Why I Love Earning Delta SkyMiles, Despite What Others Think

When most people are asked what their favorite frequent flyer program is, the answer usually isn’t Delta SkyMiles. Or is that just an overblown generalization?

For some travelers who live near Delta’s captive hubs, they may have no choice but to embrace the airline’s loyalty program, which is full of its own quirks. And while Delta has implemented many unfavorable changes to its loyalty program over the years, I’d argue there’s still plenty of value to be found. Sure, there isn’t much room for over-the-top redemption value, but I’d argue that earning SkyMiles can be well worth your time for certain travel goals.

Besides the fact that Delta SkyMiles never expire (looking at you, American Airlines), here are some situations in which I think this award currency is actually quite useful.

1. Mileage Discount for Delta Cardholders

In 2023, Delta introduced an awesome 15% award discount available to those who have the Delta SkyMiles^® Gold American Express Card, Delta SkyMiles^® Gold Business American Express Card, Delta SkyMiles^® Platinum American Express Card, Delta SkyMiles^® Platinum Business American Express Card, Delta SkyMiles^® Reserve American Express Card, or Delta SkyMiles^® Reserve Business American Express Card.

When the perk was first announced, many travelers were worried that it would just inflate the prices of SkyMiles redemptions to make up for the discount. However, I haven’t noticed that to be the case over the past 2 years.

The only caveat is that this discount’s only eligible on flights operated by Delta and Delta Connection and the main cardholder who books the tickets must be traveling. However, this 15% discount has been a great way for me to save a few thousand miles on every award booking. There have been plenty of opportunities to book cheap mileage tickets within the U.S., and as most domestic flights are pretty short, flying economy is perfectly sensible in many cases.

When I used to live in New York, I would frequently book short flights between Raleigh-Durham (RDU) and NYC-area airports for 6,000 to 10,000 miles apiece. I’ve also taken cross-country flights from Los Angeles (LAX) or Salt Lake City (SLC) that all have cost under 20,000 miles. Very soon, I’m headed to Hawaii, and our nonstop tickets from Salt Lake City to Honolulu (HNL) cost my partner and me just 25,000 miles per ticket. I’m my Regional Upgrade Certificates to get us into Delta Premium Select, which will be much more comfortable for the 7-hour flight (and for the price in miles we paid!).

2. Dynamic Pricing Can Work Favorably for Domestic Flights

After the COVID-19 pandemic eased up, many airlines have revived and added exciting new international destinations to its network. Over the past 5 years, I have taken my fair share of international trips. More recently, however, my travels have slowed down and instead involve a lot more domestic flying, whether it’s for weddings or work-related events.

As such, I’ve often been surprised at how expensive some domestic trips can really be. Sometimes domestic flights cost more than an international ticket, though that can vary depending on the destination.

When trying to save cash on domestic flights, I believe Delta SkyMiles is often one of the best programs, as short-haul, economy tickets can be a real bargain. Not to mention, it definitely helps that Delta offers one of the better domestic flight experiences compared to other carriers.

That said, Delta SkyMiles rates for premium cabin flights can be absurdly expensive thanks to dynamic pricing, which ultimately means that what the airline charges varies by demand. For context, Delta was one of the very first major airlines to eliminate award charts — a decade ago, to be exact. When this first happened, it was an unprecedented move.

However, over the past decade, many more airlines have ditched distance- or zone-based award charts for these mileage tickets based on demand. Ultimately, dynamic pricing is here to stay across the entire industry. Therefore, it’s more important to know when exactly to use the various award currencies you have, such as the domestic flights I’ve outlined above.

3. Deals to International Destinations

If you’re familiar with Delta SkyMiles, you’ll know that business class rates for international flights are astronomical. It’s not uncommon for one-way tickets to cost 200,000, 300,000, or even 400,000 SkyMiles at times.

To offset these costs, Delta routinely offer flash sales that make these tickets much more affordable — just don’t expect to travel during peak season. Most recently, we’ve seen winter flights to various destinations in Europe and Asia discounted to 99,000 SkyMiles. Not the best deal ever, but not necessarily the worst deal, either.

At the same time, Delta charges incredible rates for certain international flights that can’t be overlooked. When I was looking at flights to Australia and New Zealand for an upcoming wedding, I found one-way rates for 26,000 SkyMiles. Stacked with the 15% award discount, this mileage ticket cost only 19,000 SkyMiles — an incredible rate for a 13-hour flight.

A strategy I always recommend is to look at Delta’s new international flights for pockets of deals. For example, Delta launched a new route between Los Angeles and Auckland in late 2023. It’s still relatively new even now, hence why there have been many deals on that particular route.

For example, I’m keeping tabs on Delta’s newest flight from Salt Lake City (SLC) to Seoul (ICN) when it launches this June. I’ll bet there will be some incredible mileage deals that are too good to pass up, even if they will require me to sit in Main Cabin.

4. SkyMiles Are Easy To Earn

I’m a Delta Platinum through and through — I have the Delta Platinum card in my wallet and Platinum Medallion status. Every time I book flights with Delta, I earn a total of 12 SkyMiles per $1 I spend on Delta flights (9x miles from elite status and 3x miles from the credit card), meaning it’s easy for me to rack up thousands of miles.

Let’s say, for example, I spent $500 on a Delta flight. I would earn 6,000 Delta SkyMiles, which can sometimes be enough for another free flight. By using my SkyMiles almost exclusively for domestic tickets, I’m able to get a solid return for the money I spend on airfare.

More broadly, earning Delta SkyMiles is easy because the airline offers elevated welcome bonus offers throughout the year. If you can take advantage of these bonuses, it’s possible to earn a 6-figure balance of miles rather quickly that can help you score several domestic flights.

Delta is also an American Express Membership Rewards transfer partner, so you can get miles instantly if you’ve got a card like the Platinum Card^® from American Express. I don’t usually recommend going this route, as there’s a federal excise tax of $0.0006 per point, up to a maximum of $99, when transferring Delta SkyMiles.

Not only that, but redeeming Amex points for international loyalty programs typically provides better value. However, if you are in a pinch, transferring Amex points to Delta SkyMiles is very easy to do.

5. Use SkyMiles for Delta Vacations

There’s another underrated redemption I’m considering in 2025: using SkyMiles for a Delta Vacations package. SkyMiles are worth 15% more for Delta Vacations, which bundle airfare, lodging, and other optional activities and booking extras into a single total price.

Best of all, you can use a mix of cash and SkyMiles at checkout and still get the 1.15 cent redemption value. Upgraded Points values Delta SkyMiles at 1.2 cents apiece for most redemptions, so you’re getting relatively close to that by redeeming miles for Delta Vacations.

As I plan travel for the rest of the year, I’m highly considering booking a Delta Vacations package for a trip that will require little to no planning on my part. Even if I redeem SkyMiles for part (or all) of the reservation, I will earn the same number of Medallion Qualification Dollars (MQDs) needed to retain my status.

For example, I could redeem 20,000 SkyMiles and pay $2,200 out of pocket for a Delta Vacations package for my partner and myself that would normally cost me $2,500. I’d earn 1 MQD per $1 spent on all of the reservation, minus my partner’s flights, which makes for an underrated way to quickly earn more elite-qualifying points.

When I Don’t Use Delta SkyMiles

As you can see, Delta SkyMiles are rarely worth it for business class flights. That’s why I have multiple travel credit cards in my wallet, such as the Amex Platinum card and the Chase Sapphire Preferred^® Card, that help to diversify my stash of points and miles for international travel.

I even try to earn more miles within American Airlines AAdvantage program, although I rarely fly the airline anymore. This loyalty program is a better investment for international flights on partner carriers. For example, I recently booked 2 tickets on Qantas’ business class from Melbourne (MEL) to Los Angeles for just 160,000 miles total. American offers excellent rates on other Oneworld carriers, like Qatar Airways or Japan Airlines, as it doesn’t use dynamic pricing for most partner tickets.

Final Thoughts

I firmly believe there is a time and place to use Delta SkyMiles. Dare I say I’m actually a fan of the program? Knowing how to play the mileage game — especially with Delta — has helped me score more worthwhile redemptions in the long run.