Best Ways To Earn Delta SkyMiles

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.

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

You can also earn and redeeming SkyMiles on a few select partners outside of the alliance. This includes:

• Cape Air
• Hawaiian Airlines
• WestJet

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 $200 flight credit every year that you spend $10,000 or more on the card $100 Delta stays credit: Earn up to $100 back annually on eligible prepaid Delta Stays bookings on delta.com. Terms Apply Enjoy a $0 introductory Annual Fee for the first year, then $150. (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 Main Cabin round-trip companion certificate each year upon renewal of your Card good for domestic, Caribbean, or Central American roundtrip flights to select destinations. Receive $2,500 Medallion® Qualification Dollars each Medallion Qualification Year and get closer to Status with MQD Headstart. Terms Apply $350 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 First Class round-trip companion certificate each year upon renewal of your Card good for domestic, Caribbean, or Central American roundtrip flights to select destinations. Complimentary Centurion Lounge access when traveling on Delta Receive 15 Visits per year to the Delta Sky Club. Terms Apply $650 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: 55,000 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 on up to $50,000 of purchases per category, per year. First checked bag free for yourself and up to 8 others traveling with you on the same reservation $200 flight credit every year that you spend $10,000 or more on the card $150 Delta stays credit: Earn up to $150 back annually on eligible prepaid Delta Stays bookings on delta.com. Terms Apply $0 introductory annual fee fee, then $150 (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: 65,000 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 Main Cabin round-trip companion certificate each year upon renewal of your Card good for domestic, Caribbean, or Central American roundtrip flights to select destinations. Receive $2,500 Medallion® Qualification Dollars each Medallion Qualification Year and get closer to Status with MQD Headstart. Terms Apply $350 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: 75,000 Bonus Miles Earn 3X Miles on eligible purchases made directly with Delta Earn 1.5X miles on eligible transit, U.S. shipping, and U.S. office supply store purchases 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) First Class round-trip companion certificate each year upon renewal of your Card good for domestic, Caribbean, or Central American roundtrip flights to select destinations. Complimentary Centurion Lounge access when traveling on Delta Receive 15 Visits per year to the Delta Sky Club. Terms Apply $650 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: 150,000 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 $375 annual fee (See Rates and Fees)
The Blue Business® Plus Credit Card from American Express Best For Small Business & Miscellaneous Purchases Learn More View Referral Offer 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.