11 Best Ways To Redeem 150,000 Delta SkyMiles For Max Value

- UPDATED: July 21, 2022 |

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Delta Air Lines‘ loyalty points program, Delta SkyMiles, is often overlooked because it doesn’t have an award chart, which makes the number of miles needed for an award flight ambiguous.

Once you get a handle on the trends in award searches and where to find the best values, you can leverage the program to your advantage.

The unfortunate news is that Delta SkyMiles has been devalued significantly over the years, which means flight awards will be more expensive than you would expect. Nonetheless, there are still incredible ways to get outsized value, which we’ll discuss below.

Table of contents

Earning Delta SkyMiles
11 Best Ways To Redeem 150,000 Delta SkyMiles
List of SkyTeam Partners
List of Non-Alliance Delta Airline Partners
Final Thoughts

Table of Contents

Earning Delta SkyMiles
11 Best Ways To Redeem 150,000 Delta SkyMiles
List of SkyTeam Partners
List of Non-Alliance Delta Airline Partners
Final Thoughts

Earning Delta SkyMiles

Let’s first talk about how you can earn Delta SkyMiles!

Delta provides 3 primary ways to earn SkyMiles:

Co-Branded American Express Delta Cards

Hot Tip: If you’re looking for more information about these cards, explore our dedicated article on Delta credit cards.

Recommended American Express Cards (Personal)

Our favorite way to earn Delta SkyMiles is by using any of the following American Express cards and transferring those points to Delta. You’ll typically accrue more points this way through large sign-up bonuses combined with generous everyday category bonuses than using a Delta card directly.

Recommended Marriott Bonvoy Cards (Personal)

You can also accrue SkyMiles by earning Marriott Bonvoy points and then transferring the points over to your Delta account.

11 Best Ways To Redeem 150,000 Delta SkyMiles

Delta does not publish an award chart, which can make it challenging to determine the value of the SkyMiles you want to redeem.

Even though there’s no award chart, the Delta search engine is useful. The ability to search for most SkyTeam and Delta partners and the 5-week flexible search function are reasons we recommend using Delta to search for SkyTeam availability.

Delta bases its pricing on the revenue cost of each flight, so the number of miles required may change when you are running your award search.

For even more ways to use your Delta SkyMiles, see our other “best use” redemption article for SkyMiles.

1. Delta One to Europe: 120,000 Miles in Business Class, One-Way

Delta One Suites A350-900. Image Credit: Stephen Au

Delta transatlantic business-class flights from the U.S. to Europe can provide significant value, particularly when the equivalent cash price of those flights is high.

With 120,000 Delta SkyMiles, you can book a one-way business class flight on Delta. You could also book 3 one-way economy flights on Delta for 105,000 SkyMiles (35,000 miles each way).

Examples of transatlantic flights on Delta include:

Atlanta (ATL) to Rome (FCO)
Detroit (DTW) to Frankfurt (FRA)
Minneapolis (MSP) to London (LHR)
New York (JFK) to Brussels (BRU)
Salt Lake City (SLC) to Paris (CDG)
Seattle (SEA) to Amsterdam (AMS)

Taxes and fees for one-way business class and economy flights will be $5.60.

Need help booking an award flight? Here’s our step-by-step guide to booking Delta One.

2. Virgin Atlantic From the U.S. to Europe: 120,000 Miles in Upper Class, One-Way

Virgin Atlantic Upper Class Seat — Virgin Atlantic’s new Upper Class product is impressive and comfortable! Image Credit: Virgin Atlantic

Another transatlantic flight to use your Delta SkyMiles on is Virgin Atlantic. The airline flies into multiple U.S. cities, giving you options when it comes to booking an award flight.

With 120,000 Delta SkyMiles, you can book a one-way Upper Class flight on Virgin Atlantic.

Virgin Atlantic flies the following routes from the U.S. to London (LHR):

Atlanta (ATL)
Boston (BOS)
Los Angeles (LAX)
Las Vegas (LAS)
Miami (MIA)
New York (JFK)
Orlando (MCO)
San Francisco (SFO)
Seattle (SEA)
Washington, D.C. (IAD)

Taxes and fees for one-way Upper Class flights from the U.S. to the U.K. will be just $6!

Virgin Atlantic flight Delta SkyMiles — An Upper Class flight from New York is one of the cheapest award flight options for flying to London, as the taxes and fees are usually incredibly high! Image Credit: Delta

Need help booking an award flight? Here’s our guide to booking Virgin Atlantic Upper Class.

3. Air France From the U.S. to Europe: 120,000 Miles in Business Class, One-Way

Use your Delta SkyMiles to access Air France business class award space! Image Credit: Air France

If the first 2 transatlantic options didn’t catch your attention, here’s another to check out. Air France, like Virgin Atlantic, is another airline where you can use your Delta SkyMiles.

With 120,000 Delta SkyMiles, you can book a one-way business-class flight on Air France.

Air France flight Delta SkyMiles — An Air France business class flight from Los Angeles to Paris can be booked for just $6 in taxes and fees! Image Credit: Delta

Air France flies the following routes from the U.S. to Paris (CDG):

Atlanta (ATL)
Boston (BOS)
Chicago (ORD)
Denver (DEN)
Detroit (DTW)
Houston (IAH)
Los Angeles (LAX)
Miami (MIA)
Minneapolis (MSP)
New York (JFK)
San Francisco (SFO)
Washington, D.C. (IAD)

Taxes and fees for one-way business class flights from the U.S. to Paris will be $6.

4. LATAM Business Class From the U.S. to South America: 95,000 Miles Business Class, One-Way

LATAM New Business Class — LATAM’s brand-new business class seats feature Thompson XL Vantage seats in a 1-2-1 configuration and can be found on retrofitted 777-300ER and 767-300 aircraft. Image Credit: LATAM

LATAM isn’t a member of any airline alliance, but it maintains a strong partnership with Delta.

In this case, LATAM offers nonstop service with a lie-flat business class seat between the U.S. and South America, offering a convenient and comfortable redemption option.

With 95,000 Delta SkyMiles, you can book a one-way business-class flight on LATAM. Here are a few superb routes you can book:

Los Angeles (LAX) – Lima (LIM)
Los Angeles (LAX) – Santiago (SCL)
Miami (MIA) – Santiago (SCL)
New York (JFK) – Santiago (SCL)
Orlando (MCO) – Lima (LIM)

Taxes and fees for a one-way business class flight from the U.S. to South America will be about $21.

Need to earn more SkyMiles? Here are our best ways to earn lots of Delta SkyMiles.

5. Saudia Business Class From the U.S. to the Middle East: 85,000 Miles Business Class, One-Way

Saudia business class lie flat — Saudia’s business class reclines fully lie-flat for utmost comfort. Image Credit: Saudia

When it comes to flying to the Middle East using Delta SkyMiles nonstop, you can basically only book 2 airlines:

Delta (via Tel Aviv)
Saudia (via Jeddah or Riyadh)

Delta One flights to Tel Aviv are in very high demand, which means they’ll be hard to locate award space on and is incredibly expensive. Luckily, Saudia has exceptional award availability for a great mileage price, which could get you on a nonstop flight to the Middle East.

With 85,000 Delta SkyMiles, you can book a one-way business-class flight on Delta. You could also book a round-trip economy flight for 75,000 Delta SkyMiles.

Examples of flights on Saudia include:

New York (JFK) – Jeddah (JED)
New York (JFK) – Riyadh (RUH)
Washington, D.C. (IAD) – Jeddah (JED)
Washington, D.C. (IAD) – Riyadh (RUH)

Remember, you don’t need to end your trip in Saudi Arabia — you can visit Dubai, Oman, and Jordan for the same mileage price.

Taxes and fees for one-way business-class and round-trip economy flights from the U.S. to the Middle East on Saudia will be $277 and about $177, respectively.

Need more ways to redeem SkyMiles? Here are our best ways to redeem SkyMiles for maximum value.

6. China Airlines From the U.S. to Asia: 120,000 Miles Business Class, One-Way

China Airlines business class — Try business class to Asia on China Airlines by redeeming SkyMiles. Image Credit: China Airlines

One of the best airlines to fly on transpacific itineraries is with SkyTeam partner China Airlines. The airline is based in Taipei and has a few non-stop routes from the U.S.

With 120,000 Delta SkyMiles, you can book a one-way business-class flight on China Airlines. Or, you could book a round-trip economy flight for 70,000 Delta SkyMiles.

Examples of transpacific flights on China Airlines include:

Los Angeles (LAX), New York (JFK), or San Francisco (SFO) to Taipei (TPE)

Taxes and fees for one-way business class and round-trip economy flights from the U.S. to Asia will be $5.60 and about $46, respectively.

Need another business class option in Taipei? Here are our best ways to book EVA Air business class.

7. Aerolíneas Argentinas From the U.S. to South America: 80,000 Miles Economy, Round-Trip

Aerolineas Argentinas economy — Enjoy modern LED mood lighting to help reduce the effects of jet lag. Image Credit: Aerolíneas Argentinas

In South America, you have a couple of non-stop flights on SkyTeam partner Aerolíneas Argentinas. With Delta SkyMiles, you can book a round-trip economy flight on Aerolíneas Argentinas.

The only 2 flights that you can book are from Miami (MIA) or New York (JFK) to Buenos Aires (EZE).

Taxes and fees for a round-trip economy flight from the U.S. to South America will be about $98.

Hot Tip: If you’re in South America and have SkyMiles to use, consider intra-South American flights on Delta partners Aerolíneas Argentinas, GOL, and LATAM.

8. Korean Air From South Korea to Australia or New Zealand: 75,000 Miles Business Class, One-Way

Korean Air Business Class Bed — With direct aisle access and a lie-flat bed, you can rest peacefully when flying business class on Korean Air. Image Credit: Korean Air

SkyTeam partner Korean Air can provide value if you want to fly from Asia to Australia. With 75,000 Delta SkyMiles, you can book a one-way business-class flight on Korean Air. You could also book a round-trip economy flight for 80,000 SkyMiles.

Korean Air flies from Seoul (ICN) to Sydney (SYD), Brisbane (BNE), and Auckland (AKL).

Taxes and fees for one-way business class and round-trip economy flights will be about $70 and $162, respectively.

Need help booking an award flight? Here’s our step-by-step guide to booking Korean Air business class.

9. China Eastern From the U.S. to Asia: 120,000 Miles Business Class, One-Way

china eastern business — Fly to Shanghai in China Eastern business class. Image Credit: China Eastern

A third transpacific flight to check out is with SkyTeam partner China Eastern. The airline flies from a handful of U.S. cities to Shanghai, giving you a few award flight options.

With 120,000 Delta SkyMiles, you can book a one-way business flight from the U.S. to Asia. You could also book a round-trip economy flight for 100,000 SkyMiles (50,000 miles one-way).

China Eastern flies the following routes from the U.S. to Shanghai (PVG):

Chicago (ORD)
Los Angeles (LAX)
New York (JFK)
San Francisco (SFO)

Taxes and fees for one-way business class and round-trip economy flights from the U.S. to Shanghai will be about $258 and $36 to $451, respectively.

Hot Tip: SkyTeam has a significant presence in Asia with many airlines based there including China Airlines, China Eastern, China Southern, Garuda Indonesia, Korean Air, Vietnam Airlines, and Xiamen Airlines.

10. Partner Airlines From the U.S. to India: 120,000 Miles Business, One-Way

KLM business class — KLM’s newest business class consists of reverse herringbone seats in a 1-2-1 configuration. Image Credit: KLM

Since India is a faraway destination, there are often a lot of different ways you can fly between the U.S. and India on a variety of airlines.

In the case of Delta and its partners, you can redeem 120,000 Delta SkyMiles on a one-way business class flight aboard partner airlines like Virgin Atlantic, KLM, and more.

If you booked a round-trip economy flight, you’d spend 90,000 Delta SkyMiles.

Taxes and fees for a one-way business class flight and a round-trip economy flight ultimately vary depending on the airline, but will ultimately be about $24 to $50 and $100 to $150, respectively.

For complex itineraries to South Asia, you may not see all the available options by searching online; you can also call Delta at 800-221-1212 to look for award space.

Need more ways to fly to India? Check out our best ways to fly to India with points and miles.

11. Korean Air From the U.S. to South Korea: 120,000 Miles Business Class, One-Way

Korean Air business class suites — Fly to Seoul via Korean Air business class Prestige Suites. Image Credit: Korean Air

A fourth transpacific flight option for Delta SkyMiles is with Korean Air. The airline flies into numerous U.S. cities and 2 Canadian cities, opening up a ton of award options.

With 120,000 Delta SkyMiles, you can book a one-way business-class flight on Korean Air. You could also book a round-trip economy flight for 100,000 SkyMiles.

Korean Air flies the following routes from the U.S. to Seoul (ICN):

Atlanta (ATL)
Chicago (ORD)
Dallas (DFW)
Honolulu (HNL)
Las Vegas (LAS)
Los Angeles (LAX)
New York (JFK)
San Francisco (SFO)
Seattle (SEA)
Washington, D.C. (IAD)

Taxes and fees for one-way business class and round-trip economy flights will be about $26 and $88 respectively.

Have Korean Air miles? Check our best ways to redeem Korean Air SkyPass miles.

List of SkyTeam Partners

Aeroflot (temporarily suspended)	ITA Airways
Aerolineas Argentinas	Kenya Airways
Aeromexico	KLM
Air Europa	Korean Air
Air France	Middle East Airlines
Delta Air Lines	Saudia Airlines
China Airlines	Tarom
China Eastern	Vietnam Airlines
Czech Airlines	Xiamen Airlines
Garuda Indonesia

List of Non-Alliance Delta Airline Partners

GOL	Virgin Atlantic
Great Lakes Airlines	Virgin Australia
Hawaiian Airlines	WestJet

Final Thoughts

Delta’s revenue-based program makes it challenging to determine the value you’re receiving with your SkyMiles. It’s important that you spend time using the Delta search engine to understand the value of your miles.

Delta SkyMiles can provide value if you know where to look. With a number of Delta flights and SkyTeam partner flights to Asia, that’s likely the area of the world where you’ll find the most value for your SkyMiles.

For rates and fees of the Delta SkyMiles® Gold American Express Card, click here.
For rates and fees of the Delta SkyMiles® Platinum American Express Card, click here.
For rates and fees of The Platinum Card® from American Express, click here.
For rates and fees of the American Express® Gold Card, click here.
For rates and fees of the Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant™ American Express® Card, click here.
For rates and fees of the Marriott Bonvoy Business® American Express® Card, click here.

Featured Image Credit: Delta

Frequently asked questions

What are Delta miles?

The Delta frequent flyer program calls its airline miles SkyMiles. The points you earn from flying on Delta or a Delta partner or from credit card spend and the points you redeem for award flights are called SkyMiles.

What credit cards offer Delta Air Lines miles?

Delta provides 3 ways to earn SkyMiles from credit cards. Delta co-branded American Express credit cards earn Delta Air Lines SkyMiles while American Express Membership Rewards points and Marriott Bonvoy points can be transferred to Delta.

What are MQM Delta miles?

MQMs are Medallion Qualifying Miles. MQMs are used to earn elite status within the Delta program. Delta has Silver, Gold, Platinum, and Diamond elite status levels.

Are Delta SkyMiles refundable?

Currently, there are no fees for canceling a reservation booked with Delta SkyMiles and getting a refund of your miles, as well as any taxes and fees paid.

When do Delta SkyMiles expire?

Delta SkyMiles do not expire.

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About Michael McHugh

Born and raised in Mobile, Alabama, Michael took his first international trip in 2013 with friends to the Bahamas. Although he didn't travel much in his younger years, on that trip, he caught the travel bug and has been hooked ever since. Michael first caught wind of the points and miles game in 2014 while at a bar in Washington, DC where the conversation amongst friends was quickly derailed because of an alert on a friend's phone about a mistake fare. That's where the love affair with points and miles began.

Disclaimer: Any comments listed below are not from the bank advertiser, nor have they been reviewed or approved by them. No responsibility will be taken by the bank advertiser for these comments.

25 comments

Peter May 29, 2018
Please remove Alaska from the list of non-alliance partner list.
Reply
- Alex Miller May 29, 2018
  Thanks for the catch! This has been changed.
  Reply
david e koskoff May 29, 2018
Virtually all of the “best uses” can be bettered by using other routes. The overall lesson is that there are no really good sweet spots in the delta program, and best to concentrate your spending on other cards.
Reply
Bear May 29, 2018
“Or you could book 3 round-trip economy flights on Delta for 90,000 SkyMiles (30,000 miles each way).” Please correct – this is 3 *one-way* economy flights, not round trip flights.
Reply
- Michael McHugh May 29, 2018
  Hi Bear
  Thank you for catching this error. The article has been updated.
  Reply
Steven M May 31, 2018
Recently used 35,000 Skymiles for a one-way out of southern Africa to Europe on KLM booked just a month in advance. This was a great value as one-way’s out of Africa can be frightfully expensive. While there is less availability out of South Africa award space out of Namibia is terrific. Also noticed good KLM/Air France availability from Kenya and Tanzania to Europe. For those on RTW itineraries this can be a really nice use of Skymiles.
Reply
- Michael McHugh May 31, 2018
  These are extremely helpful data points Steven. Thanks for sharing!
  Reply
Jvl May 31, 2018
Telephoned Delta today May 31 to inquire Sky Miles mileage requirement for a one way Business Class ticket LAX-CDG early July on AF———— 175,000 miles!! Onto Budapest 225,000 miles!!
Comment please!
Reply
- Michael McHugh June 2, 2018
  Hi Jvl
  Without an award chart, we have no idea what Delta will charge on certain routes. Based on my own experience, the more popular routes and dates closest to when you are wanting to book a flight will require more points. If you have UR or SPG points, consider using Korean Air to fly Air France non-stop from LAX-CDG for 50k in economy or 80k in business round-trip.
  Reply
Deanna June 21, 2018
After reading posts for several hours I am discouraged that my Delta miles are obviously the most expensive ones to own. You can use Chase, Amex and SPG (for another month anyway) for a lot better deals if I am not mistaken. I will keep Delta for the free bags and the perks that come with it but after all of your excellent posts I am rethinking my spend for sure. Any idea what is going to happen with the SPG card and earnings after Aug 1st? Thanks for writing such informative and educational pieces.
Reply
- Michael McHugh June 22, 2018
  Hi Deanna
  We recommend earning transferable points (like you are thinking) so that you can hedge yourself against program devaluations like we’ve seen with Delta.
  Regarding SPG, the personal SPG card will experience an earning’s devaluation while the SPG biz card will become more valuable. The new SPG/Marriott is launching a new high end card ($450 annual fee) in August so we recommend being on the lookout for more details on that card in the next 45-60 days.
  Please let us know what else we can do to help!
  Reply
Edison July 29, 2018
Have 260 k Skymiles in one account and 190k in another . Recently can’t find any award in BZ for less than 250 k *+. Just this March I had found a way to get to Dubai on VA and Paris via AF .. return .. for like 190 k total . Based on your professional experience are those prices ever coming back or do they release seats closer to the date( read your blog in AF releasing 331 dates ) .. was hoping to go in August ?
Reply
- Michael McHugh July 31, 2018
  Hi Edison
  I just checked Delta and found the following on the outbound in Aug:
  – jfk-jed/lhr-dxb 85k ow + $34-$51 in fees
  – dtw-2 stops-dxb $37 in fees
  For the return in Aug:
  – dxb-lhr-jfk 85k ow + $101 in fees
  You should be able to book business class on Delta partners for 170k rt + $135-$152 in fees.
  Reply
Sudesh Shetty September 27, 2018
I have about 100000 delta sky miles. I need to travel to India towards this year end and wondering how best I can use my Delta sky miles for this trip. Any recommendations would be really great!
Reply
- Stephen Au September 27, 2018
  Hi Sudesh,
  It’s going to cost anywhere from 80,000-100,000 Delta SkyMiles to fly in economy round-trip to India. If you travel to India often, check out our newly published guide on the best ways to fly to India with points and miles. Keep in mind it’s focused on business and first class travel, but we think it will help you a lot regardless!
  https://upgradedpoints.com/best-ways-to-fly-to-india-with-points/
  Reply
Carol Gasho November 5, 2018
I just used Virgin Atlantic Points (got them by transferring into Virgin Atlantic from AMEX points), ATL to Dusseldorf, and then CDG back to CVG. Great deal for 100,000 points each for Delta One on Delta flights. But having difficulty finding Air France flights through the Delta system that price at 75,000 points, any hints? Thanks
Reply
- Stephen Au November 13, 2018
  Hey Carol,
  Unfortunately, award availability can be difficult to find for Air France. The best tip we have is to play around with your dates and be flexible.
  Reply
Bill April 2, 2019
Delta miles are pretty pointless. I have over 110,000 miles. Whenever I try to redeem them the fee I have to pay in addition to using the miles is actually 90% of a new ticket cost…. totally useless. And it’s always been that way. On Lufthansa, for example, I don’t recall paying any extra fees.
Reply
- Stephen Au April 2, 2019
  Hey Bill,
  It’s just the opposite. Delta very rarely has taxes and fees. What flights are you looking at that charge “90% of a new ticket”? Lufthansa passes on ALL fuel surcharges, so it’s actually not the best idea unless you meet certain, very specific criteria.
  Reply
Bo April 28, 2019
Been looking at the Virgin Atlantic Upper class option JFK-LHR. While the 110k miles looks enticing, the $1500 fee does not and is 60% of the price of the ticket. Delta 170k mile round trip plus $387 in fees makes more sense in this case. Are these fees with VA new??
Reply
- Stephen Au April 28, 2019
  Hey Bo,
  Pretty much anytime you go through London, you’ll be paying a lot in fees. This is due to regulations that add on taxes. Virgin Atlantic isn’t an exception. Thanks for reading.
  Reply
Carmen Bello November 5, 2019
Sorry if I missed this somewhere.
How do I access reward flights on partners using Delta Sky miles? I don’t see the option booking through the Delta website.
Thank for all the great information on this site.
Reply
- Stephen Au November 5, 2019
  Hi Carmen,
  You can just perform a normal flight search with miles on Delta’s homepage. If there are available flights on partners, the partner flights will display along with Delta options. Thanks for reading.
  Reply
Michael Baker June 10, 2021
Is there a problem with combining mileage from 3 partners? I have AeroMexico, Korean, and Delta miles. Can I combine all for one flight?
Reply
- Jarrod West June 10, 2021
  Hi Michael,
  You cannot combine miles from separate airlines together. But you can use your miles with each of those programs to book tickets on any of their SkyTeam partners.
  Reply

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11 Best Ways To Redeem 150,000 Delta SkyMiles For Max Value