Frequent flyer guide to Delta SkyMiles

Key takeaways

The Delta SkyMiles program lets members earn miles that are redeemable for flights to 1,000+ destinations in 160+ countries around the world.
As part of Delta’s membership in the SkyTeam airline alliance, SkyMiles can be redeemed for flights on Delta as well as all other partner airlines such as Air France, KLM and Virgin Atlantic.
You can also earn Delta SkyMiles by using a co-branded Delta credit card for spending or purchasing tickets with the airline and its partners.

Delta SkyMiles is the official loyalty program for Delta Air Lines, one of the world’s top airlines. The program provides members numerous benefits and savings. SkyMiles can be redeemed for multiple purposes including purchasing flights, seat upgrades and more.

Joining SkyMiles is easy and completely free to get started. Once you join, you can begin earning points and accessing special benefits right away. In this guide, you will learn about how to join the Delta SkyMiles program, co-branded credit cards that earn SkyMiles and ways you can maximize your miles.

It’s free to join the Delta SkyMiles program. The registration can be found on the airline’s website and submitted through the online membership form.

Once you’ve joined the program, you can start earning Delta SkyMiles in two primary ways — through qualifying Delta purchases and spending with a co-branded Delta SkyMiles credit card — though there are a number of other less-common ways to earn rewards as well.

How to earn Delta SkyMiles

Earn miles on Delta purchases

To earn miles on Delta Air Lines flights, you’ll need to sign up for the Delta SkyMiles program. Once you’ve joined, you’ll receive a SkyMiles number that you will enter each time you book a flight with the airline or its partners. If you log into Delta’s website before booking a ticket, your SkyMiles number will automatically be applied to your ticket purchase. If you’ve already booked your trip and you’re wondering how to add your SkyMiles number to an existing reservation, note that you can do this after the fact by accessing the “My Trips” tab on Delta’s website.

When you fly with the airline, you will earn a base rate of 5 miles for every dollar you spend on Delta-marketed flight tickets (Main Cabin and above). For partner flights, you may earn miles at a different rate. You can also boost the number of miles you earn by achieving Medallion Status, which allows you to earn up to 11 miles per dollar spent. There is no limit to the number of miles you can earn on a ticket.

Earn miles with a Delta SkyMiles credit or debit card

With Delta Air Lines credit cards, you can earn miles on everyday purchases. There are several Delta American Express cards for general consumers, all of which offer rewards programs and bonus miles for new cardmembers.

Delta SkyMiles® Blue American Express Card: You can earn a welcome offer of 10,000 bonus miles if you spend $1,000 within the first six months of card membership. Plus, you’ll earn 2X miles at restaurants worldwide (including takeout and delivery in the U.S.), 2X miles on Delta purchases and 1X miles on all other purchases.
Delta SkyMiles® Gold American Express Card: You can earn a welcome offer of 40,000 bonus miles if you spend $2,000 within the first six months of card membership. You’ll also earn 2X miles at restaurants worldwide (including takeout and delivery in the U.S.), 2X miles on Delta and U.S. supermarket purchases and 1X miles on all other purchases.
Delta SkyMiles® Platinum American Express Card: You can earn a welcome offer of 50,000 bonus miles after you spend $3,000 on your new card within six months of account opening. You’ll also earn 3X miles on Delta flights, Delta Vacations purchases and direct hotel purchases, 2X miles at restaurants and U.S. supermarkets (including takeout and delivery in the U.S.) and 1X miles on all other eligible purchases.
Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card: You can earn a welcome offer of 60,000 bonus miles after you spend $5,000 on your new card within six months of account opening. Plus, you’ll earn 3X miles on eligible Delta flights and Delta Vacations purchases and 1X miles on all other purchases.

Earn miles via other rewards programs

Another way to earn Delta SkyMiles is by converting rewards from another loyalty program to Delta SkyMiles. The best way to do this is through the American Express Membership Rewards program. You can earn Amex Membership Rewards points with any eligible American Express credit card and convert them to Delta SkyMiles in increments of 1,000 at a long-standing transfer ratio of 1:1. Keep in mind, American Express levies a small excise tax for U.S. card members transferring their points to Delta.

In addition to partnering with other credit card rewards programs, Delta offers a partnership with Starbucks. With this program, when you load $25 or more to your Starbucks account, you can also earn SkyMiles too. For example, loading $100 to your Starbucks Rewards account will earn you 200 SkyMiles.

Earn miles with partner airlines

Delta Air Lines has many airline partners you can earn miles with. However, Delta’s major partner airlines include:

AeroMexico
Air France
China Eastern
KLM
Korean Air
LATAM Airlines
Virgin Atlantic

Each airline has different rules on rewards and redemptions. For more information, check out Delta’s website to learn how partner airlines work with the Delta SkyMiles program.

Earn miles with other travel partners

Beyond airline partners, Delta has a number of cruise, hotel and car partners that allow you to earn SkyMiles. The frequent flyer program also offers vacation packages where you can pick up additional miles.

Delta Vacations

Delta offers all-in-one vacation packages that feature top hotels and exclusive experiences around the world. In addition to flight miles, you’ll earn bonus miles on every vacation package when you spend:

Up to $4,999: Earn 1,000 bonus miles per person for each booking
$5,000 to $9,999: Earn 5,000 bonus miles per person for each booking
$10,000 or more: Earn 10,000 bonus miles per person for each booking

SkyMiles Cruises

With SkyMiles Cruises, you can pick up SkyMiles on your next cruise. You’ll earn 2 miles per dollar spent on these bookings, and select cruises also come with bonus miles. Additionally, the SkyMiles Cruises website frequently features limited-time offers and cruise line deals, so be sure to check for current promotions.

Hotel partners

Booking with the following hotel groups will help you earn additional miles:

Airbnb: Earn 1X mile per dollar on qualifying stays
Marriott Bonvoy: Earn 1X to 2X miles per dollar on eligible charges
IHG Rewards Club: Earn 1X to 2X miles per dollar on eligible charges
Le Club Accor Hotels: Earn 2.5X to 12.5X miles for every 10 euros at qualifying hotels
World of Hyatt: Earn 500 miles per eligible stay
Langham Hospitality Group: Earn up to 500 miles per night (max. 1,500 miles) or up to 250 miles per night (max. 750 miles) on eligible hotel stays
Shangri-La Hotels and Resorts: Earn 500 miles per eligible stay or transfer Shangri-La Golden Circle points to SkyMiles at a ratio of 1:1

However, it should be noted that each chain has different terms and conditions, so be sure to check each policy beforehand.

Car partners

You can also earn SkyMiles while using the following travel and car rental companies:

Hertz: Earn 4X to 8X miles per eligible booking and depending on Medallion status
Dollar Car Rental: Earn 4X miles per dollar on eligible bookings
Thrifty Car Rental: Earn 4X miles per dollar on eligible bookings
Alamo: Earn 2 MPD with each qualifying rental
Enterprise: Earn 2 MPD with each qualifying rental
National: Earn 2 MPD with each qualifying rental
Lyft: Earn at least 1X mile per dollar
Turo: Earn 2,000 miles after you complete your first trip and 500 miles for each trip after
Europcar: Earn 60 miles per day
Carmel: Earn 2X miles per dollar, plus 100 bonus miles, on online reservations over $100 and 1X mile per dollar on online reservations less than $100
Sixt Rent a Car: Earn 500 miles for each qualifying rental

Like with Delta hotel partners, be sure to check each car rental partner’s individual policy for terms and additional ways to earn.

Other partners

Delta partners with other companies to help you earn more miles through qualifying spending, although some of these partner offers change over time. For example, you can:

Earn miles on reloads of $25+ in your Starbucks Rewards account when you link your Starbucks and Delta SkyMiles accounts
Earn 5,000 miles after your first two shipments of Vinesse Wines, plus 5X miles per dollar spent with every shipment thereafter
Delta also offers an eShopping portal and a Delta Dining club that make it possible for members to earn miles on additional types of eligible spending

How to redeem Delta SkyMiles

Redeem for flights

Redeeming Delta SkyMiles is simple when you want to buy a flight ticket. Booking through Delta will give you the option to pay with SkyMiles, cash or both.

Select “Book” on Delta.com or in the Fly Delta mobile app. Enter your trip information. Then, select the option to “Shop with Miles” on Delta.com or “Show Prices in Miles” if you’re using the Delta app. Remember that prices for all flight awards will be 15 percent lower once you become a Delta credit card customer.
Search for a flight. You’ll see the price in miles. Choose your flight(s) and complete your purchase with miles. If you don’t have enough miles to cover the cost of the ticket, you can switch from “Show Price In Miles” to “Show Price In Miles + Cash.” If you’re a Delta credit card customer, you can also redeem rewards starting at 5,000 miles for $50 off your flight on the checkout page.

Redeem with Delta Air Lines transfer partners

You can redeem SkyMiles on partner flights, which provides you with greater flexibility when it comes to purchasing your next flight. Partners you can book through Delta.com include Air France, KLM, Korean Air, and Virgin Atlantic. For award travel with Air Europa, Air Tahiti Nui, Czech Airlines and Kenya Airways, contact Delta Reservations.

Lastly, Medallion members or Delta SkyMiles credit card members who live in Japan can redeem miles for select Skymark Airlines flights. Make sure to read the terms and conditions and check Skymark’s flight schedule before booking.

Redeem during Delta Flash Sales

Delta routinely offers SkyMiles sales, allowing members to redeem miles for flights at a set discount if the member travels between the current offering of city pairs on sale for a specific time period. The list of routes on sale can be found on the SkyMiles Deals website.

For example, one of the recent sale offerings is a roundtrip award ticket between New York and Amsterdam for 50,000 SkyMiles.

Redeem in other ways

You can use SkyMiles for more than just flights. SkyMiles can also be used to:

Upgrade your seat
Purchase premium drinks
Redeem miles for checked baggage fees
Purchase a Sky Club membership
Donate miles through Delta’s SkyWish program
Gift miles
Buy gift cards
Buy magazines
Shop for merchandise in the SkyMiles Marketplace
Bid on exclusive opportunities, like VIP passes, classes and backstage access at events through SkyMiles Experiences

How much are Delta SkyMiles worth?

The value of Delta SkyMiles can be difficult to determine because Delta does not have a fixed award chart. Instead, the program uses a dynamic pricing system for award tickets that is based on multiple factors. According to Bankrate’s points and miles valuations, SkyMiles are worth around 1.2 cents on average.

The best way to get an idea of how much your rewards balance is worth is to play around with the Delta website to look for deals. For example, searching for a flight with destinations and dates that might fit your future travel plans will show you the price and then the number of SkyMiles needed for that flight.

Delta also lets members book with miles, cash or a combination of the two. However, members tend to get less value for their miles this way. For example, the same flight might cost 43,500 miles plus $12 in airline taxes and fees, 33,500 miles plus $192 with a cash and miles option or $577 if paying with cash only. While the person who redeems only miles for their flight is getting about 1.2 cents per mile for their redemption, the person redeeming with miles and cash is only getting 1.1 cent per mile in value.

Also note that Delta credit cards offer a “Pay with Miles” feature that lets you book an award with miles and make up the difference with cash if you prefer. You’ll get 1 cent per mile you redeem ($50 off with 5,000 miles) with this redemption option, and you can simply pay the difference with cash if you’re short on the rewards required for a booking.

Finally, be aware that Delta credit card holders can get a better rate with their miles through a newer program called TakeOff 15. Essentially, this promotion lets Delta credit card members get 15 percent off all award flights.

Delta SkyMiles Medallion program

Medallion Status opens up more opportunities for SkyMiles members, although the program perks you’ll receive depend on which tier you’ve achieved. There are four status tiers in the Medallion program: Silver, Gold, Platinum and Diamond. When you first join the program, you will be a SkyMiles Member. All SkyMiles members receive free access to Wi-Fi on planes, a new benefit rolling out to all Delta planes by the end of 2025.

For the Medallion status tiers, reaching them is based on Medallion Qualification Dollars (MQDs). You can earn $1 MQD per $1 spent on a ticket for a Delta flight operated either by Delta or one of its airline partners.

The first status tier, known as Silver Medallion, unlocks unlimited complimentary upgrades, priority boarding, waived baggage fees, a preferred Clear Plus membership rate and free selection of preferred Main Cabin seats. You’ll also earn 7X miles per dollar spent, rather than the standard 5X miles per dollar. Reaching this status requires $5,000 MQDs.
Along with the benefits and complimentary upgrades of the Silver tier, you’ll also receive Hertz car rental benefits and access to the full Sky Priority suite of services. This suite provides priority security line access, priority check-in and expedited baggage perks. You’ll earn 8X miles per dollar spent. Reaching this status requires $10,000 MQDs.
With Platinum, you’ll get all of the previous tiers’ benefits, plus customizable Choice Benefits. Choice Benefits allow you to pick an additional benefit from a list of options. For example, starting with the 2025 program year, you could choose to receive 30,000 bonus miles, give Silver status to a friend or family member, receive a $1,000 MQD accelerator towards the next Medallion Qualification Year, or receive a $300 Delta travel voucher. You’ll earn 9X miles per dollar spent at this level. Reaching this status requires $15,000 MQDs.
Diamond Medallion, the highest Medallion tier, offers all of the previous tiers’ benefits, plus higher-priority booking, upgrading and boarding; a complimentary CLEAR membership; and additional Choice Benefits options, such as Delta Sky Club membership, 35,000 bonus miles and more. You’ll earn 11X miles per dollar spent at this level. Reaching this status requires $28,000 MQDs.

Best credit cards that earn Delta SkyMiles

The Delta SkyMiles® Blue American Express Card is a great card to consider if you travel sporadically, prefer flying with Delta and are looking to get started with the SkyMiles program. You’ll earn 2X miles per dollar on Delta purchases and restaurants worldwide (including takeout and delivery in the U.S.) and 1X miles per dollar on all other purchases.

This card comes with no annual fee, no foreign transaction fees, a 20 percent discount on eligible in-flight purchases and an attainable welcome offer of 10,000 bonus miles after spending $1,000 within the first six months of card membership.

With the Delta SkyMiles® Gold American Express Card, the rewards and benefits you’ll receive can make the cost of membership worthy of considering the card. The card includes an annual fee of $150, but you’ll get a $0 intro annual fee for the first year. Plus, the welcome offer requirements are easy to meet — you can earn 40,000 bonus miles after spending $2,000 within the first six months.

As for rewards, you’ll earn 2X miles at U.S. supermarkets and restaurants (including takeout and delivery in the U.S.), 2X miles on Delta purchases and 1X miles on all other purchases. Other benefits include a $200 Delta flight credit after spending $10,000 annually, a 20 percent discount (in the form of a statement credit) on in-flight purchases, a complimentary ShopRunner membership, the first checked bag free on Delta flights, baggage insurance, car rental loss and damage insurance, extended warranty coverage and purchase protection. The card also provides access to the TakeOff 15 benefit which gives the cardholder a 15 percent discount on the number of SkyMiles needed to book an award trip.

If you’re a Delta loyalist looking for luxury travel benefits, you should consider the Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card. Although this card comes with a high annual fee of $650, frequent travelers can recoup the cost through the card’s benefits and perks offered. To start with, the card includes a welcome offer of 60,000 bonus miles after spending $5,000 in the first six months. You’ll earn 3X miles per dollar on eligible Delta flights and Delta Vacations purchases and 1X miles per dollar on all other purchases. The card also includes the TakeOff 15 benefit.

Frequently asked questions

Delta SkyMiles do not expire. As long as your account is active and in good standing, your points remain available for use. Keep in mind if a member violates the terms and conditions of the program, their account may be closed and their points forfeited.
You can gift your SkyMiles to up to four recipients at a time, and you can transfer your miles to up to four SkyMiles members at a time. This entire process can be done online via the transfer miles webpage. Terms and conditions, including transfer transaction fees, apply.
Yes, you can purchase Delta SkyMiles in 2,000-mile increments and a total of 60,000 miles per year.

The bottom line

If you’re a loyal Delta traveler, you’ll find plenty of opportunities to earn frequent flyer miles with the Delta SkyMiles program, an eligible Amex Delta credit card or both. That said, this program’s true potential is unlocked once you reach an elite Medallion status tier that includes luxury travel benefits and boosted reward rates. Starting in 2025, Delta’s Medallion status tiers are unlocked solely based on Medallion Qualifying Dollars (MQDs) which you can earn at $1 MQD per $1 spent on Delta-marketed tickets.

When booking reward flights with SkyMiles, Delta uses a dynamic pricing system that changes the number of miles required based on supply and demand. This can often result in a large number of points required to book a ticket, such as the example below for a reward flight between Chicago and Accra charging a whopping 410,000 miles for a 1-way ticket in Delta One.

While the number of points required can be steep, Delta’s program has no blackout dates, offering flexibility of reward space in exchange for more miles required.

Ultimately, the Delta SkyMiles program offers many ways to accrue points from flying Delta that can be redeemed for multiple offerings. Despite its high prices on some award routings, it can be a great program to consider. Just make sure to thoroughly compare the Delta SkyMiles program to general-purpose travel credit cards, airline credit cards and other airline loyalty programs so that you can find the best travel card and program for your needs.

For more travel tips and tricks, check out Bankrate’s travel toolkit.

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Frequent flyer guide to Delta SkyMiles

Key takeaways