Headquartered in Atlanta, Delta Air Lines is a founding member of the SkyTeam Alliance joining airline members like Air France, KLM, and Korean Air. Delta is considered one of the big three US airlines with American Airlines and United Airlines being the other two.
SkyMiles is Delta’s frequent flyer program and the miles you earn from credit card spending and/or flying are called Delta SkyMiles. Unfortunately, Delta does not use an award chart. Instead, the number of SkyMiles you need to book an award flight is loosely based upon a value of 1 cent per mile. However, there are award flights that you can book where you should be able to far exceed 1 cent per mile in value.
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Credit Cards To Earn Delta SkyMiles
Delta Air Lines partners with American Express and Marriott. This means the Amex and Marriott points that you earn can be transferred directly to Delta to book award flights. Amex points transfer instantly at a 1:1 ratio. Marriott points transfer at a 3:1 ratio and takes <24 hours.
With that said, the Amex Platinum Card, Amex Gold Card, and Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant are solid cards to have to help you unlock Delta SkyMiles benefits via booking award flights. You earn 5x points on airfare with the Amex Platinum Card. The Amex Gold Card earns 4x points on dining and US grocery stores. You earn 6x points at Marriott with the Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant.
Additional Ways to Earn Delta SkyMiles
Spending on co-branded Delta credit cards is one way to earn Delta SkyMiles. Amex is Delta’s credit card partner and the miles that you earn from spending on these cards can be used to book award flights.
Another way to earn Delta SkyMiles is by using the Delta SkyMiles Shopping portal. Simply use a click-through a participating merchant in the shopping portal before you shop online, and you’ll earn SkyMiles after your purchase.
A third way that you can earn SkyMiles is by flying on Delta or its airline partners. If you fly on a Delta partner airline, head to wheretocredit.com to see if crediting the partner flight to your Delta account makes sense.
Booking a Delta Vacation package is another way to earn Delta SkyMiles. The amount you spend on your hotel and/or flight with the package determines the number of miles that you earn.
The last way that you can earn Delta SkyMiles is by using a Delta travel partner. Delta travel partners include companies like Hyatt, and Airbnb, car rental companies like National, and cruise operators like Carnival. By spending with these partners, you earn miles.
Basic Delta SkyMiles Redemption Rules
The Delta SkyMiles redemption rules are straightforward. This is primarily due to the fact that Delta does not have a Delta SkyMiles redemption chart. For simplicity, here are a few of the most important rules to keep in mind:
- Fuel surcharges (read taxes and fees) vary by the airline operating the flight
- Delta has one of the best search engines to search for SkyTeam award flight availability
- Stopovers are not allowed
Using the Delta SkyMiles Search Engine
Generally speaking, you can book most Delta and its partner airline flights (see full partner list below) on delta.com. For partners that you cannot book online, find the award space on Air France or KLM first, call the SkyMiles phone number at 800-323-2323 to confirm the award space, and then book the flight.
- Aeroflot
- Aeromexico
- Aerolineas Argentinas
- Alitalia
- Air France
- Cape Air
- China Eastern
- China Airlines
- Hawaiian Airlines
- China Southern
- KLM Royal Dutch Airlines
- Korean Air
- LATAM
- Mandarin Airlines
- Middle East Airlines
- Saudia Airlines
- Shanghai Airlines
- Tarom Airlines
- Vietnam Airlines
- Virgin Atlantic
- Virgin Australia
- WestJet
- Xiamen Airlines
Best Ways to Use Delta SkyMiles
1. Delta US to northern South America
Parque Nacional Natural Tayrona and Machu Picchu are a couple of things that come to mind when you think of northern South America. For purposes of this article, we’ll assume Delta has a northern and southern South America region. With 37,000+ SkyMiles, you can book a one-way Delta business class flight between the US and northern South America.
Delta flights that you can book include:
- Colombia <> Atlanta, New York–JFK
- Peru (LIM) <> Atlanta
- Ecuador (UIO) <> Atlanta
2. SkyTeam US to the Middle East
SkyTeam partners Air France and KLM offer you the ability to access the Middle East via Europe. Alternatively, Saudia has nonstop flights between the US and Saudi Arabia. For purposes of this article, we’ll consider Bahrain, Egypt, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates in the Middle East region. With 60,000+ SkyMiles, you can book a one-way SkyTeam economy-class flight between the US and the Middle East. Based upon award searches, some combinations of Air France, Delta, and KLM are likely to be the airlines operating flights between these regions.
Examples of flights to the Middle East that you can book include:
- Atlanta (ATL) > Paris (CDG) > Cairo (CAI) – Air France
- New York (JFK) > Tel Aviv (TLV) – Delta
- New York (JFK) > Jeddah (JED) > Amman (AMM) – Saudia
3. SkyTeam US to Africa
Africa is similar to South America in that some airline programs break the continent into more than one region. So, we’ll use American Airlines’ region definition and assume Africa is one entire award region. Countries like Ghana, Kenya, Seychelles, South Africa, and Tanzania are places that you can access via Delta. With 85,000+ SkyMiles, you can book a one-way SkyTeam economy-class flight between the US and Africa.
Examples of flights that you can book include:
- Atlanta (ATL) > Paris (CDG) > Accra (ACC) – Air France
- New York (JFK) > Jeddah (JED) > Mauritius (MRU) – Saudia
- Atlanta (ATL) > Amsterdam (AMS) > Nairobi (NBO) – KLM
4. Delta US to southern South America
For purposes of this award search, we’ll focus on the southern part of South America. Countries included in this region are Argentina, Brazil (excluding Manaus), Chile, Falkland Islands, Paraguay, Uruguay, and Venezuela. With 47,500+ SkyMiles, you can book a one-way Delta economy flight between the US and southern South America.
Examples of flights that you can book include:
- Atlanta (ATL) > Santiago (SCL) – Delta
- Atlanta (ATL) > Buenos Aires (EZE) – Delta
- New York (JFK) > São Paulo (GRU) – LATAM
5. SkyTeam US to Europe
Whether it’s seeing the Eiffel Tower, Buckingham Palace, Rijksmuseum, or El Retiro Park, Europe has a near-limitless list of things to do and see. So, why not use Delta’s award program to get you there? With 66,000+ SkyMiles, you can book a one-way SkyTeam economy flight between the US and Europe to experience what Europe offers.
Examples of flights that you can book include:
- New York (JFK) > Paris (CDG) – Air France
- Atlanta (ATL) > London (LHR) – Delta
- Detroit (DTW) > Amsterdam (AMS) – KLM
Delta SkyMiles FAQs
How much is 50,000 Delta SkyMiles worth?
Generally speaking, Delta is currently valuing its SkyMiles at 1 cent per point. So, 50,000 SkyMiles roughly equals $500 in value.
How many Delta SkyMiles do you need for a free flight?
SkyMiles Flash Deal is where to go and see the deals Delta has on offer. You may see award flights as low as 4,500 Delta SkyMiles.
Do Delta miles expire?
Delta SkyMiles currently do not expire per the program terms and conditions.
Do you get a free checked bag with SkyMiles?
The following Delta credit cards offer one free checked bag:
- Delta SkyMiles Reserve American Express Card
- Delta SkyMiles Platinum American Express Card
- Delta SkyMiles Gold American Express Card
Conclusion on Using Delta SkyMiles
One of the most efficient ways to earn Delta SkyMiles is to transfer points from Amex and/or Marriott. Delta doesn’t have many restrictive award flight rules but it’s important to note taxes and fees vary by the airline operating the flight. Most Delta Air Line partner flights can be searched on delta.com. With that said, you can unlock value with your miles by booking economy-class flights to South America, Africa, and the Middle East.
