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If you frequently — or even occasionally — fly with Delta Air Lines, you’ll want to know about the airline’s SkyMiles loyalty program. While it’s had its ups and downs in the travel rewards space, there are still some great rewards travelers can take advantage of. And, thanks to a large portfolio of Delta-branded credit cards, there are plenty of ways to earn miles to redeem for free travel.
Plus, you can also transfer points from American Express Membership Rewards® and Marriott Bonvoy to Delta, solidifying Delta SkyMiles as some of the easiest airline miles to earn without having to fly. And when it comes to elite status, Delta takes care of its most loyal flyers — what it calls Medallion members — with an extended list of travel perks and benefits.
If you’re looking to earn some SkyMiles for future travels or just want to know more about the program, here is everything you need to know about earning and redeeming SkyMiles and the varying levels of elite status.
How much are Delta SkyMiles worth?
Before looking at the ways you can earn and redeem Delta SkyMiles, it’s important to understand what they’re worth. Delta uses a dynamic pricing model for awards, which makes assigning a value difficult. However, frequent flyer website The Points Guy values Delta SkyMiles at 1.15 cents apiece.
The real value depends on how you redeem your SkyMiles. When demand is high, both paid and award rates often increase substantially, and you may not get the most value from your SkyMiles in these scenarios. On the other hand, Delta often runs award sales on its SkyMiles Deals page. While these sales often coincide with low-season travel, you can still get a great deal with your SkyMiles.
How to earn Delta SkyMiles
There are lots of ways to earn Delta SkyMiles. The most obvious way is to fly with Delta or its partner airlines and credit the flights to your account. However, you can also rack up miles from Delta-branded credit cards, by dining out and via the airline’s other travel partnerships.
Earn Delta SkyMiles by flying
As expected, the easiest way to earn Delta SkyMiles is when flying with Delta or its partner airlines. With each Delta or partner flight you take, input your SkyMiles number and you’ll earn miles in return for your business at varying rates.
Delta Medallion elite members earn more SkyMiles per dollar spent on flights than general members. Here’s a full breakdown of how many SkyMiles you’ll earn per dollar spent (before tax), based on your elite status level when flying with Delta:
- General SkyMiles members: 5 miles for every $1.
- Silver Medallion members: 7 miles for every $1.
- Gold Medallion members: 8 miles for every $1.
- Platinum Medallion members: 9 miles for every $1.
- Diamond Medallion members: 11 miles for every $1.
Delta will show you the number of SkyMiles you’ll earn for a flight on the check-out screen, so you don’t have to do the math on your own.
In addition, Delta has more than 20 airline partners with which you can earn — and redeem — SkyMiles. You’ll earn at varying rates for the different partners, but if you’re looking for a full list of the partner airlines, you can visit Delta’s dedicated page.
You certainly shouldn’t go out of your way to fly Delta if it will cost you more than competitors if you don’t have elite status with Delta. However, if you find that Delta has the best fares, add your SkyMiles number to your reservation to earn SkyMiles.
Earn Delta SkyMiles from Delta credit cards
Delta credit cards offer the fastest way to earn a large number of SkyMiles at once. Delta offers more credit cards than any other US airline, so there is bound to be one that fits your needs.
There are many options, whether you’re looking for a business credit card or a card with no annual fee. Delta cards typically offer generous welcome bonus offers, and with the right card, you can even spend your way to elite status.
Here’s a look at all the current Delta SkyMiles personal credit cards and their current welcome bonus offers.
| Welcome bonus offer | 70,000 bonus miles after spending $5,000 within the first 6 months of account opening. |
|---|---|
| Category bonus earning | 3x miles on Delta purchases; 1x miles on all other purchases |
| Welcome bonus offer | 60,000 bonus miles after spending $3,000 within the first 6 months of account opening. |
|---|---|
| Category bonus earning | 3x miles on Delta purchases; 3x miles on purchases made directly with hotels; 2x miles on dining and at US supermarkets; 1x miles on all other purchases |
| Welcome bonus offer | 50,000 bonus miles after spending $2,000 within the first 6 months of account opening. |
|---|---|
| Category bonus earning | 2x miles on Delta purchases; 2x miles on dining and at US supermarkets; 1x miles on all other purchases |
| Welcome bonus offer | 10,000 bonus miles after spending $1,000 within the first 6 months of account opening |
|---|---|
| Category bonus earning | 2x miles on Delta purchases; 2x miles on dining; 1x miles on all other purchases |
Keep in mind, too, that many of these cards carry an annual fee:
- Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card: $650 (see rates and fees).
- Delta SkyMiles® Platinum American Express Card: $350 (see rates and fees).
- Delta SkyMiles® Gold American Express Card: $0 annual fee for the first year, then $150 (see rates and fees).
- Delta SkyMiles® Blue American Express Card: $0 (see rates and fees).
Delta also has a number of credit cards that are targeted toward small-business owners.
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Delta SkyMiles® Reserve Business American Express Card
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|---|---|
| Welcome bonus offer | 80,000 bonus miles after spending $10,000 within the first 6 months of account opening. |
| Category bonus earning | 3x miles on Delta purchases; 1.5x miles per dollar on transit, U.S. office supply purchases and after you spend $150,000 on your card in a calendar year; 1x miles on all other purchases |
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Delta SkyMiles® Platinum Business American Express Card
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|---|---|
| Welcome bonus offer | 70,000 bonus miles after spending $6,000 within the first 6 months of account opening. |
| Category bonus earning | 3x miles on Delta purchases; 3x miles on purchases made directly with hotels; 1.5x miles on transit, U.S. shipping providers and purchases of $5,000 or more (up to $100,000 in purchases per year, then 1x); 1x miles on all other purchases |
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Delta SkyMiles® Gold Business American Express Card:
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|---|---|
| Welcome bonus offer | 60,000 bonus miles after spending $4,000 within the first 6 months of account opening. |
| Category bonus earning | 2x miles on Delta purchases; 2x miles on dining, U.S. shipping purchases and advertising in select media (up to $50,000 in each category per year, then 1x); 1x miles on all other purchases |
Similar to the personal cards, a number of these small-business credit cards also come with annual fees to keep in mind:
- Delta SkyMiles® Reserve Business American Express Card: $650 (see rates and fees).
- Delta SkyMiles® Platinum Business American Express Card: $350 (see rates and fees).
- Delta SkyMiles® Gold Business American Express Card: $0 annual fee for the first year, then $150 (see rates and fees).
Earn Delta SkyMiles with Amex and Marriott
In addition to its large portfolio of Delta-branded credit cards, you can also earn SkyMiles through a transfer partnership with American Express Membership Rewards.
This option is ideal for those who aren’t frequent Delta flyers and don’t want to be tied down to SkyMiles. The Membership Rewards program has 19 other airline and hotel partners, allowing you to use your points how they best fit your needs.
Even if you are a loyal Delta flyer with tons of SkyMiles in your account, Membership Rewards can come in handy if you need to top off your balance. Membership Rewards transfer instantly to Delta at a 1-to-1 ratio, which is very convenient if you need miles quickly to secure a last-minute award redemption.
Marriott Bonvoy is another source from which you can transfer to Delta SkyMiles. At 3-to-1, the transfer ratio isn’t as favorable as from Membership Rewards. In most cases, this option only makes sense if you have no other way of earning Delta SkyMiles quickly.
Earn Delta SkyMiles on other travel
The next time you’re ready to book a vacation package, you might want to consider Delta Vacations. Not only will you earn thousands of redeemable SkyMiles, but you’ll also earn Medallion Qualifying Miles towards Delta elite status on the flight portion of your booking.
The number of redeemable miles earned depends on the total package price. You can earn up to 5,000 bonus miles per person on each Delta Vacation package at the following rates:
- $10,000+ spent with Delta Vacations: 5,000 bonus miles per person
- $5,000 to $9,999 spent with Delta Vacations: 2,000 bonus miles per person
- Up to $4,999 spent with Delta Vacations: 1,000 bonus miles per person
Whether you’re renting a car or hitching a ride through Lyft, Delta’s ground transportation partnerships allow you to earn bonus miles. Delta partners with every major rental car company, allowing you to earn 500 bonus miles or more per booking with the likes of Hertz, Dollar, Thrifty, Alamo, Enterprise and National.
Through an expanded partnership with Hertz as of Jan. 30, 2023, you can earn more SkyMiles for your car rentals, based on your elite status tier. Members earn at the following rates:
- Diamond Medallion: Earn 8 miles per $1 spent
- Platinum Medallion: Earn 7 miles per $1 spent
- Gold Medallion: Earn 6 miles per $1 spent
- Silver Medallion: Earn 5 miles per $1 spent
- General SkyMiles member: Earn 4 miles per $1 spent
Additionally, all SkyMiles Medallion members get elite benefits with Hertz Gold Plus Rewards — Diamond and Platinum Medallion members get President’s Circle status, and Gold and Silver Medallions get Five Star status.
Dubbed the “Airbnb of car rentals,” Turo provides a broader selection of vehicles, plus the ability to earn 500 bonus SkyMiles per rental. As an added incentive, Turo offers 2,000 bonus miles after you complete your first trip.
If driving isn’t your cup of tea, you can always opt for a Lyft and earn 1 mile per dollar spent on rides in the US and 2 miles per dollar on rides to US airports. Be sure to link your Delta and Lyft accounts ahead of time to earn miles on your next trip.
Cruise lines are often offering incredible incentives to attract travelers. Offers include discounts on staterooms, upgrades, onboard credits, prepaid gratuities and more. You can combine these deals with up to 30,000 bonus miles by booking your cruise through SkyMiles Cruises — and you’ll get at least 1,500 miles on every booking.
You’ll want to compare prices against other sites to make sure you’re getting the best deal. The last thing you want is to pay more for your cruise in order to earn bonus miles.
With more than 7 million homes worldwide, Airbnb is a popular alternative to hotels. Families, groups and solo travelers alike have found value in booking stays through Airbnb. Thanks to a partnership with Delta, you can earn 1 mile per dollar spent on qualifying Airbnb bookings worldwide.
All you have to do is visit the dedicated site, enter your SkyMiles number and book your stay. You’ll automatically earn bonus miles on your bookings (excluding taxes and fees).
Earn Delta SkyMiles when paying energy bills
If you live in Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey or Pennsylvania, you could earn 2 miles per dollar on your energy bills. EnergyPlus is upping the ante with 5,000 bonus miles after two months of service.
If you can choose between energy providers, it might be worthwhile to go with one that offers SkyMiles on your bill. It’s also important to compare rates and ensure you’re not paying more just to earn miles.
Earn Delta SkyMiles with Ticketmaster
If your favorite artist is lining up a long overdue tour, through Delta’s partnership with Ticketmaster, you can earn 1 mile per dollar spent on eligible event tickets in the US and Canada.
To earn bonus miles on your ticket purchases, link your accounts at the dedicated page. Pay for your tickets as usual and you’ll earn those bonus miles. Use your Delta credit card to generate extra earnings.
Earn Delta SkyMiles via SkyMiles Shopping
The Delta SkyMiles Shopping portal is an excellent way to earn bonus miles on your online purchases. You’ll earn at least 1 mile per dollar spent at thousands of popular retailers like Gap, Macy’s, Sephora and more. All you have to do to earn bonus miles is sign up for SkyMiles Shopping and click on the portal’s link whenever you’re ready to shop online to earn bonus miles.
Earn Delta SkyMiles via SkyMiles Dining
Delta’s SkyMiles Dining program is similar to the shopping portal and an equally easy way to earn bonus miles. Join the free program and register one or more credit cards with the service. Then, when you dine at a qualifying restaurant, you’ll earn 0.5 to 1 SkyMile per dollar spent. This is a low-effort way to earn miles whenever you eat out.
Delta is currently offering a new member bonus of 1,000 miles for signing up. You’ll earn 1,000 bonus miles by spending $30 or more at any participating restaurant. Clearly, signing up for SkyMiles Dining can pay off nicely.
How to redeem Delta SkyMiles
The best way to redeem Delta SkyMiles is for flights, but Delta offers plenty of other options. If redeeming miles saves you money, by all means, use them. That said, here’s a look at what you can expect when redeeming Delta SkyMiles for different values.
Redeem Delta SkyMiles for travel
Delta doesn’t publish an award chart, but instead, it uses dynamic pricing to determine how much an award will cost. That can work out favorably when demand is low and paid fares are cheap. However, when demand is high, so is the number of miles required.
You’ll generally get good value for your miles on short-haul domestic flights. A great place to look for deals is on the SkyMiles Deals page. Enter your home airport and you’ll see discounted airfare to various destinations around the US.
You’ll often find airfare starting at around 10,000 SkyMiles each way, plus taxes and fees. However, I’ve booked flights between the Bay Area and Chicago for as few as 8,500 miles each way, plus taxes and fees. That being said, here are a few examples of award redemption rates you can expect from Delta, noting that they can vary quite a bit:
- Economy class between the continental US and Alaska: From 22,000 SkyMiles one way.
- Economy class with Delta partners between the US and Europe: From 35,000 SkyMiles one way.
- Economy class with WestJet between the US and Canada: From 12,500 SkyMiles one way.
Redeem Delta SkyMiles with Cash + Miles
Cash + Miles awards can be a great way to save on airfare when you don’t have enough miles for an award ticket. Usually, a Cash + Miles award requires half the miles of a regular award, plus a cash co-pay. Sometimes this works out favorably, while at other times you’ll pay more cash.
Ultimately, if you’re considering a Cash + Miles redemption, it’s best to consider all your options and do the calculations to determine your best choice.
Redeem Delta SkyMiles on other parts of the travel experience
Delta allows SkyMiles members to redeem their miles for other parts of the travel journey besides flights. For example, you can redeem your SkyMiles for premium beverages in the airline’s network of Sky Club airport lounges. The number of SkyMiles required depends on the type of beverage you’re looking to purchase.
Additionally, Delta recently added the ability for members to redeem their SkyMiles for checked bags. Instead of paying cash for your checked bag fees, you can instead redeem your miles.
For your first checked bag, you can expect the standard charge to be $35 or 3,500 SkyMiles. You can also use your SkyMiles to cover fees such as those for selecting preferred seats, ticket change fees, same-day confirmed fees and external ticket charges, though some of these fees are waived for Medallion elite members.
Redeem Delta SkyMiles for Delta gift cards
You can redeem SkyMiles for Delta gift cards starting at 5,600 miles for a $50 gift card. At 0.9 cents per mile, that’s not a great use of SkyMiles. In fact, it’s about half the value you’ll get when redeeming SkyMiles for a Cash + Miles award.
Everything to know about Delta Medallion elite status
Delta has four elite status tiers, and you can achieve Delta elite status by flying or through credit cards.
Earning Delta SkyMiles Medallion status involves several different metrics. You can achieve status by completing a certain number of Medallion Qualification Dollars (MQDs).
How to earn Delta Medallion elite status
Here’s how many MQDs you need for each level of Delta Medallion status:
MQDs are calculated based on the cost of airfare, and they’re the sole qualification metric for Delta elite status. You can also earn MQD with select Delta credit cards.
The Delta Reserve and Business Reserve cards earn $1 MQD per $10 spent on the card, while the Delta Platinum and Business Platinum earn $1 MQD per $20 spent. Further, each card includes $2,500 bonus MQD per year.
Here’s how many MQDs you’ll need to qualify for each tier of Delta Medallion elite status:
- Delta Silver Medallion status: $5,000 MQDs.
- Delta Gold Medallion status: $10,000 MQDs.
- Delta Platinum Medallion status: $15,000 MQDs.
- Delta Diamond Medallion status: $28,000 MQDs.
Delta Medallion elite benefits
Once you’ve reached Delta Medallion status, you have many incredible benefits to look forward to. Between bonus miles, upgrades and discounted travel, Delta elites are some of the best treated in the airline space.
Delta Silver Medallion status
- 7 miles per dollar spent.
- Complimentary upgrades to Delta One, on the day of departure on select routes.
- Complimentary first-class upgrades, starting 24 hours before departure.
- Complimentary Delta Comfort+ upgrades, starting 24 hours before departure.
- Complimentary Class Premier Upgrades on select Aeromexico flights, starting 24 hours before departure.
- Discounted CLEAR membership.
- Priority boarding and check-in.
- 1,000 bonus miles per Hertz rental.
- Delta Vacations discount.
- Waived baggage fees.
Delta Gold Medallion status
- 8 miles per dollar spent.
- Complimentary upgrades to Delta One, on the day of departure.
- Complimentary first-class upgrades, starting 72 hours before departure.
- Complimentary Delta Comfort+ upgrades, starting 72 hours before departure.
- Complimentary Class Premier Upgrades on select Aeromexico flights, starting 72 hours before departure.
- Discounted CLEAR membership.
- Priority boarding, check-in and security.
- Expedited baggage service.
- SkyTeam Elite Plus status.
- SkyTeam lounge access.
- 1,000 bonus miles per Hertz rental and Hertz Five Star status.
- Four onboard drink vouchers.
- Delta Vacations discount.
- Waived baggage fees.
Delta Platinum Medallion status
- 9 miles per dollar spent.
- Complimentary upgrades to Delta One, on the day of departure.
- Complimentary first-class upgrades, starting 120 hours before departure.
- Complimentary Delta Comfort+ upgrades, starting after ticketing.
- Complimentary Class Premier Upgrades on select Aeromexico flights, starting 120 hours before departure.
- One Choice benefit: Four Regional Upgrade certificates, 30,000 bonus SkyMiles, Gift Silver Medallion status to two people, $300 Delta travel voucher, 6,000 Starbucks Stars, a $1,000 MQD “head start” for next year, $400 Delta Vacations experience, $250 sustainable aviation fuel contribution, $1,500 Wheels Up flight credit or a $400 statement credit if you hold select Delta-branded credit cards.
- Discounted CLEAR membership.
- Priority boarding, check-in and security.
- Expedited baggage service.
- SkyTeam Elite Plus status.
- 1,250 bonus miles per Hertz rental and Hertz President’s Circle status.
- Four onboard drink vouchers.
- Delta Vacations discount.
- Waived baggage fees.
Delta Diamond Medallion status
- 11 miles per dollar spent.
- Complimentary upgrades to Delta One, on the day of departure.
- Complimentary first-class upgrades, starting 120 hours before departure.
- Complimentary Delta Comfort+ upgrades, starting after ticketing.
- Complimentary Class Premier Upgrades on select Aeromexico flights, starting 120 hours before departure.
- Three Choice benefits: Eight Regional upgrades, four Global upgrade certificates or two Global and four Regional upgrade certificates, 35,000 bonus SkyMiles, Gift Gold Medallion status to two people, 6,000 Starbucks Stars, Individual Sky Club membership (requires two Choice Benefits), Executive Sky Club membership (requires three Choice Benefits), $350 Delta travel voucher, $500 Delta Vacations credit, a $2,000 MQD “head start” for the following year, $250 sustainable aviation fuel contribution, a $2,000 Wheels Up flight credit or a $700 statement credit if you hold an eligible Delta-branded credit card.
- Discounted CLEAR membership.
- Priority boarding, check-in and security.
- Expedited baggage service.
- SkyTeam Elite Plus status.
- 1,250 bonus miles per Hertz rental and Hertz President’s Circle status.
- Four onboard drink vouchers.
- Delta Vacations discount.
- Waived baggage fees.
Bottom line
Delta has built a lucrative program by the way of SkyMiles. The miles are easy to earn through a large portfolio of Delta-branded credit cards, and there are plenty of ways to use them. And, if you fly with Delta enough, the Medallion elite status levels offer plenty of benefits to make flying even more comfortable.
Looking for a travel credit card? Find out which cards CNN Underscored Money chose as the best travel credit cards currently available.
Click here for rates and fees of the Delta Blue card.
Click here for rates and fees of the Delta Gold card.
Click here for rates and fees of the Delta Platinum card.
Click here for rates and fees of the Delta Reserve card.
Click here for rates and fees of the Delta Gold Business card.
Click here for rates and fees of the Delta Platinum Business card.
Click here for rates and fees of the Delta Reserve Business card.