#5 Among Airlines
Point Value
1.20 ¢
Hobby Score
7.7
Delta is a good point system for both domestic and international flights.
Delta SkyMiles associated alliance is SkyTeam Alliance
Visit SkyTeam Alliance
As with most popular airline rewards programs, there are a variety of ways to earn miles with Delta. The two methods that allow you to collect the most miles are flying with Delta or a partner, and opening co-branded credit cards (or American Express cards that earn transferable miles).
Anyone who is a Delta SkyMiles member earns 5 miles per dollar on Classic or Refundable fares and 7 miles per dollar on Extra fares. Elite members earn more based on status:
Some flights don’t earn the standard number of miles. These include “exception fares,” which are flights booked as part of vacation packages, cruise packages, or consolidator fares (not Delta Vacations). In these cases, you earn a percentage of miles flown. You can find the exact earning rates here.
Delta partners withAmerican Express to offer seven co-branded credit cards that earn Delta SkyMiles. There are four personal cards and three business cards, each with different annual fees, signup bonuses, benefits, and perks. You can see our recommended cards and all available cards below.
American Express is the only major credit card issuer that has Delta as a transfer partner. Any Membership Rewards you earn can be transferred to Delta to top off an award or book a flight outright. While Delta isn’t always the best transfer partner for Amex, situations do arise where transferring makes sense. Keep in mind that not all Amex cards earn transferable Membership Rewards.
Delta has a breadth of airline partners you can earn miles with. Partner earning does not work the same way as on Delta-operated flights. You’ll earn miles based on distance flown. Find out how much you can earn here.
Delta SkyMiles Gold Business Card
Delta SkyMiles Platinum Business Card
Delta SkyMiles Reserve Business Card
Special Offers Related to Delta SkyMiles. Click the arrow to see more.
These American Express Cards are offering Limited Time sign up bonus' for Delta:
- Delta SkyMiles Platinum Business Card - 85,000 Miles - After spending $4000 in 3 months, $250 Annual Fee.
- Delta SkyMiles Gold Business Card - 70,000 Miles - After spending $3000 in 3 months, $99 Annual Fee, waived for the first year.
- Delta SkyMiles Platinum Card - 80,000 Miles - After spending $4000 in 6 months, $250 Annual Fee.
- Delta SkyMiles Gold Card - 65,000 Miles - After spending $2000 in 6 months, $99 Annual Fee, waived for the first year.
- Delta SkyMiles Reserve Business Card - 100,000 Miles - After spending $6000 in 3 months, $550 Annual Fee.
- Delta SkyMiles Reserve Card - 95,000 Miles - After spending $6000 in 6 months, $550 Annual Fee.
- Delta SkyMiles Platinum Business Card - 100,000 miles after spending $4000 in 3 months with a $250 annual fee.
- Delta SkyMiles Gold Business Card - 75,000 miles after spending $3000 in 3 months with a $0 intro annual fee and then $99 after the first year.
- Delta SkyMiles Platinum Card - 90,000 miles after spending $3000 in 3 months with a $250 annual fee.
- Delta SkyMiles Gold Card - 70,000 miles after spending $2000 in 3 months with a $0 intro annual fee and then $99 after the first year.
- Delta SkyMiles Reserve Business Card - 110,000 miles after spending $6000 in 3 months with a $550 annual fee.
- Delta SkyMiles Reserve Card - 100,000 miles after spending $5000 in 3 months with a $550 annual fee.
American Express only gives you once in a lifetime sign up bonuses, so if you've been waiting, this might be the time:
- Delta SkyMiles Reserve Business Card, 110,000 Bonus miles after spending $6000 in 3 months, $550 annual fee.
- Delta SkyMiles Platinum Business Card, 100,000 Bonus miles after spending $4000 in 3 months, $250 annual fee.
- Delta SkyMiles Gold Business Card, 75,000 Bonus miles after spending $3000 in 3 months, $0 annual fee for the 1st year, then $99.
- Delta SkyMiles Reserve, 100,000 Bonus miles after spending $5000 in 3 month, $550 annual fee.
- Delta SkyMiles Platinum Card, 90,000 Bonus miles after spending $3000 in 3 months, $250 annual fee.
- Delta SkyMiles Gold Card, 70,000 Bonus miles after spending $2000 in 3 months, $0 annual fee for the 1st year, then $99.
- Delta Airlines is extending Medallion status & other benefits into 2023.
- Ultimate Rewards welcomes Aeroplan as their newest transfer partner with a 1:1 transfer.
- Hyatt adds more than 30 new smaller luxury hotels throughout the world for you to use your points on.
- Chase Sapphire Preferred Cards are getting a face-lift with new improved benefits & earning rates.
Booking flights with Delta or one of its partners is the best way to redeem Delta miles. Log in to your SkyMiles account, click Shop with Miles, enter your travel details, and search. If your dates are flexible, check the box to view results by week, then switch to the price calendar to see fares over a five-week window. Prices shown in green are saver fares — the lowest prices available and the ones required for partner bookings.
Delta offers a portal for booking hotels, rental cars, and vacation packages. These redemptions return about 1 cent per mile, which is far lower than what you get with airfare. We don’t recommend using SkyMiles this way unless you have a small balance you need to burn.
Discover your points' highest-value redemption options. Use the filters to find the optimal sweet spot for your next trip.
Just having a co-branded Delta credit card will earn you a 15% discount on all award flights. It has to be operated completely by Delta to be eligible
Delta doesn’t automatically sort their search results by lowest, so either scroll down or sort by lowest to find the best price for your search (you’re looking for prices colored in green)
This will be the lowest price you’ll see when searching. The upcharge to Delta Main Classic is worth it. You can cancel and/or change the ticket, and it includes a seat and one checked bag. The additional points necessary to upgrade is worth it.
Delta is middle of the road compared to other airlines, and it’s one of the weaker rewards systems among the major U.S. carriers. We rank American, Atmos, and Southwest ahead of them. Because all Delta pricing is dynamic, including with partners, it’s hard to consistently find sweet-spot redemptions. They still exist, but it takes more time and patience to uncover them. You also can’t rely on finding a good redemption for a specific route the way you can with other systems.
SkyMiles are best for travelers who live near a Delta hub and fly on the airline regularly. Delta currently has seven co-branded credit cards to earn miles with, which helps. But American Express is the only major bank with transferable miles to Delta, making it harder to top off your balance.
If you’re a Delta loyalist, though, there’s still good value to be found. Short-haul domestic flights can price as low as 4,000 miles (minus 15% if you hold a Delta credit card). The farther in advance you search, the better your chances. Premium cabin and international redemptions are harder to find, but certainly not impossible.
Delta has four elite tiers, and Medallion members receive different benefits, perks, and mileage bonuses based on their level.
To reach each tier, you need to earn MQDs (Medallion Qualifying Dollars). MQDs are earned by purchasing flights on Delta or a partner. As with earning miles on tickets, you earn MQDs differently depending on the type of ticket you book.
There are a variety of ways to earn status with Delta:
Below are Delta’s four elite status levels, the MQDs required to reach each tier, and all benefits you receive at each level
Delta miles never expire, so even if you stop flying Delta or using a co-branded credit card, your miles will stay in your SkyMiles account. One thing to keep in mind is that all Delta cards are issued by American Express, and Amex’s 1/7 Rule states you can only earn a welcome offer on the same card once every seven years. This means you shouldn’t close a Delta card with the expectation of reopening it soon to earn another bonus.
The good news is that Delta has seven co-branded cards and American Express offers several Membership Rewards cards, so you still have plenty of options to replenish your miles over time.
