One of the vital in style 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 may redeem them for flights, upgrades, inns and extra. You will usually get essentially the most worth out of your miles for those who snag one in every of Delta’s frequent flash gross sales, which provide discounted award flights domestically and overseas.
Whether or not flying or purchasing on-line, incomes SkyMiles is simple. Delta has a big selection of cobranded bank cards, a lot of that are providing large welcome provides proper now that may assist enhance your SkyMiles account. Maintain studying to search out out extra in regards to the Delta SkyMiles program.
Associated: Greatest Delta bank cards
What’s the Delta SkyMiles program?
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 way of a wide range of strategies. Some in style ones embody flying with Delta and its companions, spending on Delta’s cobranded playing cards, transferring factors from American Categorical Membership Rewards, purchasing by way of the Delta SkyMiles Purchasing portal, eating out by way of the SkyMiles Eating program and partaking in varied different promotions provided by the airline.
You can too 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: The way to preserve your factors and miles from expiring
Delta SkyMiles program companions
Delta is a member of the SkyTeam airline alliance, which incorporates over a dozen airways worldwide. You may earn and redeem SkyMiles if you journey with any SkyTeam airline. SkyTeam serves 1,000 locations and touches nearly each a part of the globe, with flights touchdown on six continents.
The members are:
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- Aerolineas Argentinas
- Aeromexico
- Air Europa
- Air France
- China Airways
- China Japanese Airways
- Delta Air Traces
- Garuda Indonesia
- Kenya Airways
- KLM
- Korean Air
- Center East Airways
- SAS
- Saudia
- TAROM
- Vietnam Airways
- Virgin Atlantic
- XiamenAir
Associated: Delta bolsters 2025 plans in Europe, Asia with 2 new worldwide routes
Different companions
Delta has a number of different partnerships past SkyTeam members, supplying you with quite a few choices for incomes miles even if you aren’t flying with Delta or a SkyTeam airline. Nonalliance companions embody:
- AirBaltic
- Cape Air
- China Southern Airways
- El Al
- Hawaiian Airways
- LATAM
- WestJet
Simply notice that every partnership has particular restrictions and necessities.
Associated: One of the best web sites for looking out SkyTeam award availability
Delta SkyMiles elite standing
The SkyMiles program provides 4 elite standing tiers for frequent Delta flyers: Silver Medallion, Gold Medallion, Platinum Medallion and Diamond Medallion.
Incomes Delta Medallion standing
As of Jan. 1, 2024, Delta solely makes use of Medallion Qualification {Dollars} as standards for qualification — and the requirement thresholds have elevated considerably lately. Delta additionally modified the best way you earn MQDs by way of card spending, eliminating the MQD waiver profit from eligible playing cards.
You may earn MQDs within the following methods:
Now that it is more durable to earn Medallion standing, is it value attempting? Listed here are some key advantages of every of Delta’s standing tiers.
Associated: Is Delta Air Traces standing value it? What this disillusioned soon-to-be-Diamond thinks
SkyMiles Silver Medallion
The bottom elite tier in Delta’s SkyMiles program is Silver Medallion standing. As a Silver Medallion, you may obtain:
- Complimentary first-class upgrades on home and short-haul worldwide flights from 24 hours earlier than departure
- Upgrades to Consolation+ inside 24 hours of departure
- Precedence boarding (Zone 5) and check-in
- One free checked bag on flights operated by Delta and choose companion airways, plus a free checked bag for as much as eight of your companions when touring on a Delta flight
SkyMiles Gold Medallion
Subsequent up is Gold Medallion standing, which will provide you with:
- Complimentary first-class upgrades on home and short-haul worldwide flights from three days earlier than departure
- Upgrades to Consolation+ inside three days of departure
- SkyPriority standing
- Waived charges on same-day confirmed adjustments
SkyMiles Platinum Medallion
The third tier within the SkyMiles program is Platinum Medallion. Along with the beforehand talked about Silver Medallion and Gold Medallion perks, you may get the next:
- Complimentary first-class upgrades on home flights and short-haul worldwide flights from 5 days earlier than departure
- Upgrades to Consolation+ at reserving
- Your choose of a Alternative Profit
SkyMiles Diamond Medallion
Lastly, the very best publicly out there tier within the SkyMiles program Diamond Medallion. Diamond members get every part detailed above, plus some even higher perks:
Delta additionally has an invitation-only standing referred to as Delta 360 — however this tier stays considerably mysterious since Delta would not publish any data on its advantages or how you can earn it.
Associated: Delta 360 standing: What it’s and how you can earn the invite-only elite standing
The way to earn SkyMiles
There are a number of methods to earn Delta SkyMiles. The simplest methods are flying Delta-operated flights, touring with a SkyTeam companion and opening a Delta cobranded bank card. You can too earn miles by way of on a regular basis actions like purchasing and eating.
Earn SkyMiles by flying
Once you fly Delta on a Delta-issued ticket in the principle cabin or above (fundamental economic system fares do not earn miles), you may earn SkyMiles based mostly on the bottom worth of your ticket. The upper your standing tier, the quicker you may earn miles.
- Basic member: 5 miles per greenback
- Silver Medallion: 7 miles per greenback
- Gold Medallion: 8 miles per greenback
- Platinum Medallion: 9 miles per greenback
- Diamond Medallion: 11 miles per greenback
In apply, which means for those who purchase a one-way flight from New York’s John F. Kennedy Worldwide Airport (JFK) to Los Angeles Worldwide Airport (LAX) for $250 earlier than taxes, you may earn 1,250 SkyMiles as a normal member. Nevertheless, you may earn 1,750 miles as a Silver Medallion and a whopping 2,750 miles for those who’re a Diamond Medallion.
One other method to earn miles is by flying Delta’s companion airways, however the way you earn these miles will depend on the way you booked the ticket. For instance, if you guide companion airline tickets on Delta’s web site, you may earn miles the identical method as you’d on a Delta-operated flight.
In the meantime, for those who guide a companion flight on the provider’s web site (for instance, Air France) and add your Delta SkyMiles quantity, you may earn miles based mostly on a proportion of the space flown. The precise variety of SkyMiles you may obtain varies based mostly on the companion, reserving class and your elite standing.
Associated: Can I earn the miles if I purchase somebody a ticket?
Earn SkyMiles by way of 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 provides some further perks for vacationers. This is a take a look at a number of the finest Delta SkyMiles bank cards from American Categorical. (Phrases apply.)
| Bank card | Annual charge | Welcome bonus | TPG’s valuation (as of February 2025) | Notable perks |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Delta SkyMiles® Gold American Categorical Card | $0 introductory annual charge for the primary yr, then $150 (see charges and charges) | Earn 80,000 bonus miles after spending $3,000 in eligible purchases inside the first six months of card membership. | $960 |
|
| Delta SkyMiles® Platinum American Categorical Card | $350 (see charges and charges) | Earn 90,000 bonus miles after spending $4,000 in eligible purchases within the first six months of card membership. | $1,080 |
Enrollment is required for some advantages. |
| Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Categorical Card | $650 (see charges and charges) | Earn 100,000 bonus miles after spending $6,000 in eligible purchases in your first six months of card membership. | $1,200 |
Enrollment is required for some advantages. |
| Delta SkyMiles® Gold Enterprise American Categorical Card | $0 introductory annual charge for the primary yr, then $150 (see charges and charges) |
Earn 90,000 bonus miles after spending $6,000 in your new card within the first six months of card membership. |
$1,080 |
|
| Delta SkyMiles® Platinum Enterprise American Categorical Card | $350 (see charges and charges) | Earn 100,000 bonus miles after spending $8,000 within the first six months of card membership. | $1,200 |
Enrollment is required for some advantages. |
| Delta SkyMiles® Reserve Enterprise American Categorical Card | $650 (see charges and charges) |
Earn 110,000 bonus miles after spending $12,000 in purchases within the first six months of card membership. |
$1,320 |
Enrollment is required for some advantages. |
Associated: 5 issues you must learn about Delta SkyMiles
Earn SkyMiles by way of purchasing portals
One of many best methods to earn SkyMiles is thru Delta’s on-line purchasing portal, Delta SkyMiles Purchasing. You may earn miles for purchases you’d ordinarily make with over a thousand retailers on-line.
When you do not have already got an account, you have to register utilizing your SkyMiles quantity. Then, you should use the search field to search out the shop or product you are on the lookout for and examine costs and mileage charges at completely different retailers. You can too favourite shops, so you may be notified when these shops supply bonus miles.
After choosing 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 if you’ve made a purchase order, and the miles you earned might be added to your SkyMiles account. You will obtain a affirmation e-mail when your miles have been posted — that is usually inside three to 5 days, however it may possibly take as much as 15 days.
Virtually each main airline has a purchasing portal, so use a purchasing portal aggregator to make sure you get the most effective deal if you store on-line.
Associated: Your information to maximizing purchasing portals to your on-line purchases
Switch Amex factors to Delta
Lastly, you may switch American Categorical Membership Rewards factors to your Delta SkyMiles account at a 1:1 ratio. We do not often suggest this as a result of we worth Amex factors increased 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 usually troublesome to get a better worth from Delta, because of dynamic pricing. You will additionally must pay an excise tax offset charge when transferring Amex factors to Delta (and different home frequent flyer packages).
Associated: American Categorical Membership Rewards switch companions: Maximize your factors
The way to redeem SkyMiles
Delta eliminated revealed award charts in 2015, turning into the primary main U.S. airline to shift to dynamic pricing for award tickets. Because of this, you have to 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 web site is fairly simple to navigate, and its useful calendar function may also help you discover the bottom costs to your subsequent redemption.
We have typically discovered the most effective redemptions on home flights. With one of many Delta cobranded playing cards that gives a 15% low cost on Delta-operated award tickets, you may generally guide short-haul flights for underneath 4,000 SkyMiles one-way. That stated, costs will fluctuate by day, route and cabin class.
Be aware that Delta award tickets are absolutely refundable (on flights originating within the U.S. and Canada excluding fundamental economic system fares), so in case your plans change, you may redeposit the miles and get a refund for the taxes and charges you paid. This additionally means that you can rebook award tickets when the mileage worth drops, securing a refund of the distinction in miles.
Moreover, you should use your SkyMiles to guide companion 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 companion awards, particularly in premium cabins.
Associated: The way to redeem Delta SkyMiles for max worth
Candy spots
With Delta utilizing full dynamic pricing throughout its route community, there aren’t many candy spots to maximise the worth of your SkyMiles. Nonetheless, there are a couple of good choices on the market.
Delta flash gross sales
Delta steadily 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 principle cabin, Consolation+ and first-class. Previous offers embody 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 effectively marketed, so it pays to examine availability usually. Delta usually costs short- and mid-haul award tickets effectively underneath what different airways would cost for comparable flights. You will usually discover the most effective 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 hardly ever low-cost, particularly to Brazil. Delta SkyMiles members can guide LATAM award tickets at affordable 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: The way to get worth from 5,000 or fewer Delta SkyMiles
Backside line
With its operational efficiency, huge route community and quite a few companion airways, Delta is commonly touted by some as the most effective home airline. Actually, the provider has taken the highest spot in TPG’s evaluation of the finest airways within the U.S. for the final 5 years. Though latest adjustments to award pricing and elite standing necessities have disillusioned many Delta loyalists, there’s nonetheless lots 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 purchasing portals and making purchases with Delta bank cards can enhance your SkyMiles steadiness to your subsequent redemption.
For charges and charges of the Delta SkyMiles Gold Card, click on right here.
For charges and charges of the Delta SkyMiles Platinum Card, click on right here.
For charges and charges of the Delta SkyMiles Reserve Card, click on right here.
For charges and charges of the Delta SkyMiles Gold Enterprise Card, click on right here.
For charges and charges of the Delta SkyMiles Platinum Enterprise Card, click on right here.
For charges and charges of the Delta SkyMiles Reserve Enterprise Card, click on right here.