In this guide, we'll cover every aspect of the program, including the top methods for earning SkyMiles, achieving Delta Medallion status, and redeeming SkyMiles.<\/p>\n
Page Contents<\/p>
- Overview of Delta SkyMiles<\/a>
- Snapshot of Delta's network<\/a><\/li>
- How to join the Delta SkyMiles program<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li>
- How To Earn Delta SkyMiles<\/a>
- Delta SkyMiles co-branded American Express cards<\/a><\/li>
- Transfer flexible rewards points to Delta SkyMiles<\/a><\/li>
- Fly Delta Air Lines<\/a><\/li>
- Fly Delta's SkyTeam partners and non-alliance partner airlines<\/a><\/li>
- Earn miles on everyday and travel purchases<\/a><\/li>
- Transfer hotel points to Delta SkyMiles<\/a><\/li>
- Delta SkyMiles Shopping and Dining platforms<\/a><\/li>
- Buy and gift Delta SkyMiles<\/a><\/li>
- Can you transfer SkyMiles to other members?<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li>
- All the Ways To Redeem Delta SkyMiles<\/a>
- What are Delta SkyMiles worth?<\/a><\/li>
- Redeem SkyMiles for Delta or partner airline flights<\/a><\/li>
- How to search for and book Delta SkyMiles award flights<\/a><\/li>
- Use Delta's flexible date view and price calendar<\/a><\/li>
- Booking a Delta SkyMiles award<\/a><\/li>
- SkyMiles award routing rules<\/a><\/li>
- Delta's booking, change, cancellation, and other fees<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li>
- Best Delta SkyMiles Sweet Spots<\/a><\/li>
- What Is Delta Medallion Elite Status and How Do You Earn It?<\/a>
- Delta Medallion status qualification requirements<\/a><\/li>
- Earn Delta elite status with credit cards<\/a><\/li>
- Benefits of Delta Medallion status<\/a><\/li>
- Delta Medallion Choice Benefits<\/a><\/li>
- Delta Air Lines Million Miler status<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li>
- Bottom Line<\/a><\/li>
- FAQ<\/a>
- Is Delta SkyMiles free to join?<\/a><\/li>
- How do you find your Delta SkyMiles number?<\/a><\/li>
- Do Delta SkyMiles expire?<\/a><\/li>
- Can I transfer points to Delta SkyMiles?<\/a><\/li>
- How long does it take to transfer Membership Rewards to Delta SkyMiles?<\/a><\/li>
- How long does it take SkyMiles to post after a flight?<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><\/ul><\/div>\n\n
Overview of Delta SkyMiles<\/span><\/h2>\n
Delta Air Lines is the oldest U.S. airline still in operation. It was founded as a crop dusting company in 1925 but began passenger operations four years later and hasn't looked back.<\/p>\n
Headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia, Delta Air Lines' traffic makes up most of its passenger throughput at Harstfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport — which continues to be the world's busiest passenger airport. Besides its central Georgia hub, Delta has hubs in New York City (both LaGuardia and JFK), Boston, Detroit, Minneapolis\/St. Paul, Salt Lake City, Los Angeles, and Seattle\/Tacoma. In short, the carrier offers extensive coverage across the United States.<\/p>\n
![\"Delta](\"data:image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP\/\/\/yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7\")
Credit: Izyan Sultanali\/Unsplash<\/em><\/enter><\/figure>\n Snapshot of Delta's network<\/span><\/h3>\n
Beyond its numerous domestic routes, Delta Air Lines has an excellent international network. As a founding member of the\u00a0SkyTeam airline alliance<\/a>, Delta has partner airlines on all other inhabited continents except Australia. Key partners in Europe and Asia allow Delta SkyMiles members access to most corners of the globe. In total, SkyTeam has 20+ members, with Aeroflot currently suspended.\u00a0Scandinavian Airlines (SAS) is the newest addition to SkyTeam<\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n
The Delta network and flight volume are both enormous. The carrier has over 290 destinations and more than 4,000 daily departures. The airline carries over 190 million annual passengers with a fleet of over 950 mainline aircraft, with plenty more branded planes in its Delta Connection partner fleets. It makes sense it is the world's #1 airline in terms of revenue.<\/p>\n
Even if you rarely fly Delta, the SkyMiles program can still be rewarding. Since Delta miles don't expire<\/a>, you have plenty of time to accrue enough to redeem. However, there are some clear pros and cons to choosing Delta SkyMiles as your primary loyalty program. We'll discuss this in detail below. First, let's dig into how to join and start earning SkyMiles.<\/p>\n
How to join the Delta SkyMiles program<\/span><\/h3>\n
The easiest way to join Delta SkyMiles is to head to delta.com<\/a> and click ‘Sign Up' near the right end of the top menu. After that, Delta will ask for some personal information, including your full name, date of birth, and gender. Then, you'll also provide an address, phone, and email as contact information before creating your account login info.<\/p>\n
Once enrolled, Delta will email you a welcome email with your SkyMiles number.<\/p>\n
Click “Sign Up” to Enroll in Delta SkyMiles.<\/em><\/enter><\/figure>\n You can also enroll your kids in Delta SkyMiles online. The only difference will be a checkbox confirming that you are the parent or guardian of the child under the age of thirteen.<\/p>\n
Joining SkyMiles is completely free. You can immediately start earning SkyMiles in a variety of ways after you've signed up. We also recommend that you install the Delta mobile app, which is a convenient way to manage your SkyMiles account. You should also add your Delta account number in AwardWallet<\/a>.<\/p>\n
Unlike most reward programs, Delta doesn't allow us to check your balance automatically on the website. The best way to ensure all your account details are tracked is to link the email<\/a> that is associated with your Delta SkyMiles account to your AwardWallet account. Another option is changing the email in your Delta account to the username@awardwallet.com email address you were assigned. Then, we'll update everything automatically and forward the emails to you.<\/p>\n
Related:\u00a0How to Track Delta, Southwest, United Accounts in AwardWallet<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n
How To Earn Delta SkyMiles<\/span><\/h2>\n
Of course, the most obvious way to earn Delta SkyMiles is flying with Delta \u2014 the old butt-in-seat method. But, you have plenty of other ways to add to your SkyMiles balance. These include a suite of Delta co-branded credit cards<\/a>, flying Delta partner airlines, transferring rewards points to Delta SkyMiles from other programs, and using SkyMiles shopping, dining, and travel portals. You also can buy Delta miles<\/a>, although rates are typically too high to justify this option.<\/p>\n
Delta SkyMiles co-branded American Express cards<\/span><\/h3>\n
Delta has one of the best co-brand credit card lineups among airlines. The carrier offers several different credit cards issued by American Express. All of the cards let you earn SkyMiles through spending, and all of them offer bonus SkyMiles as part of their welcome offers.<\/p>\n
Beyond their earning capabilities, the suite of SkyMiles Amex cards offers various benefits when flying with Delta Air Lines. These perks range from free checked bags and priority boarding to discounts on in-flight purchases. And except for the Blue Delta Amex, the other cards all offer a 15% discount on SkyMiles award bookings<\/a>.<\/p>\n
The higher-tier cards also provide annual companion fare certificates<\/a> and can even help you earn Delta Medallion status<\/a>.<\/p>\n
Here are the four Delta SkyMiles personal American Express cards:<\/p>\n
- \n
- Delta SkyMiles\u00ae<\/sup> Blue American Express Card<\/a><\/li>\n
- Delta SkyMiles\u00ae<\/sup> Gold American Express Card<\/a><\/li>\n
- Delta SkyMiles\u00ae<\/sup> Platinum American Express Card<\/a><\/li>\n
- Delta SkyMiles\u00ae<\/sup> Reserve American Express Card<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
And here are the three Delta SkyMiles business American Express cards:<\/p>\n
- \n
- Delta SkyMiles\u00ae<\/sup> Gold Business American Express Card<\/a><\/li>\n
- Delta SkyMiles\u00ae<\/sup> Platinum Business American Express Card<\/a><\/li>\n
- Delta SkyMiles\u00ae<\/sup> Reserve Business American Express Card<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
Depending on the card, you can earn 2x to 3x Delta SkyMiles per $1 spent on Delta purchases. Some of the Delta American Express cards also offer bonus miles in other select spending categories. The cards all earn 1x mile per $1 for all eligible non-bonus purchases.<\/p>\n
Keep in mind that American Express has a once-per-lifetime rule<\/a> for welcome offers on its credit cards. More recently, Amex added card “family” restrictions to Delta cards<\/a> that can limit you from earning welcome bonuses, even on cards that you've never had.<\/p>\n
Transfer flexible rewards points to Delta SkyMiles<\/span><\/h3>\n
Since Delta is a transfer partner of American Express Membership Rewards<\/a>, you can earn Delta SkyMiles with any Membership Rewards-earning card<\/a>. Points transfer from Membership Rewards to Delta SkyMiles at a 1:1 ratio, in increments of 1,000 points, and transfers between Membership Rewards and Delta SkyMiles are generally instant<\/a>.<\/p>\n
There are many Membership Rewards-earning cards out there, so we'll only highlight a few. At the top of the list is the American Express Platinum Card\u00ae<\/sup><\/a>. This premium travel card offers an excellent suite of perks for the frequent traveler, including<\/p>\n
Delta Sky Club<\/a>\u00ae <\/sup><\/a>access<\/a> for the primary cardmember when flying Delta that day. Plus, you can take advantage of its array of other perks and credits. Card members get 10 visits to be used from February 1 until January 31 of the next calendar year.<\/p>\n
Some other great options include the American Express\u00ae<\/sup> Gold Card<\/a>, which offers 4x points on restaurants worldwide (on up to $50,000 of purchases annually, then 1x) and U.S. supermarket purchases (on up to $25,000 of purchases annually, then 1x), and 3x points on flights booked directly with the carrier or through Amex Travel. Finally, there is The Blue Business\u00ae<\/sup> Plus Credit Card from American Express<\/a>, which offers 2x points on the first $50,000 of purchases annually, then 1x.<\/p>\n
Related: How To Transfer Amex Points: A Step-by-Step Guide<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n
Fly Delta Air Lines<\/span><\/h3>\n
Flying with Delta is the most obvious way to earn SkyMiles. Like many U.S. carriers, Delta awards members with miles based on the amount they spend, not the distance they fly. The base rate is 5x SkyMiles per dollar of base fare. Base fare is the airfare without including taxes and fees. Here are the earning rates:<\/p>\n
- \n
- General SkyMiles Members:<\/strong> 5 miles for every $1<\/li>\n
- Silver Medallion Members:<\/strong> 7 miles for every $1<\/li>\n
- Gold Medallion Members:<\/strong> 8 miles for every $1<\/li>\n
- Platinum Medallion Members:<\/strong> 9 miles for every $1<\/li>\n
- Diamond Medallion Members:<\/strong> 11 miles for every $1<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
It used to be easy to confuse redeemable SkyMiles (what you can use to book an award flight) with Medallion Qualification Miles. However, Medallion Qualification Miles are no more. You now earn Delta Medallion elite status through only Medallion Qualifying Dollars. We'll cover this in detail later.<\/p>\n
Earnings example<\/h4>\n
I priced out a round-trip flight from Portland, Oregon (PDX) to London Heathrow (LHR) via Salt Lake City (SLC) for $883.41. The base fare is $620.00, while the taxes and fees are $263.41. This fare would earn a General Member 3,100 SkyMiles (5 x 620). If I were a Platinum Medallion, earning 9 miles per $1, this ticket would net me 5,580 SkyMiles. Delta is clear with what your ticket will earn during the booking process.<\/p>\n
Flying Delta is the original way to earn SkyMiles.<\/em><\/enter><\/figure>\n Fly Delta's SkyTeam partners and non-alliance partner airlines<\/span><\/h3>\n
You also can earn SkyMiles from flying Delta's partner airlines<\/a>. Unlike when flying Delta, you earn miles based on the distance flown and fare class.\u00a0 The earning rates vary, so make sure to consult the chart for the specific partner you're flying.<\/p>\n
Note that if you ticket a partner flight through Delta (ticket number starts with 006), then you'll earn miles based on Delta's accrual rates, including Medallion status bonuses. If the flight is ticketed with another airline, you'll earn according to Delta's chart for that airline.<\/p>\n
The earning rates for Delta's Core Global Airline Partners, listed below, are the best of the bunch.<\/p>\n
- \n
- Aeromexico<\/li>\n
- Air France<\/li>\n
- China Eastern<\/li>\n
- KLM<\/li>\n
- Korean Air<\/li>\n
- LATAM<\/li>\n
- Virgin Atlantic<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
With the exception of LATAM, all Core Global Partners are SkyTeam airlines. And here are Delta's other partner Global Airline Partners:<\/p>\n
- \n
- Air Baltic<\/li>\n
- Aerolineas Argentinas<\/li>\n
- Air Europa<\/li>\n
- Cape Air<\/li>\n
- China Airlines<\/li>\n
- China Southern Airlines<\/li>\n
- EL AL Israel Airlines<\/li>\n
- Garuda Indonesia<\/li>\n
- Hawaiian Airlines<\/li>\n
- ITA Airways<\/li>\n
- Kenya Airways<\/li>\n
- Middle Eastern Airlines (MEA)<\/li>\n
- SAS<\/li>\n
- Saudia<\/li>\n
- TAROM<\/li>\n
- Vietnam Airlines<\/li>\n
- WestJet<\/li>\n
- Xiamen Air<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
Partner earning example<\/h4>\n
Let's look at earning with Air France, one of Delta's key European partners. Suppose I book a round-trip ticket between San Francisco (SFO) and Paris (CDG) in fare code W (Premium Economy) for $1,718.\u00a0 The round-trip flight distance is approximately 11,166 miles. Air France flights in fare code W earn 150% of flown miles as SkyMiles, so I'd earn ~16,749 base SkyMiles.<\/p>\n
This example highlights when it can be advantageous to book flights with partners when prices are comparable, as a Delta itinerary of the same cost would earn around half the number of miles.<\/p>\n
The partner earning charts also note whether the Medallion earning bonus applies. This is a “yes” for Air France (and all other Core Global Partners). A Platinum Medallion would, therefore, earn ~30,148 total SkyMiles in the example above (an 80% bonus).<\/p>\n
Earn miles on everyday and travel purchases<\/span><\/h3>\n
You can earn Delta SkyMiles from a variety of SkyMiles partners<\/a>. In several cases, you can earn miles by simply linking your account. This includes merchants like Starbucks<\/a>, Lyft<\/a>, and Ticketmaster. With Lyft and Ticketmaster, once your Delta account is linked, you'll earn 1x mile per $1 spent. You can earn miles on eligible Starbucks card reloads, too.<\/p>\n
You also can earn miles by booking a Delta Vacations package<\/a>. The number of miles varies, and Delta regularly offers bonus miles depending on what you book.<\/p>\n
Delta's partnership with Hertz is solid and includes benefits for Delta Medallions elites. General SkyMiles members earn 4 miles per $1 spent. But you can earn more as an elite:<\/p>\n
- \n
- Delta Silver members:<\/strong> 5x miles per $1 spent with Hertz, plus Five Star status with Hertz<\/li>\n
- Delta Gold members:<\/strong> 6x miles per $1 spent with Hertz, plus Five Star status with Hertz<\/li>\n
- Delta Platinum members:<\/strong> 7x miles per $1 spent with Hertz, plus President's Circle status with Hertz<\/li>\n
- Delta Platinum members:<\/strong> 8x miles per $1 spent with Hertz, plus President's Circle status with Hertz<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
Related: Delta and Hertz Improve Partnership With a Status Match & Enhanced Mileage Earning<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n
Transfer hotel points to Delta SkyMiles<\/span><\/h3>\n
While we don't generally recommend this, you can convert hotel points to Delta SkyMiles<\/a>. Delta partners with several hotel chains, including Le Club Accor, Radisson Rewards<\/a>, Marriott Bonvoy<\/a>, Hilton Honors<\/a>, and IHG One Rewards<\/a>. The transfer ratios vary, depending on the chain. Few transfers offer much value. Even transferring Marriott points 3:1<\/a> isn't a great deal, given the respective value of the currencies.<\/p>\n
From<\/div>To<\/div>Transfer Ratio<\/div>Min.Transfer<\/div> - Delta Gold members:<\/strong> 6x miles per $1 spent with Hertz, plus Five Star status with Hertz<\/li>\n
- Delta Silver members:<\/strong> 5x miles per $1 spent with Hertz, plus Five Star status with Hertz<\/li>\n
- Silver Medallion Members:<\/strong> 7 miles for every $1<\/li>\n
- Delta SkyMiles\u00ae<\/sup> Platinum Business American Express Card<\/a><\/li>\n
- Delta SkyMiles\u00ae<\/sup> Gold American Express Card<\/a><\/li>\n
- How do you find your Delta SkyMiles number?<\/a><\/li>
- Earn Delta elite status with credit cards<\/a><\/li>
- Redeem SkyMiles for Delta or partner airline flights<\/a><\/li>
- Transfer flexible rewards points to Delta SkyMiles<\/a><\/li>
- How to join the Delta SkyMiles program<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li>
- Snapshot of Delta's network<\/a><\/li>
![\"Delta](\"https:\/\/awardwallet.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/Delta-Plane-Featured-Izyan-Sultanali-Unsplash.png\")
![\"Delta](\"https:\/\/awardwallet.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/delta-main-page-search-300x76.png\")
![\"Earn](\"https:\/\/awardwallet.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/Featured-Delta-Air-Lines-tail-fins-300x240.png\")