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Delta SkyMiles can be difficult to love. However, despite their devaluations and astronomically high award pricing typically found in business class redemptions, the program has plenty of hidden value. Some high-quality sweet spots make earning SkyMiles a worthwhile endeavor.
With research and patience, SkyMiles can help you fly anywhere in the Delta or SkyTeam network. Let's dive into the seven best ways to redeem Delta SkyMiles.
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Best Ways to Redeem Delta SkyMiles
While Delta doesn't publish an official award chart, AwardWallet has pieced together an unofficial Delta SkyMiles award chart to give travelers a reference point to know what is and isn't a good redemption. Here are some of the best redemptions we've found in this research.
Short-haul U.S. domestic flights from 5,000 SkyMiles (or less)
If you don't have that many SkyMiles to burn, you're not out of luck. An economical use of Delta SkyMiles is on short-haul U.S. domestic flights. And if you have an eligible Delta credit card, you can find even cheaper flights.
As a perk of almost every Delta co-branded American Express credit card, you can save 15% on Delta-operated award flights. Courtesy of the TakeOff 15 benefit, cheap awards become even cheaper, stretching your miles further.
For some inspiration, you can fly from Los Angeles (LAX) to Las Vegas (LAS) for 4,500 SkyMiles in basic economy — or just 3,800 if you hold an eligible Delta card. This pricing is available on various dates throughout the year, at the time of writing.
If Las Vegas isn't your thing, you can fly one-way from New York (LGA) to Chicago-O'Hare (ORD) for just 7,500 SkyMiles — or 6,300, courtesy of the TakeOff 15 perk.
Delta flights to Mexico, the Caribbean, or Central America
We've already touched on short-haul domestic Delta flights being a valuable use of miles, but we're not done with Delta. The airline offers compelling redemptions for flights from the United States to Mexico, the Caribbean, and South America — traditionally expensive places to visit, depending on when you're traveling.
Delta offers flights to numerous destinations for well under 10,000 SkyMiles. Plus, the TakeOff 15 cardholder benefit can discount a 9,500-SkyMiles flight from New York (LGA) to Los Cabos (SJD) via Detroit (DTW) to just 8,000 SkyMiles.
Fancy the Bahamas instead? If you fly directly from Boston (BOS) to Nassau (NAS) for 8,000 Delta SkyMiles with the TakeOff 15 benefit.
Further south lies the country of El Salvador. Say you look for an award ticket out of Los Angeles; you'll redeem 11,000 SkyMiles — or 9,300 if you have an eligible Delta credit card — on select dates.
Long-haul partner itineraries to/from Mexico City
Ever wanted to visit South Africa? One of the best ways to get there involves redeeming Delta SkyMiles. But a caveat: You must start or end your journey in Mexico City (MEX) for the best price.
For example, you can fly from MEX to Paris (CDG) in Aeromexico business class, then connect to Johannesburg (JNB) in Air France business class for 110,000 SkyMiles. That's often three times less than you'd pay for a similar Delta-operated award!
But you're not limited to South Africa. Flights to Dubai (DXB) — and many other cities in Africa in the Middle East — cost just 120,000 SkyMiles in business class. Run your own searches and see if your desired destination is available for a similar price.
Flights to Europe from Asia and Australia
We'll have to spin the globe and focus on Australia for another high-quality use of SkyMiles. You can fly from Australia to Europe in fantastic business-class products for as few as 90,000 Delta SkyMiles. This is a great way to get across the world in style for a minimal amount of miles.
Delta SkyMiles routinely are worth more for partner flights between non-U.S. countries; this is a great example. Familiarizing yourself with Delta's roster of partner airlines and redeeming miles for international partner flights is one of the best ways to ensure you're extracting maximum value from your SkyMiles.
Similarly, you can trek from Southeast Asia to Europe for an even more reasonable sum of SkyMiles. For instance, if you booked an award flight from Ho Chi Minh City (SGN) to Frankfurt (FRA), you'd redeem just 80,000 SkyMiles and enjoy over 13 hours in Vietnam Airlines business class.
Or, you could depart from Kuala Lumpur (KUL) and connect in Jeddah (JED) en route to Amsterdam (AMS) for the same price.
Business-class flights within Asia
Piecing together a round-the-world trip? Your SkyMiles can be handy on long-haul flights within Asia. For example, a one-stop award ticket between Kuala Lumpur (KUL) to Tokyo-Narita (NRT) via Hanoi (HAN) costs 40,000 Delta SkyMiles in business class on Vietnam Airlines.
Or, if you originate in Seoul (ICN), you can fly nonstop to Bali (DPS) for the same amount in Garuda Indonesia business class.
Domestic flights in Delta One
Delta operates dozens of routes within the United States every month with its internationally configured airplanes. Think Airbus A350s, A330s, and Boeing 767s, with some featuring Delta's best business class seats. Even better, you can book one of these flights with Delta SkyMiles.
Wondering which routes feature wide-body planes? We've got you covered. Every month, AwardWallet publishes the complete list of domestic routes on which Delta puts its best airplanes. Depending on the route, you can reserve one of these seats for a reasonable amount of SkyMiles.
Partner awards from South America to Europe
For 105,000 Delta SkyMiles, you can fly one-way from South America to Europe (or vice versa). Even better, that's more than 11 hours in a lie-flat business-class seat. KLM and Air France operate daily frequencies between a handful of South American countries and their European hubs — all bookable for a solid price.
So, if you can make an extended vacation from a trip to Argentina, you can fly the long way to Europe in greater comfort and for a better price than if you booked a Delta award ticket from the U.S. to Europe.
Earning Delta SkyMiles
The easiest way to earn a boatload of Delta SkyMiles is by banking a sizeable welcome bonus on one (or two) Delta Amex cards. After meeting the minimum spending requirement, you'll have tons of miles to work with! Then, it's time to put them to good use.
Personal Delta credit card welcome offers
- Delta SkyMiles® Blue American Express Card: Earn 10,000 bonus miles after you spend $1,000 in purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months.
- Delta SkyMiles® Gold American Express Card: 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.
- Delta SkyMiles® Platinum American Express Card: 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.
- Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card: 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.
(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.
Business Delta credit card welcome offers
- Delta SkyMiles® Gold Business American Express Card: Earn 60,000 Bonus Miles after spending $4,000 in purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months of Card Membership.
- Delta SkyMiles® Platinum Business American Express Card: Earn 70,000 Bonus Miles after spending $6,000 in purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months of Card Membership.
- Delta SkyMiles® Reserve Business American Express Card: Earn 80,000 Bonus Miles after spending $10,000 in purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months of Card Membership.
(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)
- 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.
Earn Amex points that transfer to Delta
You can also transfer Amex Membership Rewards points to Delta at a 1:1 transfer ratio. That means you can effectively stock up on Delta SkyMiles by getting any of the following cards:
(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)
- 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®.
If you've tapped out all other options and need just a few more miles, consider buying Delta miles.
Related: Which Delta Credit Card Is Right for You?
Final Thoughts on the Best Use of Delta SkyMiles
If you've got an account full of SkyMiles, there are plenty of fantastic ways to redeem them for award travel to some unique worldwide destinations. All it takes is a bit of research and some patience, and you'll be well on your way to booking your next award flight.
For rates and fees of the cards mentioned in this post, please visit the following links: Delta SkyMiles® Gold American Express Card (Rates & Fees), Delta SkyMiles® Platinum American Express Card (Rates & Fees), Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card (Rates & Fees), The Blue Business® Plus Credit Card from American Express (Rates & Fees), Delta SkyMiles® Platinum Business American Express Card (Rates & Fees), Delta SkyMiles® Reserve Business American Express Card (Rates & Fees), Delta SkyMiles® Gold Business American Express Card (Rates & Fees), American Express® Gold Card (Rates & Fees), and The Platinum Card® from American Express (Rates & Fees)
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