable and, at times, outrageously expensive. With business-class flights on long-haul routes often priced at over 450,000 SkyMiles, it’s understandable to feel like your SkyMiles balance holds little value.

But if you have a stockpile of Delta miles, they are far from worthless. There are still excellent redemptions available, particularly during the carrier’s award sales.

So, let’s explore some strategies for maximizing the value of your Delta SkyMiles.

Redeem SkyMiles on Delta flights

Delta jet on the tarmac at Chicago's O'Hare International Airport — CLINT HENDERSON/THE POINTS GUY

You can use your Delta SkyMiles to book Delta, Delta Connection and Delta Shuttle flights. Since Delta uses dynamic pricing, award rates can vary significantly. For example, in November and December, one-way Main Cabin award rates from Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (SEA) to Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport (ATL) range between 15,500 and 39,000 miles.

Even though Thanksgiving travel skews award prices over these dates, significant price volatility is normal. Flexibility is important if you want to maximize your SkyMiles.

Taxes and fees are generally reasonable on Delta tickets. Expect to pay $6 per person in taxes and fees on most domestic and international tickets departing the U.S. However, Delta adds carrier-imposed surcharges on many awards that start outside the U.S., most notably those originating in Europe.

Keep an eye out for SkyMiles deals

A great option for redeeming Delta miles is taking advantage of SkyMiles deals. These deals typically apply to specific city pairs, so it may be necessary to 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 Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport (ATL) to the Caribbean and Mexico starting at 14,400 Delta SkyMiles round-trip.

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 at least 15% with select Delta credit cards

If you have an eligible Delta credit card, you can save 15% on Delta-operated award flights when you use your miles and pay the taxes and fees with the card. This can be a great option to reduce the price you pay on Delta award tickets — and a major reason to open (and keep) a Delta card in your wallet.

Read more: Best Delta credit cards

Rebook when prices drop (or cancel when your plans change)

For flights booked with Delta SkyMiles, as long as your flight is cancellation-eligible, you can reprice your flight. The difference in miles will be redeposited into your account with no fee.

You can cancel your award flight for basic economy reservations, but you will have to pay an associated mileage fee. For those flights, Delta will deduct 9,900 miles for domestic travel within the U.S. and Canada and 19,900 miles for international travel. This fee is deducted from the value of your ticket, and then any remaining miles will be redeposited back into your SkyMiles account.

Redeem Delta SkyMiles on partner flights

Air France Boeing 777-300ER Delta — Air France is a partner of Delta. ZACH GRIFF/THE POINTS GUY

Delta is a member of the SkyTeam alliance and has seven nonalliance airline partners. This gives you more flexibility to redeem your SkyMiles on various airlines and routes across the globe. Here is the complete list of Delta’s airline partners:

Nonalliance partners

Cape Air
China Southern Airlines
Hawaiian Airlines
LATAM
Mandarin Airlines
Shanghai Airlines
WestJet

No online award charts exist, so partner redemption rates can vary hugely. For example, one-way business-class airfare from San Francisco International Airport (SFO) to Mexico City International Airport (MEX) ranges from a reasonable 45,000 SkyMiles up to a massive 130,000 SkyMiles. If you can find flights at the lowest level, this is a great way to redeem SkyMiles.

Another great option is WestJet-operated flights from the U.S. to Canada. Round-trip award tickets in economy class still cost 25,000 miles plus $65 in taxes and fees, and availability is relatively widespread, especially when you book in advance.

These flights routinely cost over $500, giving you a redemption value of around 2 cents per mile.

Delta also has some appealing non-U.S. partner sweet spots.

For example, if you’re flying from Asia to Europe, specifically Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport (TPE) to Rome Fiumicino Leonardo da Vinci Airport (FCO), you could snag this KLM and ITA Airways flight at just 80,000 SkyMiles plus around $46 in taxes and fees for around 14 hours in long-haul business class.

Alternatively, flying from Dubai International Airport (DXB) to Paris-Charles de Gaulle Airport (CDG) in business class on Air France generally costs around 42,500 miles plus around $36 in taxes and fees.

Delta can increase these rates at any time, and it has done so on multiple occasions. To obtain the current award price, you will need to contact Delta directly or search the website.

While Delta has tried to improve its website to display partner awards, it may still have limitations, particularly when booking mixed-cabin itineraries. The website often prioritizes Delta-operated flights, which may not be ideal if you have specific flight requirements. We recommend searching for flights segment by segment and being prepared to call Delta if the website doesn’t offer the desired trip options.

Redeem Delta SkyMiles for upgrades

Delta One seat — ERIC ROSEN/THE POINTS GUY

You can also use your SkyMiles to upgrade to a higher class of service. If you have a confirmed Delta-marketed and -operated flight, you can pay cash or use miles to upgrade your flight directly on Delta’s website.

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 September 2024 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, as discussed in previous sections, 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” page for more details.

You’ll also want to make sure there’s upgrade inventory available.

Redeem Delta SkyMiles for Delta Vacations

You’ll usually obtain a value of 1.15 cents per mile when you use your miles to cover a Delta Vacations pacakage.

For example, you could book a seven-day accommodation at the Outrigger Reef Waikiki Beach Resort in Hawaii for $2,291.87 or redeem 199,293 SkyMiles, a redemption value of exactly 1.15 cents per mile. Though this is slightly less than our September 2024 valuation, it is not a bad redemption.

Related: Best hotels in Honolulu

How to earn Delta SkyMiles

You’ll need to have SkyMiles to take advantage of the redemptions mentioned above. Fortunately, there are several ways to increase your balance. One of the simplest ways to earn Delta miles is by using Delta’s cobranded American Express cards. Here are some of the current welcome offers available for these cards:

Delta SkyMiles® Gold American Express Card: Earn 80,000 bonus miles after spending $3,000 on purchases in the first six months of card membership.
Delta SkyMiles® Platinum American Express Card: Earn 90,000 bonus miles after spending $4,000 on purchases in the first six months of card membership.
Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card: Earn 100,000 bonus miles after spending $6,000 on purchases in the first six months of card membership.
Delta SkyMiles® Gold Business American Express Card: Earn 90,000 bonus miles after spending $6,000 on purchases in the first six months of card membership.
Delta SkyMiles® Platinum Business American Express Card: Earn 100,000 bonus miles after spending $8,000 on purchases in the first six months of card membership.
Delta SkyMiles® Reserve Business American Express Card: Earn 110,000 bonus miles after spending $12,000 on purchases in the first six months of card membership.

Remember that all of these cards include access to the TakeOff 15 benefit, which will save you 15% on Delta-operated award flights.

You can also transfer American Express Membership Rewards points to Delta at a 1:1 ratio. You can earn these transferable rewards on cards such as the American Express® Gold Card and The Platinum Card® from American Express. However, you’ll be subject to an excise tax offset fee.

Additionally, Marriott Bonvoy points transfer to Delta SkyMiles at a 3:1 ratio.

Bottom line

Although the value of Delta SkyMiles has decreased in recent years, there are still excellent deals to be found. While the program has been moving toward a redemption value of 1 cent per mile, you can still surpass that, especially with SkyMiles deals.

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