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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.
Page Contents
- Best Ways to Redeem Delta SkyMiles
- Short-haul U.S. domestic flights from 5,000 SkyMiles (or less)
- Delta flights to Mexico, the Caribbean, or Central America
- Long-haul partner itineraries to/from Mexico City
- Flights to Europe from Asia and Australia
- Business-class flights within Asia
- Domestic flights in Delta One
- Partner awards from South America to Europe
- Earning Delta SkyMiles
- Final Thoughts on the Best Use of Delta SkyMiles
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 ā 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 ā 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 ā or 9,300 if you have an eligible Delta credit card ā 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) ā and many other cities in Africa in the Middle East ā 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 ā 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 SkyMilesĀ® 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 SkyMilesĀ® Gold American Express Card: Earn 80,000 Bonus Miles after you spend $3,000 in eligible purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months of Card Membership.
- Delta SkyMilesĀ® Platinum American Express Card: Earn 90,000 Bonus Miles after you spend $4,000 in eligible purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months of Card Membership.
- Delta SkyMilesĀ® Reserve American Express Card: Earn 100,000 Bonus Miles after you spend $6,000 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 SkyMilesĀ® Gold Business American Express Card: Limited Time Offer: Earn 90,000 Bonus Miles after spending $6,000 in purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months of Card Membership. Offer Ends 7/16/25.
- Delta SkyMilesĀ® Platinum Business American Express Card: Limited Time Offer: Earn 100,000 Bonus Miles after spending $8,000 in purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months of Card Membership. Offer Ends 7/16/25.
- Delta SkyMilesĀ® Reserve Business American Express Card: Limited Time Offer: Earn 110,000 Bonus Miles after spending $12,000 in purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months of Card Membership. Offer Ends 7/16/25.
(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 RewardsĀ® 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 RewardsĀ® points at U.S. supermarkets (on up to $25,000 per year in purchases, then 1X)
- 3X Membership RewardsĀ® points on flights booked directly with airlines or on amextravel.com
- 2X Membership RewardsĀ® 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 TravelĀ® (up to $500,000 in purchases per calendar year).
- Earn 5X points on prepaid hotels booked with American Express TravelĀ®.
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 SkyMilesĀ® Gold American Express Card (Rates & Fees), Delta SkyMilesĀ® Platinum American Express Card (Rates & Fees), Delta SkyMilesĀ® Reserve American Express Card (Rates & Fees), The Blue BusinessĀ® Plus Credit Card from American Express (Rates & Fees), Delta SkyMilesĀ® Platinum Business American Express Card (Rates & Fees), Delta SkyMilesĀ® Reserve Business American Express Card (Rates & Fees), Delta SkyMilesĀ® Gold Business American Express Card (Rates & Fees), American ExpressĀ® Gold Card (Rates & Fees), and The Platinum CardĀ® from American Express (Rates & Fees)
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Flight restrictions to Argentina have been removed and there is no more number of passenger limit per day.
Picked up the Delta Gold Amex for the 70k offer + $200, and already hit the SUB and got the miles in my account today. I typically fly American, but am now adding Delta as my alternate domestic program, since they have a large presence at my local airport, and are #2 behind American in Florida (and thus have a lot of flights). Looking forward to future travels.
Delta is leading the pack on COVID waivers and adjustments to elite requirements.
Great info. Thanks for rounding up all the deals. It’s a full time job trying to keep track of all the award/points.
Just applied for the Delta Skymiles 70K award card … not many direct flights out of my home airport but with miles that don’t expire and descent, from what i scanned domestic flights thought it was a good addition to my award programs.
I would love to fly Delta, but they almost never have the government fare out of my city.
Good article for a Delta newbie who rarely fly’s on this carrier.
Iām still new to this whole points thing with credit cards and airlines. Is it smarter to buy tickets with your points or use them for upgrades? Or only buy with points when flights are expensive? What is the strategy?
Here’s a great intro guide for you: https://awardwallet.com/blog/what-flights-can-i-book-with-miles/
But, to answer your question: it depends! Some travelers want to use their miles/points for travel no matter the value. Very much a “1 bird in hand vs 2 in the bush” mentality. Others of us are more discerning with when to use miles. I typically won’t redeem points/miles unless I’m getting an outsized value out of them. So, I’ll pass on using 10,000 miles for a $100 flight, but I’ll happily use 50,000 miles to fly in business class to Europe!
Can this be used on open jaw reservations?
The lack of international credit card options (exc Amex) is a real drag. The now-defunct AA card was a big plus for that program for non-US members.
The airline that starts that again would certainly become my preference.
Sad commentary on Deltaās program that one of the best usages is to buy drinks in the lounge. š
So many airlines cards that it’s almost impossible to have them all with the sole purpose of getting miles, considering that this is not a good time to travel, plus programs can devalue at any time, even though it may see attractive at first glance,I don’t think this option is worthy.
Thanks for this blog post. I obviously haven’t been making any big international trips during the pandemic but even before that, I was finding it difficult to redeem my Delta points due to their devaluation in Asia trips. This post is very helpful and I’ll keep an eye out for any good business-class Japan flights!
How often do those 2k-mile domestic awards show up?
Only recently have these been available. However, Delta seems to have expanded the range that award flights can cost. So, I wouldn’t be surprised to see this more of these in the future.
the pricing that airlines do is incomprehensible to me. at least, there are better opportunities for award tickets, as long as you do a lot of research.
I definitely would not use it to get bubbly on flights. To me that is a complete waste of miles.
Any easy way to find those 2K domestic hops?
Yes, you really need to get creative to make those SkyPesos work hard for you, but if youāre flexible and persistent you can find some decent deals from time to time….just donāt ever expect to fly in the front of the plane across the pond or to Asia for nothing short of extortion level amounts of points – numbering in the hundreds of thousands one way….nibbling around the edges is the best way to get value from this program.
Delta is one of my favorite airlines to fly. Wish they would continue blocking the middle seat a little longer.
Very useful info especially for the domestic flight part!
So true!!! Live Delta. But the frustration of trying to keep up with the deals and promotions is tiring. Plus it always seems that the deals are hardly out of markets that are easy to book. Almost nothing from PHL.
Keeping up with all of the airline info is exhausting. I appreciate the good information from this blog.
My mother and father are users of Delta Skymiles.
We hope to continue adding and to be able to make some trip either within Usa or Latin America.
Where can i download the mileage chart?
Thank you so much
Be careful I signed up to get the initial bonus miles with my new card, I made the purchases over the alotted amount in the first 3 months and they won’t give me the miles.
My wife got a targeted Amex Delta Gold mailer. It’s for 70k bonus miles and a $50 credit statement. She has had the same card in the past. The past card was activated June 2016 and canceled in May 2017. Are targeted mailers exempt of the Amex once in a lifetime rule? I clicked on the terms and conditions link and nowhere is the word “lifetime” mentioned.
Hey Jason, that’s an interesting development. Generally, there are not exceptions, but I also haven’t heard many cases of targeted mailers being sent out to folks not eligible for an offer. If the T&C don’t mention a lifetime limit, I’d say it’s worth a shot.
My family and I did this last November to Austrailia and New Zeeland and it was fantastic. All told, we were on nine different flights and I had to use a combination of miles from AA, United, and Delta but it was worth it.
Thank you for this – good info. I travel to Mexico each January but have never done a multi-leg search. Will definitely add a connection if it gets me business class for low redemption as advertised here.
it would be great if all airlines made it easy to redeem their points/miles for rewards, eg using accrued miles to pay for in-flight snacks & beverages, in-flight wifi, additional entertainment options, instead of asking for cash or credit.
I think the trick to booking Delta miles is book early. I was able to book a great flight to Singapore for 50,000 miles and all the travel was on Delta with great times and connections.
Yes, booking early is a very good idea.
The other one is when possible not to book in the highest season period.
Deltaās award pricing is odd and I still canāt figure it out. The lowest one way econ award seat from SEA to BKK is 70k. Iāve flown SEA to SAN RT for 10k. It doesnāt make sense to me?!
Personally I recommend using it to go from South-East Asia to either Europe or the Continental United States
There still seems to be some value here, especially the intra South American flights.
Regarding the Delta Platinum card, can you get it (with the bonus) more than once? I’ve already had it and cancelled it 2 years ago. Thanks!
One bonus per card, per person. But the business and personal versions are totally separate.
I predict a few of us might retire the moniker SkyPesos after learning a few ideas for redemptions in this post.
Living in NC, Delta miles are hard to use. Never can find an easy connection.
I have 20.8k orphaned Skymiles. What’s the best use for that?
That should cover you for a fair number of domestic trips. You might consider earning Amex Membership Rewards so you can top up your balance to the exact amount you need for a ticket. Amex will also let you buy points for $25 per 1k points if you call to make a transfer by phone. It’s only a good deal, however if you have only a small amount needed to complete an award.
The 5K short hops are excellent value. It makes the rewards club much more enticing for casual travellers – not everyone is accruing tens of thousands in miles every year. Affordable short hops are a smart way for Delta to get the loyalty of a huge swath of non-frequent flyers.
While one could obtain value from the Delta Skypesos program, one cannot do it on a regular basis if one has the information hidden from that person.
And just how does one get back from these one way flights?
In some cases you can buy the other flight if miles are limited. Low cost carriers like Norwegian do a good job of charging half the RT airfare for a one way. Otherwise, it’s possible to book the other one way with points. One ways are allowed with most programs, so booking two OWs allows you to book a trip when you don’t have enough for a round trip in any single program.
If you just have Delta, there are plenty of RT options in economy that can be booked with one of these bonuses, or you could always consider getting more than one card.
This is a nice informative post. However, I think that for the specific example you gave using Delta points on Aerolineas Argentinas, you should have used an airport that AA has a monopoly. Your example is Buenos Aires to El Calafate for 25,000 points round trip.
LATAM Argentina flies the same route, and with BA Avios last year I got the same routing for 20,000 points rt. Post-devaluation, it’s still 22,000 points.
Aerolineas does have a monopoly on many routes though, so DL miles are good value on those routes.
Great point. Always wise to compare options with all your points before you book.
Good idea. I’ll use it to go to Morocco.
Domestic Hops work great for us
Points 6 and 9 are the most advantageous for people not having lot of miles.
Booked two RT tix from KC to London for 42,000 pts each.
Very interesting information. Good to have some Delta Skymiles in your account as they don’t expire and if you’re lucky you can score some very good tickets for cheap.
My first choice is the Delta monthly flash sales!
You can also use VS to redeem DL flights.
I like the business class travel option to some of the world’s most exotic destinations.
I recently used 32,000 Delta miles each to book round trip tickets to Ireland from Chicago in peak season for four people AND
42,000 Delta miles each to book round trip tickets to Kristiansand, Norway from Chicago in peak season for two people. It’s almost like you
have to completely stumble across a deal with them though!
FYI – Morocco is misspelled in #5ās headline.
Thank you! Fixed
Value can be had, but Delta makes it increasingly harder and harder to find.
those 5k short hops seem harder and harder to find
I will definitely look into using my Delta miles for that Japan option. I would love to go back!
The domestic hops are a great idea. Any chance you could do the same write up for AA?
I like the idea of travelling in business class on to some of the world’s most exotic destinations.
I like the options to the Caribbean and Mexico. Can find value there sometimes. Of course, you can do that with just about any airline, so it’s not unique to Delta. But an option is an option.
I am looking forward to using mine for Virgin Atlantic Upper Class. I always hear good things and just a few bad ones.
Any opinions?
Great use of Skymiles to fly Virgin Atlantic. Also at the sky club. Thanks!
The domestic hops are great value!
Too bad they did away with the Krug in the lounges, what a great redemption for 10,000 skymiles.
I love that! Thanks for the information!
love the suggestion to fly on F to mexico!!
Perhaps 50000 miles would be a more practical premise for this post. In any event, while informative, who exactly has 80,000 miles on Delta and just doesn’t know what to do?
Fair point! The title “use-60,000-to-80,000-skymiles” seemed a bit too long. But the goal was to cover options you could get with many of the current welcome bonuses.
I especailly like that you can get 75,000-mile partner awards flying Virgin Atlantic. Good airline.
Too bad I cannot get any more AMEX DL promos.
Lol I need to try using my skymiles for drinks in the lounges.
You can drink the value
I never considered #8
Thanks
Great tips. I am now reconsidering if Delta Skymiles could actually be of some use. For domestic flights, Skymiles good. Internationally generally bad. Very bad.
I’d actually argue the opposite is true. I have always found much better value, and opportunity, using Skymiles for international partner awards, than for domestic flights on DL metal.
Using the Delta miles for Virgin Atlantic Upper Class is something that is very interesting to me. Thanks for the hint.
I’m all hub where I live (without traveling a few hours), but thanks for pointing out that 5000 mile options exist. I might try to find a way to make use of these in the future.
Regarding using miles for alcohol in lounges. I’m a cheapskate, and free (or what’s included) always works.
I used 9,000 miles to get to the Bahamas.
Delta doesnt fly much from my airport, but maybe they will add in future
Not many flights offered in my home airport from Delta. š
I use the 5000 miles for short hop flights all the time. Currently, have booked 5000 miles for each way from MCO to IND thru ATL for September flights. It is a great feature for using Delta SkyMiles.
I personally would not redeem my SkyMiles for a penny a piece unless I wanted to close out my SkyMiles balance. Why not just use a 2% cash back credit card?
Good information about partner airlines. Thanks.
Sky miles are so hard to use….
Is it possible to redeem Amex SKymiles for a statement credit? How much is 70,000 miles worth as cashback (statement credit)?
No, turning the miles into a statement credit is not possible