How Much Are Delta SkyMiles Worth?
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Delta Air Lines is one of the biggest airlines in the United States. It flies to 325 destinations in 52 countries and is a member of SkyTeam, a global airline alliance including airlines such as Air France, KLM, and Korean Air.
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Deltaโs loyalty program, SkyMiles, offers members the opportunity to earn points by flying on the airline, engaging with the airlineโs partners and using the airlineโs co-branded credit cards. SkyMiles can be used for a limited number of reward redemption options, the most valuable of which is booking flights with Delta and its partners.
The number of Delta SkyMiles required to redeem a Delta flight is loosely tied to the cash cost of the same ticket. Based on a sampling of main cabin flights within North America, we value Delta SkyMiles at 1.16 cents per mile. This is the value that most U.S.-based SkyMiles members can expect to get when redeeming SkyMiles for coach travel with Delta and its partners.
However, the value you get from your Delta SkyMiles can vary. When searching, we saw redemption values as low as 0.8 cents per point and as high as 1.6 cents per point. While the redemption value of SkyMiles is loosely tied to the cash price of the ticket, the value you get for your miles will vary. In some cases, you may be able to get increased value for your SkyMiles, such as if you redeem them during SkyMiles award sales or for international travel.
When you book with Delta Air Lines using SkyMiles, you can and should calculate the value that you are getting for your SkyMiles.
To calculate the value you get from your SkyMiles, you need to know three things:
With this information, you can easily calculate the value (cents per point) you are getting from your SkyMiles using the following formula:
SkyMiles value = (Cash price - Award taxes)/(SkyMiles cost) x 100
For example, if you were looking at this flight from Boston to San Diego in Main Cabin:
โฆyour SkyMiles value calculation would be as follows:
Subtract six from 277, divide this figure by 24,000, and then multiply what you have by 100. On this redemption, your SkyMiles value would be 1.13 cents per mile.
You can earn Delta Air Lines miles by: flying with Delta and its partners, making purchases from and participating in promotions through SkyMiles partners, through the SkyMiles dining program and even by switching your home energy providers.
You can earn Delta Air Lines SkyMiles by flying with Delta and its partners. The number of miles you earn on Delta-operated and Delta-marketed flights is based on the total of the base fare and the carrier-imposed surcharges, but excludes any government-imposed taxes and fees. If you fly on a ticket purchased through one of Deltaโs partners that isnโt marketed by Delta, you will earn miles based on the distance you fly and the specific airfare you book. Some exception fares like cruise fares, consolidator fares, and vacation packages earn miles based on the number of miles you fly.
Delta offers several partnerships that can help you pad out your balance of SkyMiles. The airlineโs partnerships with Starbucks and Lyft will interest most SkyMiles members, but there are plenty of opportunities to earn miles with Deltaโs other partners.
SkyMiles members who link their Starbucks app with their Delta SkyMiles account can earn one mile per $1 spent at most Starbucks locations. Lyft riders who link their Lyft accounts to SkyMiles can earn one mile per dollar spent on every Lyft ride in the U.S.
You can also earn Delta SkyMiles with your rental car reservations. Hertz, Dollar, Thrifty, Alamo, Enterprise, National, Sixt, and Europcar all partner with Delta. In addition, Delta offers miles on car rentals booked and completed through its car rental portal on its website.
Like other airlines, Delta SkyMiles offers a dining program, called SkyMiles dining. SkyMiles members can earn up to five miles per dollar they spend at thousands of participating restaurants. All you have to do is enroll your credit card with SkyMiles dining. When you dine at participating restaurants or takeout and delivery in the U.S. and pay with your enrolled credit card, you will earn SkyMiles.
Online shoppers can earn miles from SkyMiles shopping, a shopping portal with over 100 retailers. Earning miles through SkyMiles shopping simply requires registering with the portal. Once thatโs done, when you click through to partner merchants in the SkyMiles shopping portal, you will earn SkyMiles for eligible purchases.
Finally, in several states, some energy providers offer SkyMiles based on monthly natural gas bills.
Like almost every other major airline, you can earn miles on Delta through its branded credit cards. Delta offers seven different co-branded credit cards in partnership with American Express. Delta-branded American Express cards offer the ability to earn SkyMiles on every purchase, plus increased earnings on purchases with Delta Air Lines and in select categories.
All of the Delta co-branded credit cards offer a welcome bonus for new cardmembers who have not had the card before. Delta also offers versions of most of its credit cards for small business owners.
If you are looking to earn Delta SkyMiles using a credit card, check out Deltaโs loyalty credit cards. Delta offers several co-branded rewards cards in partnership with American Express. Here are the details on Deltaโs offering:
All SkyMiles credit cards offer a 20% statement credit when you use your card for Delta in-flight purchases and 1X mile on every eligible dollar spent on other purchases. With the exception of the card_name, Deltaโs co-branded credit cards also give you both a 15% discount on award redemptions and a free first checked bag on Delta flights.
In addition to Deltaโs co-branded credit cards, you can transfer โMembership Rewardsโ points to Delta. Membership Rewards is a rewards currency earned by many American Express cards, including the companyโs flagship card_name. You will pay a small amount of excise taxes when you transfer Membership Rewards to SkyMiles, but Membership Rewards are easy to earn and can be a great way to top off your Delta SkyMiles account if you need a few extra miles for an award flight.
Most Delta SkyMiles members will get the most value from their miles by redeeming SkyMiles for flights on Delta and its partner airlines. Redeeming SkyMiles at Delta.com is simple. Either select โShop with Milesโ when searching for an itinerary on Delta.com or look to the top of the webpage and select โMilesโ under โShow Price In:โ when viewing itinerary options.
Delta SkyMiles can be redeemed for one-way, round-trip, and multi-city travel. Almost any itinerary bookable on Deltaโs website should be bookable with SkyMiles as an award ticket.
In addition to flights for yourself, you can book flights for others using your SkyMiles, including people not traveling with you. Delta also offers options to redeem your SkyMiles for a limited number of other awards. In most cases, redeeming for something other than flights with Delta and its partners will mean accepting a lower value for your SkyMiles. Other options for redeeming SkyMiles include Delta SkyClub membership, Delta gift cards, Delta vacation packages and SkyMiles experiences.
Delta Air Lines SkyMiles offer a value of just over a penny a point for most redemptions. Here is how the program stacks up against the reward programs offered by other major airlines in the United States:
Rewards Program | Value of Average Mile |
---|---|
Delta SkyMiles | 1.16 cents |
Alaska MileagePlan | 1.5 cents |
American AAdvantage | 1.5 cents |
JetBlue TrueBlue | 1.5 cents |
Southwest Rapid Rewards | 1.35 cents |
United MileagePlus | 1.2 cents |
While you might get 1.16 cents of value on average when you book a ticket using Delta SkyMiles, you could end up with less or more. In limited cases, you might be able to get enhanced value from your SkyMiles by booking certain international itineraries. Additionally, SkyMiles may provide some intangible value in the form of flexibility if you need to cancel your flight. Here are some things to consider about Delta SkyMiles.
Valuation Factor | Our Take |
---|---|
Average value for U.S. domestic coach flights | Delta Air Lines miles are worth an average of 1.16 cents per mile when redeemed for most U.S. domestic main cabin airfares. |
Opportunity for enhanced value | Delta SkyMiles arenโt just limited to Delta flights. The airline is a part of the SkyTeam Alliance and its partner list is big. You can earn SkyMiles when flying with one of Deltaโs 30+ partner airlines and use SkyMiles to pay for flights with most of its partners. |
Flexibility | If your plans change, and you booked your ticket with Delta SkyMiles, you can get the miles you spent back in your account. Currently, the airline is waiving award redeposit fees for all members. |
If you live in a Delta hub or your travel patterns have you flying Delta frequently, you can get plenty of value out of Delta SkyMiles. And if you have a co-branded credit card with Delta, it is easy to earn a mountain of SkyMiles. The points have a relatively stable value of 1.16 cents per point, which is lower than most other U.S. domestic airlinesโ point values. But since Delta SkyMiles can be used to purchase a ticket for any open seat, most members will find them useful and usable.
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At a valuation of 1.16 cents per SkyMile, 10,000 Delta SkyMiles are worth around $116.
At a valuation of 1.16 cents per SkyMile, 50,000 Delta SkyMiles are worth around $580.
At a valuation of 1.16 cents per SkyMile, 100,000 Delta SkyMiles are worth around $1,160.
In most cases, if you can book a flight with SkyMiles, you should choose that route. There are few ways to get increased value for your SkyMiles and tickets booked with SkyMiles earn MQMs, which help you qualify for elite status with Delta.
Delta sometimes offers SkyMiles members the opportunity to upgrade using their miles. Prices vary for upgrades and are only available for some reservations. If you are offered an upgrade, consider the cash price of the upgrade and compare the value you get to our valuation of 1.16 cents per SkyMile.
The number of miles you need to book a flight on Delta varies with the cash price of the itinerary. Occasionally, Delta offers sales on SkyMiles tickets, making a one-way ticket as low as 5,000 SkyMiles.
You can use your SkyMiles to book travel with Delta and its airline partners like KLM, Air France, and Korean Air. SkyMiles booking with partners may be limited and not all partner flights will be bookable with SkyMiles.
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