{"id":165783,"date":"2026-06-24T16:00:05","date_gmt":"2026-06-24T16:00:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/awardwallet.com\/blog\/?p=165783"},"modified":"2026-06-24T16:00:05","modified_gmt":"2026-06-24T16:00:05","slug":"buy-delta-miles","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/awardwallet.com\/airlines\/delta-skymiles\/buy-delta-miles\/","title":{"rendered":"When Does It Make Sense to Buy Delta SkyMiles?"},"content":{"rendered":"

Delta SkyMiles is one of the most popular mileage currencies. Thanks to the airline's massive partnership with American Express, travelers can earn miles through Delta credit cards<\/a> or by transferring points from Amex Membership Rewards<\/a>.<\/p>\n

However, if you don't have enough SkyMiles or Membership Rewards points for an upcoming redemption, you can also buy Delta SkyMiles. Here's everything you need to know about buying SkyMiles, including how much they cost and whether it makes sense.<\/p>\n

Who Should Buy Points and Miles?<\/span><\/h2>\n

If you're familiar with our stance on buying points and miles<\/a>, you'll know that we only recommend it in specific instances. Unless a discount or bonus promotion is available and <\/em>you know exactly how you plan to use your purchased miles, we typically advise against doing so. More often than not, it's tough to redeem points for more than their cost.<\/p>\n

Just because an airline or hotel is running a promotion doesn't automatically mean you should reach for your wallet. Instead, we prefer to earn our points and miles organically. For most currencies, you're better off building your stash by leveraging top credit card offers<\/a>, promotions, and maximizing transfer partners.<\/p>\n

However, buying points and miles has a place in a broader points and miles strategy for two reasons. The first is that you can sometimes book an award ticket by buying miles at a lower price than purchasing the ticket outright. Second, if you only need a few more miles to top off your balance for a redemption, purchasing miles might be the quickest option. Doing the math before purchasing is critical to ensure you're getting a value you're happy with.<\/p>\n

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Credit: Delta Air Lines<\/em><\/enter><\/figure>\n

Related: The Beginner's Guide to Buying Points and Miles<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

How to Buy Delta Miles<\/span><\/h2>\n

Buying Delta miles is quite straightforward. Head to the buy miles section<\/a> of the Delta website. From there, select the number of miles you want to buy. Add them to your cart and complete your purchase.<\/p>\n

Although it's easy to buy miles, there are a few things to keep in mind. You can buy up to 60,000 SkyMiles per year in increments of 2,000 SkyMiles.\u00a0Purchases are billed in USD and are subject to a 7.5% U.S. federal excise tax, with an additional 5% GST and other taxes for Canadian residents.<\/p>\n

All miles purchases are final, fees are non-refundable, and completed transactions cannot be reversed. You must be a SkyMiles member, and your account must be open for at least 10 days with at least one automatically posted mile before you can purchase miles. Your purchase doesn't count toward Medallion Status or Million Miler credit.<\/p>\n

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Screenshot of Delta<\/em><\/enter><\/figure>\n

Can You Buy Delta Miles at a Discount?<\/span><\/h2>\n

While you'll frequently find promotions to buy American miles<\/a> and buy United miles<\/a>, Delta has only offered a buy miles promotion once.<\/p>\n

In late 2025, Delta offered a promotion to buy SkyMiles with up to a 50% bonus, which brought the cost of SkyMiles from 3.5\u00a2 per mile to 2.51\u00a2 per SkyMile. Maxing out the offer allowed you to buy 90,000 SkyMiles (60,000 base + 30,000 bonus) for $2,257.50. Although this is slightly better than the standard rate, it's still not great.<\/p>\n

Why We Don't Recommend Buying Delta Miles<\/span><\/h2>\n

When buying points and miles, the goal is to get “outsized” value by redeeming them for more than you paid. With Delta SkyMiles, redeeming them (in most cases) provides roughly half the value of what Delta charges to buy miles.<\/p>\n

To put this into perspective, AwardWallet users get the following value when redeeming Delta miles<\/a>, on average (per mile):<\/p>\n