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Since Delta Air Lines eliminated its award chart in 2015, the SkyMiles program has become significantly more unpredictable and, at times, aggressively expensive. With business-class flights on long-haul routes costing more than 450,000 SkyMiles, it’s understandable to feel like your SkyMiles balance is undervalued.

But if you have a stash of Delta miles, they’re worthless. There are still great redemptions available, especially during the carrier’s award sales.

So, let’s explore some strategies to maximize the value of your Delta SkyMiles.

Redeem SkyMiles on Delta flights

You can use your Delta SkyMiles to book Delta, Delta Connection and Delta Shuttle flights. Delta uses dynamic pricing, so award rates can vary significantly. For example, in November and December, one-way main cabin award rates from Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (SEA) to Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport (ATL) are between 15,500 and 39,000 miles.

Even though Thanksgiving Travel awards prices on these dates, significant price volatility is common. Flexibility is important if you want to maximize your SkyMiles.

Taxes and fees on Delta tickets are generally reasonable. Expect to pay $6 in taxes and fees per person on most domestic and international tickets departing the US, however, Delta adds a carrier-imposed surcharge to many awards originating outside the US, particularly those originating in Europe.

Keep an eye out for SkyMiles deals

The best option to redeem Delta miles is to take advantage of SkyMiles deals. These deals usually apply to a specific city pair, so booking may be necessary Positioning flights to fully maximize this promotion.

Delta has previously offered flash sales with round-trip flights for just 5,000 SkyMiles. The airline also recently offered flights from Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport (ATL) to the Caribbean and Mexico starting at 14,400 Delta SkyMiles round-trip.

If you don’t have an immediate use for your SkyMiles, you may be best off saving them for the next big SkyMiles deal. Just be sure to keep an eye out Delta’s SkyMiles deals page.

Save at least 15% with select Delta credit cards

If you have an eligible Delta credit card, you can save 15% on Delta-operated award flights when you use your miles and pay taxes and fees with the card. This can be a great option to lower the price you pay on Delta award tickets — and the main reason to open (and keep) a Delta card in your wallet.

Read more: Best Delta Credit Cards

Rebook when prices drop (or cancel when your plans change)

For flights booked with Delta SkyMiles, as long as your flight is cancel-eligible, you can reprice your flight. The difference in miles will be credited back to your account without any fee.

You can cancel your award flight for a basic economy reservation, but you will have to pay the relevant mileage fee. For those flights, Delta will deduct 9,900 miles for domestic travel in the US and Canada and 19,900 miles for international travel. This fee is deducted from the price of your ticket, and any remaining miles are then redeposited into your SkyMiles account.

Related: Airlines That Offer You Credit If Airfare Prices Drop

Redeem Delta SkyMiles on partner flights

Delta is a member of the SkyTeam alliance and has seven Non-affiliated airline partners. This gives you more flexibility to redeem your SkyMiles on different airlines and routes around the world. Here is a complete list of Delta’s airline partners:

SkyTeam Partners

• Aerolinas Argentinas
• Aeromexico
• Air Europa
• Air France
• China Airlines
• China Eastern Airlines
• Czech Airlines
• Garuda Indonesia
• ITA Airways
• Kenya Airways
• KLM
• Korean Air
• Middle East Airlines
• Saudi Arabia
• Scandinavian Airlines
• Tarom
• Vietnam Airlines
• Virgin Atlantic
• Xiamen Air

Non-affiliated partners

• Cape Air
• China Southern Airlines
• Hawaiian Airlines
• Latum
• Mandarin Airlines
• Shanghai Airlines
• WestJet

No online award chart exists, so partner redemption rates can vary widely. For example, one-way business-class airfare from San Francisco International Airport (SFO) to Mexico City International Airport (MEX) ranges from a reasonable 45,000 SkyMiles to 130,000 SkyMiles. If you can find flights at the lowest level, this is a great way to redeem SkyMiles.

Another great option is WestJet-operated flights from the US to Canada. A round-trip award ticket in economy class still costs 25,000 miles plus $65 in taxes and fees, and availability is relatively wide, especially when you book in advance.

These flights regularly cost more than $500, giving you a redemption value of about 2 cents per mile.

Delta also has some attractive non-US partner sweet spots.

For example, if you’re flying from Asia to Europe, specifically Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport (TPE) to Rome Fiumicino Leonardo da Vinci Airport (FCO), you can snag this KLM and ITA Airways flight for just 80,000 SkyMiles plus about $46 in tax. are you And about 14 hours of fees in long-haul business class.

Alternatively, a flight from Dubai International Airport (DXB) to Paris-Charles de Gaulle Airport (CDG) in business class on Air France typically costs about $36 plus about 42,500 miles in taxes and fees.

Delta can increase these rates at any time, and has done so on several occasions. To get the current award price, you must contact Delta directly or search the website.

While Delta has tried to improve its website to display partner rewards, there can still be limitations, especially when booking mixed-cabin travel. The website often prioritizes Delta-operated flights, which may not be ideal if you have specific flight requirements. We recommend that you search for flights segment by segment and be prepared to call Delta if the website does not offer the desired trip options.

Related: Best Websites to Check SkyTeam Rewards Availability

Redeem Delta SkyMiles for an upgrade

You can too Use your SkyMiles to upgrade to a higher class of service. If you have a confirmed Delta-marketed and operated flight, you can pay cash or use miles to upgrade your flight directly on Delta’s website.

If you redeem your miles for upgrades using this method, you’ll typically get a value of about 1 cent per mile, which is lower than our September 2024 value of 1.2 cents per mile. This can be a viable option if you have a surplus of SkyMiles and no immediate plans to use them. However, as discussed in the previous sections, we generally recommend prioritizing award flight redemptions.

You can also use Delta miles to upgrade certain flights operated by Air France, KLM, Virgin Atlantic or Aeromexico. This option is subject to fare class requirements and is only available on select routes each partner operates. Please refer to Delta’s “Upgrade with Miles“For more details pg.

You also want to make sure that upgrade inventory is available.

Related: All the Tips and Tricks You Need to Use Delta Upgrade Certificates

Redeem Delta SkyMiles for Delta vacations

You’ll typically earn 1.15 cents per mile when you use your miles Delta Vacations Package.

For example, you can book a seven-day stay at Outrigger Reef Waikiki Beach Resort in Hawaii for $2,291.87 or redeem 199,293 SkyMiles, a redemption value of 1.15 cents per mile. Although this is slightly lower than our September 2024 valuation, it is not a bad redemption.

Related: Best Hotels in Honolulu

How to Earn Delta SkyMiles

You must have SkyMiles to avail the redemption mentioned above. Fortunately, there are many ways to increase your balance. One of the easiest ways Earn Delta miles using Delta’s co-branded American Express card. Here are some current welcome offers available for these cards:

• Delta SkyMiles® Gold American Express Card: Earn 80,000 bonus miles after spending $3,000 on purchases in the first six months of card membership.
• Delta SkyMiles® Platinum American Express Card: Earn 90,000 bonus miles after spending $4,000 on purchases in the first six months of card membership.
• Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card: Earn 100,000 bonus miles after spending $6,000 on purchases in the first six months of card membership.
• Delta SkyMiles® Gold Business American Express Card: Earn 90,000 bonus miles after spending $6,000 on purchases in the first six months of card membership.
• Delta SkyMiles® Platinum Business American Express Card: Earn 100,000 bonus miles after spending $8,000 on purchases in the first six months of card membership.
• Delta SkyMiles® Reserve Business American Express Card: Earn 110,000 bonus miles after spending $12,000 on purchases in the first six months of card membership.

Remember that all of these cards include access to the Takeoff 15 benefit, which will save you 15% on Delta-operated award flights.

You can also transfer American Express Membership Rewards points to Delta at a 1:1 ratio. You can earn these on transferable rewards such as cards American Express® Gold Card And Platinum Card® from American Express. However, you will be subject to excise tax offset fee.

Additionally, Marriott Bonvoy points transfer to Delta SkyMiles at a 3:1 ratio.

The bottom line

Although the value of Delta SkyMiles has decreased in recent years, there are still great deals to be found. While the program is moving toward a redemption value of 1 cent per mile, you can still exceed that, especially with SkyMiles deals.