One of the most popular frequent flyer programs is Delta SkyMiles, the loyalty program of Delta Air Lines. TPG’s September 2024 valuations peg Delta SkyMiles at 1.2 cents apiece, and you can redeem them for flights, upgrades, hotels and more. You’ll typically get the most value from your miles if you snag one of Delta’s frequent flash sales, which offer discounted award flights domestically and abroad.
Whether flying or shopping online, earning SkyMiles is easy. Delta has a wide selection of cobranded credit cards, many of which are offering huge welcome offers right now that can help boost your SkyMiles account. Keep reading to find out more about the Delta SkyMiles program.
Related: Best Delta credit cards
What is the Delta SkyMiles program?
Delta SkyMiles is the loyalty program of Delta Air Lines. Joining the program is free, and your miles never expire. Delta SkyMiles has roughly 120 million members, making it the world’s largest airline loyalty program.
You can earn Delta SkyMiles through a variety of methods. Some popular ones include flying with Delta and its partners, spending on Delta’s cobranded cards, transferring points from American Express Membership Rewards, shopping through the Delta SkyMiles Shopping portal, dining out through the SkyMiles Dining program and partaking in various other promotions offered by the airline.
You can also earn Medallion Qualification Dollars to help you reach Delta’s four elite status tiers, which provide perks like seat upgrades, priority boarding and airport lounge access.
Related: How to keep your points and miles from expiring
Delta SkyMiles program partners
The members are:
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- Aerolineas Argentinas
- Aeromexico (its partnership with Delta will reportedly end in October 2024)
- Air Europa
- Air France
- China Airlines
- China Eastern Airlines
- Czech Airlines
- Delta Air Lines
- Garuda Indonesia
- ITA Airways
- Kenya Airways
- KLM
- Korean Air
- Middle East Airlines
- Saudia
- Scandinavian Airlines
- TAROM
- Vietnam Airlines
- Virgin Atlantic
- XiamenAir
Related: Delta Air Lines unveils 4 new routes, expanded service to Latin America
Other partners
Delta has several other partnerships beyond SkyTeam members, giving you numerous options for earning miles even when you aren’t flying with Delta or a SkyTeam airline. Nonalliance partners include:
- AirBaltic
- Cape Air
- China Southern Airlines
- El Al
- Hawaiian Airlines
- LATAM
- WestJet
Just note that each partnership has specific restrictions and requirements.
Related: The best websites for searching SkyTeam award availability
Delta SkyMiles elite status
The SkyMiles program offers four elite status tiers for frequent Delta flyers: Silver Medallion, Gold Medallion, Platinum Medallion and Diamond Medallion.
Earning Delta Medallion status
As of Jan. 1, 2024, Delta only uses Medallion Qualification Dollars as criteria for qualification — and the requirement thresholds have increased significantly in recent years. Delta also changed the way you earn MQDs through card spending, eliminating the MQD waiver benefit from eligible cards.
You can earn MQDs in the following ways:
Now that it’s harder to earn Medallion status, is it worth trying? Here are some key benefits of each of Delta’s status tiers.
Related: Is Delta Air Lines status worth it? What this disappointed soon-to-be-Diamond thinks
SkyMiles Silver Medallion
The lowest elite tier in Delta’s SkyMiles program is Silver Medallion status. As a Silver Medallion, you’ll receive:
- Complimentary first-class upgrades on domestic and short-haul international flights from 24 hours before departure
- Upgrades to Comfort+ within 24 hours of departure
- Priority boarding (Zone 5) and check-in
- One complimentary checked bag
SkyMiles Gold Medallion
Next up is Gold Medallion status, which will give you:
- Complimentary first-class upgrades on domestic and short-haul international flights from three days before departure
- SkyPriority status
- Upgrades to Comfort+ within three days of departure
- Waived fees on same-day confirmed changes
- Two complimentary checked bags (within the U.S. and Canada)
SkyMiles Platinum Medallion
The third tier in the SkyMiles program is Platinum Medallion. In addition to the previously mentioned Silver Medallion and Gold Medallion perks, you’ll get the following:
- Complimentary first-class upgrades on domestic flights and short-haul international flights from five days before departure
- Upgrades to Comfort+ at the time of booking
- Three complimentary checked bags (within the U.S. and Canada)
- Your pick of a Choice Benefit
SkyMiles Diamond Medallion
Finally, the highest publicly available tier in the SkyMiles program is Diamond Medallion. Diamond members get everything detailed above, plus some even better perks:
Delta also has an invitation-only status called Delta 360 — but this tier remains somewhat mysterious since Delta doesn’t publish any information on its benefits or how to earn it.
Related: Delta 360 status: What it is and how to earn the invite-only elite status
How to earn SkyMiles
There are several ways to earn Delta SkyMiles. The easiest ways are flying Delta-operated flights, traveling with a SkyTeam partner and opening a Delta cobranded credit card. You can also earn miles through everyday activities like shopping and dining.
Earn SkyMiles by flying
When you fly Delta on a Delta-issued ticket in the main cabin or above (basic economy fares don’t earn miles), you’ll earn SkyMiles based on the base price of your ticket. The higher your status tier, the faster you’ll earn miles.
- General member: 5 miles per dollar
- Silver Medallion: 7 miles per dollar
- Gold Medallion: 8 miles per dollar
- Platinum Medallion: 9 miles per dollar
- Diamond Medallion: 11 miles per dollar
In practice, this means that if you buy a one-way flight from New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) to Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) for $250 before taxes, you’ll earn 1,250 SkyMiles as a general member. However, you’ll earn 1,750 miles as a Silver Medallion and a whopping 2,750 miles if you’re a Diamond Medallion.
Another way to earn miles is by flying Delta’s partner airlines, but how you earn those miles depends on how you booked the ticket. For example, when you book partner airline tickets on Delta’s website, you’ll earn miles the same way as you would on a Delta-operated flight.
Meanwhile, if you book a partner flight on the carrier’s website (for example, Air France) and add your Delta SkyMiles number, you’ll earn miles based on a percentage of the distance flown. The exact number of SkyMiles you’ll receive varies based on the partner, booking class and your elite status.
Related: When you will (and won’t) earn miles on your flight
Earn SkyMiles through credit cards
There’s a Delta credit card for everyone — the loyalist, the business traveler and even the infrequent flyer. All of them except the Delta SkyMiles® Blue American Express Card offer the following perks:
Each card offers some additional perks for travelers. Here’s a look at some of the best Delta SkyMiles credit cards from American Express. (Terms apply.)
| Credit card | Annual fee | Welcome bonus | TPG’s valuation (per September 2024 valuations) | Notable perks |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Delta SkyMiles® Gold American Express Card | $0 introductory annual fee for the first year, then $150 (see rates and fees) | Earn 80,000 bonus miles after spending $3,000 on purchases in the first six months of card membership. | $960 |
|
| Delta SkyMiles® Platinum American Express Card | $350 (see rates and fees) | Earn 90,000 bonus miles after spending $4,000 on purchases in the first six months of card membership. | $1,080 |
Enrollment is required for some benefits. |
| Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card | $650 (see rates and fees) | Earn 100,000 bonus miles after spending $6,000 on purchases in the first six months of card membership. | $1,200 |
Enrollment is required for some benefits. |
| Delta SkyMiles® Gold Business American Express Card | $0 introductory annual fee for the first year, then $150 (see rates and fees) |
Earn 90,000 bonus miles after spending $6,000 on purchases in the first six months of card membership. |
$1,080 |
|
| Delta SkyMiles® Platinum Business American Express Card | $350 (see rates and fees) | Earn 100,000 bonus miles after spending $8,000 on purchases in the first six months of card membership. | $1,200 |
|
| Delta SkyMiles® Reserve Business American Express Card | $650 (see rates and fees) |
Earn 110,000 bonus miles after spending $12,000 on purchases in the first six months of card membership. |
$1,320 |
Enrollment is required for some benefits. |
Related: 5 things you need to know about Delta SkyMiles
Earn SkyMiles through shopping portals
One of the easiest ways to earn SkyMiles is through Delta’s online shopping portal, Delta SkyMiles Shopping. You can earn miles for purchases you would ordinarily make with over a thousand merchants online.
If you don’t already have an account, you must register using your SkyMiles number. Then, you can use the search box to find the store or product you’re looking for and compare prices and mileage rates at different merchants. You can also favorite stores, so you’ll be notified when those stores offer bonus miles.
After selecting your merchant, click on the store, product or offer, and you’ll be taken to the store’s website to shop and check out. The store will alert the portal when you’ve made a purchase, and the miles you earned will be added to your SkyMiles account. You’ll receive a confirmation email when your miles have been posted — this is typically within three to five days, but it can take up to 15 days.
Almost every major airline has a shopping portal, so use a shopping portal aggregator to ensure you get the best deal when you shop online.
Related: Your guide to maximizing shopping portals for your online purchases
Transfer Amex points to Delta
Finally, you can transfer American Express Membership Rewards points to your Delta SkyMiles account at a 1:1 ratio. We don’t usually recommend this because we value Amex points higher than SkyMiles. TPG values Amex points at 2 cents apiece, compared to only 1.2 cents for SkyMiles, per our September 2024 valuations.
It’s often difficult to get a higher value from Delta, thanks to dynamic pricing. You’ll also have to pay an excise tax offset fee when transferring Amex points to Delta (and other domestic frequent flyer programs).
Related: American Express Membership Rewards transfer partners: Maximize your points
How to redeem SkyMiles
Delta removed published award charts in 2015, becoming the first major U.S. airline to shift to dynamic pricing for award tickets. As a result, you will need to search on the Delta website or app to determine how many SkyMiles you need for an award ticket. Delta’s site is pretty easy to navigate, and its handy calendar feature can help you find the lowest prices for your next redemption.
We’ve generally found the best redemptions on domestic flights. With one of the Delta cobranded cards that offers a 15% discount on Delta-operated award tickets, you can sometimes book short-haul flights for under 4,000 SkyMiles one-way. That said, prices will vary by day, route and cabin class.
Note that Delta award tickets (excluding basic economy fares) are fully refundable, so if your plans change, you can redeposit the miles and get a refund for the taxes and fees you paid. This also allows you to rebook award tickets when the mileage price drops, securing a refund of the difference in miles.
Additionally, you can use your SkyMiles to book partner tickets on most of Delta’s SkyTeam and nonalliance partners. Unfortunately, these have now largely been aligned with prices on Delta’s own flights, minimizing the opportunity to get better value from partner awards, especially in premium cabins.
Related: How to redeem Delta SkyMiles for maximum value
Sweet spots
With Delta using full dynamic pricing across its route network, there aren’t many sweet spots to maximize the value of your SkyMiles. Nevertheless, there are a few good options out there.
Delta flash sales
Delta frequently runs SkyMiles flash sales to short- and long-haul U.S. destinations and cities in Europe, Asia and the Caribbean. We’ve seen some terrific deals for the main cabin, Comfort+ and first class. Past deals include round-trip flights to Europe for just 33,000 miles and fares to Tahiti starting at 60,000 miles.
Of course, these cheap tickets aren’t always well advertised, so it pays to check availability often. Delta often prices short- and mid-haul award tickets for well under what other airlines would charge for similar flights. You’ll often find the best deals when booking in advance and traveling on off-peak dates.
Delta and LATAM economy flights to South America
Regardless of the class of service, cash flights to South America are rarely cheap, especially to Brazil. Delta SkyMiles members can book LATAM award tickets at reasonable prices, and it’s one of the better ways to use SkyMiles. For example, 66,000 SkyMiles can generally get you a round-trip itinerary from JFK to Sao Paulo-Guarulhos International Airport (GRU), and many of these flights are nonstop.
Related: How to get value from 5,000 or fewer Delta SkyMiles
Bottom line
With its operational performance, wide route network and numerous partner airlines, Delta is often touted by some as the best domestic airline. In fact, the carrier has taken the top spot in TPG’s analysis of the best airlines in the U.S. for the last five years. Although recent changes to award pricing and elite status requirements have disappointed many Delta loyalists, there’s still plenty to like about the Delta SkyMiles program.
Whether you’re a frequent Delta flyer or more of a casual customer, focusing on a mix of flying, using shopping portals and making purchases with Delta credit cards can increase your SkyMiles balance for your next redemption.
For rates and fees of the Delta SkyMiles Gold Card, click here.
For rates and fees of the Delta SkyMiles Platinum Card, click here.
For rates and fees of the Delta SkyMiles Reserve Card, click here.
For rates and fees of the Delta SkyMiles Gold Business Card, click here.
For rates and fees of the Delta SkyMiles Platinum Business Card, click here.
For rates and fees of the Delta SkyMiles Reserve Business Card, click here.