Your Simple Guide To Delta Airlines SkyMiles

Delta SkyMiles: Quick Overview

How To Earn SkyMiles: SkyMiles are primarily earned flying Delta and their airline partners. You can also earn miles using credit cards and spending with Delta partners.

Redeeming SkyMiles: SkyMiles can be redeemed for flights, hotels, car rentals, gift cards, merchandise, and cruises.

Delta SkyMiles Value: Based on our valuations, Delta SkyMiles are worth 1.2 cents on average. This means 10,000 miles are worth about $120 in flight value.

Airline Alliance: Delta Airlines is part of the SkyTeam alliance.

Major Credit Card Partners: American Express Membership Rewards is the only major U.S. credit card rewards partner.

Calculator: Best Credit Cards For Earning Delta SkyMiles

Delta Airlines partners

Delta Airlines is part of the SkyTeam alliance which allows you to earn and redeem SkyMiles for flights with Delta and their airline partners all around the world. If you fly Delta and their partners enough, you can obtain SkyTeam elite status which will grant you benefits when flying SkyTeam partners.

SkyTeam Alliance

Here are Delta Airlines' SkyTeam alliance partners:

• Aerolíneas Argentinas
• Aeromexico
• Air Europa
• Air France
• China Airlines
• China Eastern
• Czech Airlines
• Garuda Indonesia
• ITA Airways
• Kenya Airways
• KLM
• Korean Air
• Middle East Airlines (MEA)
• Saudia
• TAROM
• Vietnam Airlines
• Virgin Atlantic
• XiamenAir

Other airline partners

Delta SkyMiles can also be earned and/or redeemed on a few select partners outside of the alliance. This includes:

• Cape Air
• Hawaiian Airlines
• WestJet

What's the value of Delta SkyMiles?

How much are Delta SkyMiles worth? The simple answer: about 1.2 cents per mile on average. This means 10,000 SkyMiles are equal to about $120 in value when booking flights with Delta and their partners.

SkyMiles can also be used for car rentals, gift cards, merchandise, and cruises. All of these redemptions will give your SkyMiles less than 1 cent in value.

Learn More: Delta SkyMiles To Dollar Value Calculator

How to earn Delta SkyMiles

If you're looking to earn Delta SkyMiles, there are plenty of options available to you. Of course, you can earn miles by flying with Delta and their partner airlines, but there are also other ways to accumulate miles. For example, you can earn miles by using Delta co-branded credit cards, shopping with retail partners, renting cars, booking hotels, and even dining out at participating restaurants.

Fly Delta Airlines

The easiest and most straightforward way to earn Delta SkyMiles is by flying Delta Airlines. As a Delta SkyMiles member, you'll earn miles based on the cost of your ticket minus government-imposed taxes and fees.

The amount of miles you earn will depend on your Delta Medallion status in the Delta SkyMiles program and the fare booked.

Here's how many SkyMiles each Medallion level earns per dollar spent:

• SkyMiles members: 5 miles per $1 spent.
• Silver Medallion members: 7 miles per $1 spent.
• Gold Medallion members: 8 miles per $1 spent.
• Platinum Medallion members: 9 miles per $1 spent.
• Diamond Medallion members: 11 miles per $1 spent.

Do note that you will not earn Delta SkyMiles or Medallion Qualification Miles (MQMs) when booking basic economy flights.

So for example, a general SkyMiles member booking a $300 flight would earn 1,500 SkyMiles ($300 x 5 miles per $1). A Diamond Medallion member booking that same flight would earn 3,300 SkyMiles ($300 x 11 miles per $1).

Fly partner airlines

Delta SkyMiles can be earned flying partner airlines. This includes SkyTeam alliance partners and a handful of non-alliance airlines.

The amount of SkyMiles you earn will depend on the airline. For example, here's the mile accrual chart for Aeromexico:

Delta SkyMiles accrual rate for flying Aeromexico.

As you can see, you can earn 100% of your miles when flying economy and business class fares with Aeromexico, but discount fares will only earn you 50% of your miles. Even lower than that is Deep Discounted Economy (fare class V) which will only give you 25% of your miles.

You can find all Delta partner airlines and the mile accrual charts on their Earning With Airline Partners page.

Use Delta credit cards

Delta offers a whopping seven credit cards through American Express. These cards not only earn you SkyMiles per $1 spent, but they also offer a wide range of benefits including free checked bags, annual companion passes, and shortcuts to Medallion status through spending.

Here's the list of credit cards that Delta offers:

Credit Card	Highlights
Delta SkyMiles® Blue American Express Card Best For No Annual Fee Learn More View Referral Offer Card Value & SkyMiles Calculator	Intro Bonus: 10,000 Bonus Miles Earn 2X Miles on Delta purchases and at restaurants worldwide, plus takeout and delivery in the U.S. No foreign transaction fee and no annual fee Terms Apply $0 annual fee (See Rates and Fees)
Delta SkyMiles® Gold American Express Card Best For Free Checked Bags Learn More View Referral Offer Card Value & SkyMiles Calculator	Intro Bonus: 40,000 Bonus Miles Earn 2X Miles on Delta purchases, at restaurants worldwide, including takeout and delivery in the U.S. and at U.S. supermarkets First checked bag free for yourself and up to 8 others traveling with you on the same reservation $100 flight credit every year that you spend $10,000 or more on the card Terms Apply $0 introductory annual fee fee, then $99 (See Rates and Fees)
Delta SkyMiles® Platinum American Express Card Best Overall For Delta Travelers Learn More View Referral Offer Card Value & SkyMiles Calculator	Intro Bonus: 50,000 Bonus Miles Earn 3X Miles on Delta purchases and purchases made directly with hotels Earn 2X Miles at restaurants worldwide, including takeout and delivery in the U.S. and at U.S. supermarkets Domestic Main Cabin round-trip companion certificate each year upon renewal of your Card Terms Apply $250 annual fee (See Rates and Fees)
Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card Best For Benefits & Medallion Status Chasers Learn More View Referral Offer Card Value & SkyMiles Calculator	Intro Bonus: 60,000 Bonus Miles Earn 3X Miles on Delta purchases Domestic First Class round-trip companion certificate each year upon renewal of your Card Complimentary Centurion Lounge access when traveling on Delta Enjoy Delta Sky Club® access at no cost. Effective 2/1/25, Reserve Card Members will receive 15 Visits per year to the Delta Sky Club. Terms Apply $550 annual fee (See Rates and Fees)
Delta SkyMiles® Gold Business American Express Card Best Business Card For Free Checked Bags Learn More View Referral Offer Card Value & SkyMiles Calculator	Intro Bonus: 50,000 Bonus Miles Earn 2X Miles on Delta and restaurant purchases. Earn 2X Miles on eligible purchases at U.S. shipping providers and eligible U.S. advertising purchases in select media. Effective 1/1/2024, this benefit will have a cap of $50,000 in eligible purchases per category, per year. First checked bag free for yourself and up to 8 others traveling with you on the same reservation $100 flight credit every year that you spend $10,000 or more on the card Terms Apply $0 introductory annual fee fee, then $99 (See Rates and Fees)
Delta SkyMiles® Platinum Business American Express Card Best Overall For Delta Business Travelers Learn More View Referral Offer Card Value & SkyMiles Calculator	Intro Bonus: 60,000 Bonus Miles Earn 3X Miles on eligible purchases made directly with Delta and on every eligible dollar spent on purchases made directly with hotels Earn 1.5X miles on single eligible purchases of $5,000 or more (that’s an extra half mile per dollar), up to 50,000 additional miles per year Domestic Main Cabin round-trip companion certificate each year upon renewal of your Card Terms Apply $250 annual fee (See Rates and Fees)
Delta SkyMiles® Reserve Business American Express Card Best Business Card For Benefits & Medallion Status Chasers Learn More View Referral Offer Card Value & SkyMiles Calculator	Intro Bonus: 70,000 Bonus Miles Earn 3X Miles on eligible purchases made directly with Delta Earn 1.5X Miles on eligible purchases the rest of the year after you spend $150,000 on your Card in a calendar year (that’s an extra half mile per dollar) Domestic First Class round-trip companion certificate each year upon renewal of your Card Enjoy Delta Sky Club® access at no cost. Effective 2/1/25, Reserve Card Members will receive 15 Visits per year to the Delta Sky Club. Terms Apply $550 annual fee (See Rates and Fees)

Transfer points to Delta SkyMiles

Delta SkyMiles can be earned by transferring rewards earned in partner programs directly to your SkyMiles account. Here's the complete list of Delta transfer partners:

American Express Membership Rewards

American Express Membership Rewards is the only major U.S. credit card rewards program that is partnered with Delta. Membership Rewards points can be transferred to Delta at a 1:1 ratio meaning that every 1,000 AMEX points you transfer will give you 1,000 Delta SkyMiles.

With multipliers as high as 5X and intro bonuses reaching as high as 120,000 points, this makes Membership Rewards credit cards an excellent choice for earning SkyMiles.

Here's our top Membership Rewards credit card picks for Delta travelers looking to earn SkyMiles quickly:

Credit Card	Highlights
The Platinum Card® from American Express Best For Lounge Access & Luxury Travel Learn More View Referral Offer Card Value & Points Calculator	Intro Bonus: 80,000 Bonus Points Earn 5X points on flights booked directly with airlines or with American Express Travel (up to $500,000, then 1X) Earn 5X points on prepaid hotels booked through American Express Travel Earn 1X points on all other eligible purchases Global Airport Lounge Access including Centurion Lounges, Delta Sky Club Lounges (when flying Delta), Airspace Lounges, Escape Lounges, and Priority Pass Lounges Over $1,400 in annual credits which includes airline incidentals, Uber Cash, digital entertainment, Fine Hotels + Resorts and The Hotel Collection, and more Enroll in complimentary Marriott Bonvoy Gold Elite status and Hilton Honors Gold status Terms Apply $695 annual fee (See Rates and Fees)
American Express® Gold Card Best For Restaurants & U.S. Supermarkets Learn More View Referral Offer Card Value & Points Calculator	Intro Bonus: 60,000 Bonus Points Earn 4X points at restaurants and on up to $25,000 in annual U.S. supermarket purchases Earn 3X points on flights booked directly with airlines or on amextravel.com Earn 1X points on all other purchases Up to $120 in Uber Cash credit each year Up to $120 in dining credits each year Terms Apply $250 annual fee (See Rates and Fees)
The Business Platinum Card® from American Express Best For Lounge Access & Luxury Business Travel Learn More View Referral Offer Card Value & Points Calculator	Intro Bonus: 120,000 Points Earn 5X points on flights and prepaid hotels on amextravel.com Earn 1.5X points on select business purchases and on purchases of $5,000 or more everywhere else, on up to $2 million of these purchases per year Earn 1X points on all other eligible purchases Global Airport Lounge Access including Centurion Lounges, Delta Sky Club Lounges (when flying Delta), Airspace Lounges, Escape Lounges, and Priority Pass Lounges Over $1,400 in annual credits which includes Dell, Adobe, Indeed, CLEAR, and more Get 35% points back when you redeem points for all or part of an eligible flight booked with AMEX Travel Enroll in complimentary Marriott Bonvoy Gold Elite status and Hilton Honors Gold status Terms Apply $695 annual fee (See Rates and Fees)
American Express® Business Gold Card Best For Business Rewards Learn More View Referral Offer Card Value & Points Calculator	Intro Bonus: 70,000 Points Earn 4X points on the 2 select categories where your business spent the most each billing cycle, on up to $150,000 per year (then 1X) Earn 3X points on flights and prepaid hotels booked on AmexTravel.com Earn 1X points on all other purchases Terms Apply $295 annual fee, $375 if application is received on or after 2/1/24 (See Rates and Fees)
The Blue Business® Plus Credit Card from American Express Best For Small Business & Miscellaneous Purchases Learn More Card Value & Points Calculator	Intro Bonus: 15,000 Membership Rewards® points Earn 2X points on the first $50,000 in purchases per year, then 1 point per dollar thereafter No annual fee Terms Apply $0 annual fee (See Rates and Fees)

Spend with car rental and rideshare partners

Delta SkyMiles can be earned on car rentals by booking rental cars directly through delta.com/cars or by booking directly with partners such as Hertz, Dollar, Enterprise, and Thrifty.

You can also earn miles on limo rentals with Carmel Car & Limo and using rideshare with Lyft.

Book hotels

You can earn Delta SkyMiles booking hotel stays. This can be done directly through delta.com/hotels or directly with the hotel by either booking through a special portal or by changing your earning preferences to Delta SkyMiles. Partners include Marriott, IHG, Radisson, and Airbnb.

Pay your gas bill

Delta Airlines partners with Natural Gas in several states which allows you to earn 2 SkyMiles per $1 spent when paying your gas bill. This includes:

• Energy Plus
• Georgia National Gas
• Grand Rapids Energy
• Illinois Energy
• Illinois Energy Solutions
• Ohio Natural Gas

It's an easy way to earn SkyMiles on what you would normally do anyway.

Shop and dine out with partners

Delta has a small handful of partners that you can use to earn SkyMiles when shopping or dining out. You can earn SkyMiles with Starbucks (Stars too!), on gifts through FTD, and when signing up for wine delivery though Vinesse Wines.

Delta also offers SkyMiles Dining which allows you to earn up to 5X miles at participating restaurants and SkyMiles Shopping which offers the ability to earn miles shopping online with hundreds of leading retailers.

Shop for groceries online

Instacart and Delta has teamed up to earn you SkyMiles when shopping for groceries. You can earn 1 mile with Delta per $1 spent on Instacart and get up to 3 months free based on your Delta Medallion status.

Ways to redeem Delta SkyMiles

Delta SkyMiles will have the best value when redeemed for award flights through delta.com, but you can also use them for hotels, car rentals, gift cards, and cruises.

Award flights

You can book flights with Delta Airlines and their airline partners through delta.com. When selecting the 'Book with Miles' option, all Delta and partner flights will be listed in the results together.

Delta has a few sweet spots that can net you some solid value:

• Short-haul flights in the U.S.
• Long-haul economy flights in the U.S.
• Flights to the U.K. on Virgin Atlantic
• Flights to Brazil on LATAM
• Flights from the U.S. to Canada

You can also obtain excellent value through Delta's flash sales and weekend getaways. During these promos, award flight costs are heavily reduced which can save you lots of SkyMiles in the long run.

If you have a Delta SkyMiles American Express Credit Card, you'll have exclusive access to Pay with Miles which allows you to redeem your SkyMiles towards the cost of your flight starting at 5,000 SkyMiles for $50 off. It's not the "best" value, but it's a great alternative if you don't have enough miles to book the full award flight.

Hotel stays

Delta SkyMiles can be used to book hotel stays through the Delta SkyMiles marketplace. You'll need to have at least half of the miles required for the booking. You can pay cash for the remainder of the balance if you do not have enough SkyMiles.

Car rentals

Delta SkyMiles can be redeemed for car rentals booked through Delta SkyMiles marketplace. This includes all the leading rental companies such as Hertz, Dollar, Alamo, and Thrifty.

Cruises

If you're big on cruising, you can put your Delta SkyMiles towards such through the Delta SkyMiles marketplace. Standard interior rooms start as low as 78,000 SkyMiles and there's a wide range of cruise lines you can pick from.

Gift cards

Delta SkyMiles can be redeemed for gift cards. Categories include dining, entertainment, gas, and travel. You can also redeem them for Delta gift cards, though you would receive significantly better value using them to book award travel instead.

Merchandise

Delta SkyMiles can be redeemed for merchandise through the Delta SkyMiles marketplace. This includes suitcases, electronics, kitchen appliances, Apple electronics, and much more. This redemption will give your SkyMiles low value.

Delta Medallion Status

Once you sign up for a Delta SkyMiles account, you'll be given a Delta SkyMiles number. You'll use this number when booking flights with Delta and their partners to earn Delta SkyMiles.

When you use your SkyMiles number to book flights, you will also earn credit towards Delta Medallion status. For every flight (excludes Basic economy), you will earn:

• Medallion Qualification Miles (MQMs): These are earned based on distance flown and your fare class. They are not to be confused with actual Delta SkyMiles which are used to book award flights.
• Medallion Qualification Segments (MQSs): These are the number of flights you've take from wheels up to wheels down. So a straight flight with no layover would be 1 segment. A flight with a layover would be 2 segments since it's two flights.
• Medallion Qualification Dollars (MQDs): These are earned based on your annual spend on Delta flights and on most partner flights.

Each level in the Delta Medallion program requires a combination of flying and spending with Delta and partners. You will need to meet either the Miles or Segments requirement AND meet the MQDs requirement or spend your way to the MQD waiver using Delta SkyMiles American Express Credit Cards.

Here's the requirements for earning Delta Medallion status:

• Delta Silver Medallion: 25,000 MQMs or 30 MQSs AND $3,000 MQDs or MQD Waiver.
• Delta Gold Medallion: 50,000 MQMs or 60 MQSs AND $8,000 MQDs or MQD Waiver.
• Delta Platinum Medallion: 75,000 MQMs or 100 MQSs AND $12,000 MQDs or MQD Waiver.
• Delta Diamond Medallion: 125,000 MQMs or 140 MQSs AND $20,000 MQDs or MQD Waiver.

As a Delta Medallion member, you'll also receive SkyTeam Elite status which grants benefits when flying other SkyTeam alliance airlines.

Delta Silver Medallion benefits

Delta Silver Medallion members receive 7 SkyMiles per $1 spent, unlimited complimentary upgrades on day of departure with Delta and on select Aeromexico flights, a free checked bag, priority check-in, and priority boarding.

When flying SkyTeam partners, Delta Silver Medallion members will be able to enjoy SkyTeam Elite status which offers priority boarding, preferred seats, and more.

Delta Gold Medallion benefits

Delta Gold Medallion members receive 8 SkyMiles per $1 spent, unlimited complimentary upgrade beginning 72 hours prior to departure with Delta and on select Aeromexico flights, complimentary preferred seats, a free checked bag, Sky Priority check-in and boarding, and drink vouchers.

When flying SkyTeam partners, Delta Gold Medallion members will be able to enjoy SkyTeam Elite+ status which includes priority baggage handling, global lounge access, and more.

Delta Platinum Medallion benefits

Delta Platinum Medallion members receive 9 SkyMiles per $1 spent, one Choice Benefit, unlimited complimentary upgrade beginning 120 hours prior to departure with Delta and on select Aeromexico flights, complimentary preferred and Delta Comfort+ seats, a free checked bag, Sky Priority, Hertz President's Circle Status, and drink vouchers.

When flying SkyTeam partners, Delta Platinum Medallion members will be able to enjoy SkyTeam Elite+ status.

Delta Diamond Medallion benefits

Delta Diamond Medallion members receive 11 SkyMiles per $1 spent, a Choice Benefit, complimentary CLEAR Plus membership, highest priority boarding among Medallion members, Sky Priority, complimentary upgrades beginning 120 hours prior to departure with priority for Delta and select Aeromexico flights, complimentary preferred and Delta Comfort+ seats, a free checked bag, Sky Priority, Hertz President's Circle Status, and drink vouchers.

When flying SkyTeam partners, Delta Platinum Medallion members will be able to enjoy SkyTeam Elite+ status.