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Like many of the world's largest airlines, Delta partners with a long list of airlines, banks, and other travel providers. These partnerships let travelers earn SkyMiles when they fly with other airlines, spend on a credit card, or leverage other partners.
Understanding these partnerships is important if you're a Delta SkyMiles enthusiast. They can help you earn SkyMiles and Medallion elite status faster. Plus, redeeming SkyMiles with partner airlines often yields a better value than booking Delta's own flights if you're traveling abroad.
Here's a look at Delta's current partnerships and how you can use them to your advantage.
Page Contents
Overview of Delta's Partner Airlines
Delta's roster of airline partners is extensive, which is a huge benefit for travelers who want to earn and redeem SkyMiles.
Delta SkyTeam Alliance partners
Delta belongs to the SkyTeam alliance, which is also home to 18 other airlines (excluding the currently suspended Aeroflot). The number of member airlines makes SkyTeam the second-largest airline alliance after Star Alliance. So, no matter where you need to go in the world, you can likely get there on one of these SkyTeam airlines:
- Aerolíneas Argentinas
- Aeromexico
- Air Europa
- Air France
- China Airlines
- China Eastern
- Garuda Indonesia
- ITA Airways
- Kenya Airways
- KLM
- Korean Air
- Middle East Airlines
- Saudia Airlines
- Scandinavian Airlines (SAS)
- Tarom
- Vietnam Airlines
- Virgin Atlantic
- Xiamen Airlines
Delta non-SkyTeam partners
Delta also partners with a handful of airlines that aren't SkyTeam members:
- AirBaltic
- Cape Air
- China Southern Airlines
- El Al Israel Airlines
- Hawaiian Airlines
- LATAM
- WestJet
Related: The Ultimate Guide to Delta SkyMiles
Earning Delta SkyMiles and Elite Status Credits With Partner Airlines
One of the most straightforward ways to earn Delta SkyMiles and Medallion elite status credits is to fly on Delta or a partner airline. Delta divides its roster of partner airlines into two groups: core and non-core.
You'll earn SkyMiles and Medallion Qualification Dollars (MQDs) at better rates on Delta's core airline partners than on non-core partner flights. Irrespective of their core or non-core designation, most of Delta's partners award SkyMiles and MQDs based on the distance flown instead of the price paid for the ticket.
The only exception to this rule are partner flights booked through Delta.com. If you book this way, you'll earn SkyMiles and MQDs based on the price of your itinerary, just as you would a Delta flight. This opens the door to strategically purchasing your airline tickets — buying expensive tickets via Delta and cheap tickets via partner airlines.
It's also worth noting that not every distance-based chart is identical. For example, what you'll earn on Aeromexico flights differs from what you'll earn on SAS flights. Consult Delta's partner earning charts for the airline you plan to fly with before you book to avoid unnecessary surprises when you see the mileage credit in your SkyMiles account.
Related: How To Credit Airline Miles to Partner Frequent Flyer Programs
Earning SkyMiles and MQDs on flights with Delta's core global airline partners
Generally, you'll enjoy the best SkyMiles and MQD earning rates on flights operated by Delta's seven core partners. As mentioned, each airline offers marginally different earning rates, depending on your flight class. These core partners are:
- Aeromexico
- Air France
- China Eastern
- KLM
- Korean Air
- LATAM
- Virgin Atlantic
Earning SkyMiles and MQDs on flights with Delta's non-core global airline partners
Delta has an extensive list of non-core partner airlines. Generally, the earning rates for flights operated by non-core partners are significantly lower than core partner-operated flights. You can view earn rates for these partners on Delta's website.
Delta's non-core partners include:
- AirBaltic
- El Al Israel Airlines
- Aerolíneas Argentinas
- Air Europa
- Cape Air
- China Airlines
- China Southern Airlines (through August 10, 2025)
- Garuda Indonesia
- Hawaiian Airlines
- ITA Airways
- Kenya Airways
- Middle East Airlines
- Saudia Airlines
- Scandinavian Airlines (SAS)
- TAROM
- Vietnam Airlines
- WestJet
- Xiamen Air
Earning Delta SkyMiles Through Credit Card and Point Transfer Partners
Outside of flying on Delta or a partner airline, you can earn SkyMiles by spending on a Delta credit card, converting transferable points to SkyMiles, or swapping your hotel points for SkyMiles. Delta also has a handful of non-airline partners you can earn points with.
Co-branded American Express credit cards
Delta has seven co-branded credit cards issued by American Express. For consumers and small businesses, a wide variety of credit card offerings with arrays of perks means there's something for everyone, from the most casual Delta flyer to the ultimate road warrior.
You can earn Delta SkyMiles on your daily spending across four personal credit cards:
(Terms apply)
- 2X miles per dollar spent on purchases made directly with Delta
- 2X miles per dollar at restaurants worldwide, plus takeout and delivery in the U.S.
- 1 mile on every eligible dollar spent on purchases
(Terms apply)
- 2X miles per dollar spent on purchases made directly with Delta
- 2X miles per dollar spent at U.S. supermarkets
- 2X miles per dollar at restaurants worldwide, plus takeout and delivery in the U.S.
- 1X miles on all other eligible purchases
(Terms apply)
- 3X miles per dollar spent on purchases made directly with Delta
- 3X miles per dollar at hotels
- 2X miles per dollar at U.S. supermarkets
- 2X Miles per dollar at restaurants worldwide, plus takeout and delivery in the U.S.
- 1 mile on every eligible dollar spent on purchases.
(Terms apply)
- 3X miles per dollar spent on purchases made directly with Delta
- 1X miles on every eligible dollar spent on purchases.
Or, if you run a small business, you have three additional options for Delta credit cards that reward your business purchases with Delta SkyMiles:
(Terms apply)
- 2X miles per dollar spent on eligible purchases made directly with Delta
- 2X miles per dollar on eligible U.S. purchases for advertising in select media (annual cap of $50,000 in eligible purchases)
- 2X miles per dollar on eligible U.S. shipping purchases (annual cap of $50,000 in eligible purchases)
- 2X miles per dollar on eligible dining purchases
- 1X miles per dollar on all other eligible purchases
(Terms apply)
- 3X miles per dollar spent on eligible purchases made directly with Delta
- 3X miles per dollar spent on eligible purchases with hotels
- 1.5x miles on eligible purchases over $5,000 (up to 50,000 bonus miles annually)
- 1.5X miles on eligible transit and U.S. shipping purchases*
- 1X miles per dollar on all other eligible purchases.
- 3X miles per dollar spent on purchases made directly with Delta
- 1.5X miles per dollar on eligible transit, U.S. shipping, and U.S. office supply store purchases, plus all eligible purchases after spending $150K per calendar year
- 1 mile on every dollar spent on all other eligible purchases.
Related: How To Choose the Right Delta Credit Card for You
Delta transfer partners
Delta's list of transfer partners isn't as extensive as that of other airlines. American Express Membership Rewards and Marriott Bonvoy points are the only widely accessible transferable currencies you can convert to Delta SkyMiles.
Amex has a long list of consumer and small business credit card products that earn Membership Rewards points. You can transfer your points to Delta at a 1:1 ratio. Just note that you'll pay a small fee of 0.0006 cents per point (up to $99) when transferring points to Delta and Amex's other domestic airline loyalty programs.
On the consumer side, you could use cards like these to earn Membership Rewards and then transfer those to Delta:
- 3x Membership Rewards® on travel
- 3x Membership Rewards® at restaurants worldwide, including takeout and delivery in the U.S.
- 3x Membership Rewards® on transit including trains, buses, ferries, subways, and more
- 1x Membership Rewards® on other purchases
(Terms apply)
- 4X Membership Rewards® Points at restaurants worldwide, plus takeout and delivery in the U.S. (on up to $50,000 per year in purchases, then 1X)
- 4X Membership Rewards® points at U.S. supermarkets (on up to $25,000 per year in purchases, then 1X)
- 3X Membership Rewards® points on flights booked directly with airlines or on amextravel.com
- 2X Membership Rewards® points on prepaid hotels and other eligible travel booked on amextravel.com
- 1X on other eligible purchases
(Terms apply)
- Earn 5X points for flights booked directly with airlines or with American Express Travel® (up to $500,000 in purchases per calendar year).
- Earn 5X points on prepaid hotels booked with American Express Travel®.
And for those who run small businesses, you have a few more options:
(Terms Apply)
- Earn 2X points on everyday business purchases such as office supplies or client dinners. 2X applies to the first $50,000 in purchases per year, 1 point per dollar thereafter. Terms and limitations apply.
(Terms apply)
- U.S. purchases for advertising in select media (online, TV, radio)
- U.S. purchases made from electronic goods retailers and software & cloud system providers
- U.S. purchases at gas stations
- U.S. purchases at restaurants, including takeout and delivery
- Transit purchases including trains, taxicabs, rideshare services, ferries, tolls, parking, buses, and subways
- Monthly wireless telephone service charges made directly from a wireless telephone service provider in the U.S.
(Terms apply)
- Earn 5X Membership Rewards® points on flights and prepaid hotels on amextravel.com.
- Earn 1.5X Membership Rewards® points on each eligible purchase of $5,000 or more.
- Earn 1.5X Membership Rewards® points on each eligible purchase with U.S. construction material and hardware suppliers.
- Earn 1.5X Membership Rewards® points on each eligible purchase with U.S. electronic goods retailers and software & cloud system providers.
- Earn 1.5X Membership Rewards® points on each eligible purchase with U.S. shipping providers.
- 1.5X earning rates are subject to a cap of $2 million in purchases per calendar year.
Related: All of the Cards That Earn American Express Membership Rewards Points
Delta hotel partners
While generally a poor use of points, you can convert various hotel points to Delta SkyMiles. The subpar transfer ratios make this one of the lowest-return uses of your hotel points. You'll almost always get more value from your hotel points by booking hotel award stays.
The exception is Marriott Bonvoy, which offers transfers to Delta at a reasonable 3:1 ratio.
You'll likely get more value from your Marriott points by redeeming them for hotel stays, but if you're striking out on properties to book, converting points to airline miles can provide fair value in the right circumstances. And it's worth mentioning that there are many ways to earn Marriott points — with collecting a sign-up bonus on a Marriott credit card being the top option.
Remember that, unlike transfers to most other Marriott airline transfer partners, you won't get 5,000 bonus miles for transferring at least 60,000 points.
Delta rental car partners
Delta has partnerships with most of the major rental car companies. You can use these partnerships to earn SkyMiles instead of rental car points. You can also book rental cars through Delta Car Rentals, but your rental may be less flexible than booking directly with the rental car company.
- Alamo: Earn 2 miles per dollar spent at participating locations.
- Avis: Earn 2 miles per dollar spent at participating locations.
- Budget: Earn 2 miles per dollar spent at participating locations.
- Dollar: Earn 4 miles per dollar spent at participating locations.
- Enterprise: Earn 2 miles per dollar spent on qualifying rentals.
- Europcar: Earn 60 miles per day.
- Hertz: Earn up to 8 miles per dollar spent on Hertz rentals, depending on your elite status.
- National: Earn 2 miles per dollar spent at participating locations.
- Payless: Earn 2 miles per dollar spent at participating locations.
- Sixt: Earn 500 miles per rental.
- Thrifty: Earn 4 miles per dollar spent at participating locations.
- Turo: Earn 2,000 miles on your first rental and 500 miles per rental thereafter.
Related: How To Get Rental Car Elite Status for Free
Other Delta partners
Delta has other partnerships you can use to earn SkyMiles when you're not traveling — here's a look:
- Energy Plus: Earn 5,000 miles after two months of Energy Plus service plus 2 miles per dollar on the supply portion of your electric bill. You can use Energy Plus in Illinois, Maryland, New Jersey, Massachusetts, and Pennsylvania.
- Uber: Link your SkyMiles account to your Uber account and earn miles on eligible rides.
- Starbucks: Link your SkyMiles account to Starbucks Rewards and earn miles when you add $25 or more to your Starbucks account.
- Ticketmaster: Buy tickets through Delta's Ticketmaster page and earn 1 mile per dollar spent, up to 2,500 SkyMiles per month.
You can also earn SkyMiles when you shop through the SkyMiles Shopping portal and dine through the SkyMiles Dining program.
Redeeming Delta SkyMiles With Partner Airlines
Delta has devalued its SkyMiles program in recent years, resulting in exponentially higher award fares for Delta-operated flights.
While not wholly immune to higher pricing, partner airlines have partially weathered the onslaught and continue to be a good use of SkyMiles. Let's look at two of the best-value redemption options on partner airlines.
Related: The Unofficial Delta SkyMiles Award Chart for Flights from the U.S.
Flights originating outside the U.S.
Starting your journey outside the U.S. is a creative way to extract fantastic value from your Delta SkyMiles. Here are a few examples of partner airline flights to showcase this stellar pricing.
You can redeem just 80,000 SkyMiles and $22 for a one-way business class from Ho Chi Minh City (SGN) to London Heathrow (LHR) via Delhi (DEL). You'd fly Vietnam Airlines business class from Ho Chi Minh City to Delhi and Virgin Atlantic Upper Class from Delhi to London.
Or, if you want to fly from Tokyo-Haneda (HND) to Paris (CDG), you can do so for an identical 80,000 Delta SkyMiles and roughly $27 in Air France business class.
Further, partner flights from the Middle East to Europe can be booked for just 42,500 SkyMiles in business class, like this flight from Dubai (DXB) to Paris (CDG) via Rome (FCO) in ITA Airways business class. You'll pay roughly $68 in taxes and fees for this ticket.
Long-haul flights to Europe and Asia from Mexico
Long-haul flights to Asia from the United States typically cost upwards of 360,000 SkyMiles (or more). But if you fly from Mexico to Europe or Asia on a partner airline like Aeromexico, Air France, or KLM, you can save big on these flights.
For example, a one-way business-class flight from Mexico City (MEX) to Madrid (MAD) via Amsterdam (AMS) costs 115,000 SkyMiles plus $105 in taxes and fees. This is a steal when compared to Delta's rates for business-class flights departing the U.S.
The same pricing applies to flights from Mexico to Asia, like this Aeromexico business-class flight from Monterrey (MTY) to Seoul (ICN).
If you have a lot of SkyMiles, it could be worth booking a positioning flight to Mexico and then hopping on one of these award flights to Asia or Europe.
Related: Best Uses of Delta SkyMiles
Final Thoughts
Delta Air Lines has a vast number of partners, including more than just other airlines. Part of what makes these partnerships so valuable is that you can use them to stretch the value of your SkyMiles with international redemptions.
From credit cards to crediting flights, you can take advantage of Delta's partner network to grow your SkyMiles balance in the air and on the ground.
For rates and fees of the cards mentioned in this post, please visit the following links: Delta SkyMiles® Blue American Express Card (Rates & Fees), Delta SkyMiles® Gold American Express Card (Rates & Fees), Delta SkyMiles® Platinum American Express Card (Rates & Fees), Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card (Rates & Fees), Delta SkyMiles® Gold Business American Express Card (Rates & Fees), Delta SkyMiles® Platinum Business American Express Card (Rates & Fees), Delta SkyMiles® Reserve Business American Express Card (Rates & Fees), American Express® Gold Card (Rates & Fees), The Platinum Card® from American Express (Rates & Fees), The Blue Business® Plus Credit Card from American Express (Rates & Fees), American Express® Business Gold Card (Rates & Fees), and The Business Platinum Card® from American Express (Rates & Fees)
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